Eri Takasugi, CEO of MidWives LLC / Nurse, Midwife, Public Health Nurse / International Lactation Consultant

Midwives are close yet far away, but they will continue to be with you throughout your life.

Representative of MidWives LLC / Nurse, Midwife, Public Health Nurse / International Lactation Consultant　Eri Takasugi(Eri Takasugi)

■ Profile
After gaining experience in obstetrics and NICU at a comprehensive perinatal maternal and child medical center and clinic, she worked in consultation at the Setagaya Ward Health Center and the Baby Calendar app for mothers.
She also supervises articles and videos about pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing in the media.
We currently operate the Childcare Support HOUSE Midwife Salon in Shinagawa Ward, a place that provides services that allow parents to raise their children with peace of mind and a smile.
As a mother of two children, she is currently struggling with childcare, and is constantly updating her knowledge and experience as a midwife through her children.
https://josanshisalon.my.canva.site/

Takasugi Eri is a licensed midwife, public health nurse, and nurse, and currently runs a midwife salon that provides support to expectant mothers and new mothers. She is cooperating with the film "The End of Thirst" (released May 18, 2024), which depicts the various options surrounding prenatal diagnosis and childbirth. We spoke to her about the message she wants to convey through her work and the mindset she values ​​as a midwife.

At the time, I was able to simultaneously obtain qualifications as a nurse, public health nurse, and midwife, so I was extremely busy with practical training and exam preparation. As the eldest of five children and living in a large family, I was interested in family nursing and the process of family formation. I had originally planned to become a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) nurse, but I felt that working in a NICU would require midwifery knowledge as well, so I decided to obtain midwifery qualifications as well. To broaden my future horizons, I wanted to broaden my options while I was still a student. I had assumed that becoming a midwife would mean I would only work in the medical field, so I worked part-time at Starbucks to gain some real-world experience. However, the intensity of my fourth-year practical training was extraordinary. First, I was required to experience 10 births, and whether or not I was able to attend a birth was a matter of fate. I was unable to attend the last case, and I ended up staying overnight at the hospital for about a month. However, the busyness and sense of fulfillment I felt at that time fueled me and still motivates me today.

■ Beyond the Great Catcher

　After graduating from university, I wanted to gain experience in a hospital while I was still young, so I took a job as a nurse in the NICU at a comprehensive perinatal maternal and child medical center. This department, known as the final frontier in childbirth, sees high-risk pregnant women and babies. It was a challenging but rewarding job, but I gradually realized that my midwifery training experience had left a lasting impression on me, so I decided to try obstetrics. No two families, mothers, or babies are alike in childbirth. This requires constant skill development and flexible decision-making, creating a sense of unity like a team sport. The sense of relief and elation when a baby is born safely made me realize that this is the unique joy of the job of a midwife. I was so happy when a mother told me, "You're a great catcher."
Later, in my mid-30s, I got married and moved to Tokyo. I felt it would be difficult to continue working at a large hospital with many night shifts while balancing work and child-rearing, and I had gained plenty of experience as a nurse and midwife, so I felt like I could do anything. So, I took this opportunity to try a new way of working as a freelance midwife. In 2023, I opened a midwife salon with a fellow midwife who joined us at the same time as me, to provide childcare support for postpartum mothers.

■ From birth to death, we will be with you throughout your life

　At Midwife Salon, we aim to be a bridge between hospitals and homes, offering childbirth and childcare consultations and same-day postpartum care. While hospitals assist with childbirth, mothers must be discharged approximately five days after birth, and they often lack sufficient advice on postpartum health management and childcare. If a baby is 0 years old, then mom and dad are also 0 years old, and pregnant women are 0 years younger. We aim to support mothers immediately after being discharged from the hospital, supporting them through the period when they are prone to postpartum depression and the gradual process of becoming moms and dads. In an age where information is easily accessible online, we place great importance on always being there to provide accurate information and building trustworthy connections.
　We also aim to be a place where midwives who are qualified but unable to work due to childcare responsibilities can find new ways of working. It's said that it's difficult to return to midwifery after a gap of several years. While the image of midwifery is that it's all about assisting with childbirth, there are many other opportunities to be active in many areas of life, such as providing support for childbirth and childcare at midwife salons, educating children about sex and life, and providing menopausal counseling. As times change, the role of both mothers and midwives is also changing, so I hope that freelance midwives will become a more common way of working.

■ Knowing, thinking, and facing

I hope that the film "The End of Thirst" will give viewers an opportunity to think a little about prenatal testing and the importance of life. This story is not something that happens to other people; it could happen to you. I hope that viewers will talk to those close to them about what choices they would make if it were them. The prenatal testing depicted in the film is not intended to prevent the birth of a child with a disability, but rather to prepare and prepare for the birth of that baby. There is often information circulating about how easy it is to undergo testing, but I hope that people will also be aware of the importance of undergoing testing at an institution that has the necessary facilities to interpret and support the test results.
　When I spoke with the director before writing the script, I spoke passionately about the spirit of a midwife. For example, as a midwife, I try to maintain a distance as the "closest stranger." There are things that we can't say to families because we don't want to worry them, but we are the closest, and yet we are there to support them from a bird's-eye view, so I think there are things we can say. To do this, we need the imagination to think ahead about possibilities and risks from a single piece of information. There is no right answer when it comes to childbirth or child-rearing, so I want to be someone that people can rely on in times of trouble, so that they can make better choices.

■Message to university students

I believe that children are the hope that adds color to life, so I would like to reiterate the appeal of childbirth and child-rearing. Childbirth and child-rearing are very difficult, but the joy and excitement far outweigh that.
　While you're a student, I want you to have experiences that you can only have now. If you meet a lot of different people and listen to a lot of different stories while you're a student, I think that those connections and experiences will come in handy in a variety of situations in the future. I want you to cherish the things you can do because you have time as a student, and take on the challenges.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on April 25, 2024 by Minami Yoshikawa, a third-year student at Sophia University