I have been working as a midwife running a midwifery clinic supporting local mothers in Yamamoto town, which is the south most town located at the Miyagi prefecture.

On 11th March 2011, my own home was washed away by Tsunami and had to live as an evacuee for a while. I was using my home as an office so I was at a loss as to how to start my work again but then I began to think that, "I can just start from the things I can do, little by little". So for the last year, I have been visiting all the newborn babies in this town as well as holding parenting workshops.

I hold the workshops so that I can listen to the mothers from this region as well as evacuees from Fukushima pref., so that their worries and fear are let out a little. The workshops also provide opportunities for the mothers to make other friends so that they will not be lonely, all with a hope that they can have some moments of fun and relaxed time with the baby and reduce the stress and the worries of parenting.

Midwife, Akemi Iwasa

Breastfeeding and Parenting support Mummy Pai x 2