Pregnancy and Childbirth experiences: historical transition in comparison of Japan and Tanzania

摘要

Introduction: At both international and local levels, enormous efforts have been made over the past several years toimprove reproductive health services using different strategies. Continuous efforts are required to achieve MDG51-3, but it may also be necessary to evaluate knowledge from different periods of time and from personalmaternity experiences, including pregnancy and childbirth experiences in both resource-rich and resource-poorsettings. Healthcare service quality and accessibility during the postwar rehabilitation period in Japan were aspoor as those of developing countries at present. Therefore, it may be possible to determine ways in which toimprove women’s reproductive health in resource-poor settings from the experiences of Japanese womenregarding pregnancy and childbirth during the postwar rehabilitation period.The present study evaluated personal pregnancy and childbirth experiences from both resource-rich andresource-poor settings, to gain an understanding of women’s ability to face pregnancy and childbirth through acomparison of their experiences, especially from the viewpoint of customs, beliefs, and practices.