“Sorry, I’m going to have to admit you into the hospital for a few days.” the doctor said.

Caitlyn, Hiroko (our short-term missionary) and I tried to process that statement while the doctor continued to consult with the attending nurse. Moments later, Caitlyn was sitting in a wheelchair, being whisked to a private room on the next floor up.

This particular journey started a month earlier in the summer of 2025. We had begun settling into life in Yamaguchi Prefecture and were thinking about how to move forward with a culture study and related activities. Then—joy of joys—we found out we were expecting our first child with a projected due date of March 2026! We were elated. However, tsuwari (morning sickness) hit Caitlyn hard and fast. We scrambled to work through the nuances of ever-changing food needs and extra rest. Once, I went to seven different stores to find a specific type of Doritos! It was challenging, but God provided strength for each day.

Thankfully, we found an excellent OB/GYN center that also served as a birthing hospital, only two kilometers from our apartment. They did not speak much, if any, English, but with Hiroko’s assistance in translating difficult medical terminology, Caitlyn always got the help she needed. We were also extremely grateful to find out that many of the costs of mother and baby checkups were covered by the Japanese government and national health insurance, making the whole process much lighter on our wallets.

Unfortunately, in early August, we discovered that the baby had positioned itself in a rather difficult manner. After going to see the doctor, Caitlyn was admitted to the birthing hospital for a five-night stay for monitoring and medication. One immediate challenge of her hospital stay was explaining an SDA diet, along with allergies, to a hospital that has no background in vegetarian cooking. After much confusion and lots of questions, the kitchen staff went above and beyond, doing a superb job of accommodating Caitlyn’s needs. Another difficulty was that hospital visiting hours were limited, so I was only able to spend a few hours with her in the afternoons.

After discharge from the hospital, the doctor put Caitlyn on strict bed rest and additional medications for use at home, adding to the difficulty of managing both a pregnancy and normal life for both of us. God was faithful, though, and kept us going every step of the way. After the scares of the first trimester, God provided a calm and productive second trimester.

At the thirty-two-week mark, the baby went mysteriously quiet for two days after being a very active little one. So, we went to the hospital to get checked out. The baby was safe (Phew!), but he was preparing to depart his first home way too early! Cue more bed rest and medications—and lots of prayer from friends and family around the world for a full-term, healthy baby. Interestingly, as soon as we found out the baby was fine and knew how to handle the problem at home, he went back to being his active little self.

A mere few days before the scheduled delivery date, Caitlyn woke me up just after midnight. “It’s time,” she said. I ran over to Hiroko’s apartment, only five minutes away, to wake her up. We all jumped in the car and arrived at the hospital around 2:00 a.m. Nine hours later, our son was finally born, full term and with loud cries to match!

In Japan, the standard hospital stay for all mothers and babies is five days. This gives the mom a chance to rest, learn how to take care of a baby with nurses on call to help, even all night if needed, and gives the spouse time to finish baby-related paperwork and other errands before the baby comes home. Caitlyn was extremely grateful for all the assistance. We were really enjoying the experience of having our baby, despite the obvious difficulties of a different sleep schedule, limited visiting hours again and figuring out what the baby needed.

On the night before discharge, Friday, Caitlyn felt strangely exhausted. After debating back and forth, she decided that rest was important before going home, asked the nurses to watch our son overnight, and planned to pick him up again before discharge in the morning.

The next morning, Caitlyn was packing her belongings and looking forward to a restful Sabbath—at home!

Suddenly, a nurse entered Caitlyn’s room. “Is your translator here yet?”

“She’s coming at 10:00 a.m. for checkout as scheduled,” Caitlyn replied.

“No. Your translator needs to come now!”

To Be Continued…

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