Japan’s national songstress Ayumi Hamasaki has shared some very personal news on her official Instagram account. She shared that she had given birth via C-section.
Otherwise known as a caesarean section/delivery, this is a surgical procedure that involves delivering the baby through an incision in the mother’s abdomen. This method is usually chosen when a vaginal delivery has the potential to put the mother or baby at risk. Over the years C-section births have steadily become more common.
In the caption Ayu shared a touching message sharing that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to bring a new life into the world. She wishes that she could live in a world where other people don’t have to judge each other. She loves and is proud of the scar on her stomach
She also shared the post on her Instagram stories with the caption “Csectionstill IS birth”
As-per a 2017 article from Tokyo Review several studies claim that Japan sees the pain experienced during childbirth as a “necessary step” to becoming a mother. In 2016 only 5.2% of mothers were given an epidural anesthesia, which is extremely low compared to other countries like France (77%), U.S (61%) and the United Kingdom (33%). Other doctors claim that in Japan a birth is seen as a “natural, non-medical” event with very few risks.
This mindset can potentially spark a bias towards C-sections. Despite that, C-section numbers continue to rise in Japan.
Many fans have shared their support for Ayu over SNS, for revealing such a personal detail about her life. Others have also shared their own stories about having a C-section birth.