Pregnancy – The Haruna Home

Summer Announcements

July 11, 2023

Summer is here, and it has been eventful at the Haruna Home!

We spent much of spring in the garden planting and enjoying the good weather. We also traveled to the city twice so that my husband could do some vocal workshops, as well as meeting up with friends and relatives.

In April through June I was in the third trimester, so I spent the latter part of pregnancy taking daily walks and swimming in the public pool, all in the hopes of encouraging our second-born to make his way into our arms..

But, despite our efforts, he ended up being born at 41 weeks and 2 days.. well past his “due date”!

Our second son, Josiah, was born on June 30th.

We are so happy and grateful for the addition to our family!! I am currently taking it easy during postpartum recovery, but look forward to getting outdoors again soon as a family of four.

In Japan rainy season is now well underway, and the hum of the first cicadas can be heard – a signal that hotter days are yet to come. “Bugs” is also the theme of a unit that will be featured in Hiragana at Home, Part 2!

The Part 2 release of our home-education hiragana program for children is planned for sometime around mid-August, no later than August 22nd. If you already purchased the Hiragana at Home program at Gumroad, you will be able to download Part 2 from your downloads purchase page, as soon as the Part 2 download becomes available.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at our Instagram, theharunahome!

How has your summer been going so far?

Leave a comment below!

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We’re Expecting – Again!

January 22, 2023

I’ve been quiet on the blog for a while, and with good reason..

Shortly after my last post, I found out that we are expecting – again!

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Postpartum Essentials

July 9, 2021

During pregnancy, so much focus can be on preparing the baby.. but preparing the mother is important, too!

Especially for new mothers, it can be helpful to know what to expect after giving birth, and how to make the transition to motherhood easier.

Below I share a list of what I found useful during my postpartum recovery, and my thoughts about each item. Or, scroll to the bottom of the post to discover what items were “not worth it”!

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Pregnancy: What to Read

July 8, 2021

Pregnancy can feel overwhelming with all of the preparation involved, and a very real deadline within which to accomplish it all!

In addition to purchasing items for baby, deciding on a place to give birth, and so on, there are also so many resources out there to read written on the subject of pregnancy itself.

Below are a few of the titles that I read prior to my son’s birth, and my thoughts on each resource.

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Giving Birth at a Japanese Clinic

April 14, 2021

Our beautiful rainbow baby arrived to this world on March 11th!

Our birth experience was different from what we expected, but still overall positive. We chose to give birth at a clinic vs. a hospital, run by the doctor who was the care provider during my entire pregnancy.

The following is our birth story, about what it’s like to give birth in Japan and during the COVID pandemic.

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Nursery Reveal!

March 6, 2021

At 39 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy, we are nearly to baby’s due date!!

I am now officially on “maternity leave” from our home business, and trying to enjoy this time as much as possible while we wait for our son Jamie’s arrival.

One of the projects that I’ve been looking forward to completing is the nursery!

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Preparing For Childbirth

February 10, 2021

As of today, the last month of pregnancy has finally arrived!

My husband and I have been busy with final preparations, making sure that everything is organized for baby, as well as postpartum. Due to COVID, all of the in-person childbirth classes in our area have been shut down.. so over the last few months, we’ve been turning to online resources and books to prepare for childbirth.

If you are in the home stretch of pregnancy and interested in what we have been doing to prepare, keep reading for my recommendations below (as well as a discount code!)!

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2020: Suffering and Abundance

January 5, 2021

Everyone experienced last year differently.. and despite the popular narrative that 2020 is a year to “throw out” like curbside trash, it is also one for which I am deeply grateful.

In 2020, we experienced many hardships. I lost three of my grandparents, and in June we miscarried our third child. Less than two weeks later, I became pregnant with our fourth child, Jamie. After 3 years of losses, secondary infertility, and barely holding on to hope, it is still hard to believe that I am nearly 31 weeks pregnant with our beautiful rainbow baby!

Last year we practiced flexibility and shifted the direction of branches of our business. We temporarily shut down some of our locations during the spring, and increased our online workload. We survived, even while many local businesses shut down (including several of my favorite restaurants!!).

We experienced distance from family and friends due to the pandemic, and canceled plans.

I experienced the constraints of a pregnancy during COVID19-restrictions: more isolation, and void of a lot of the celebration that usually comes with preparing to welcome an unborn child.

Yet, intermingled with the challenges, it has been a year of abundance.

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Maternity Clothes: Best Brands

December 7, 2020

Now that I am nearing week 27 and have almost hit the third trimester, there is no hiding my baby bump! As a result, I invested in multiple maternity and nursing-friendly wardrobe pieces.

However, it has not always been easy to find clothes that fit my body in Japan! I have tried out a variety of different brands in the search for the best maternity clothes, and made purchases in-store, as well as on the internet and from overseas.

It is also crazy to me just how expensive maternity clothes tend to be in Japan, so if you are pregnant, it’s helpful to have a good idea of what brands work well for immigrants with bigger or more shapely bodies.

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10 Pregnancy Must-Haves

November 1, 2020

The word is out.. we are expecting a boy!

The 1st trimester of this pregnancy seemed to drag on and on forever, but now at over halfway through the 2nd trimester, time is flying past so quickly. As a result, I want to make sure not to forget what I’ve learned along the way, and document it to share!

For example, I recently compiled a list of my pregnancy must-haves so far.

So, whether you are preparing for a future pregnancy, are experiencing your first pregnancy overseas in Japan, or just a mom veteran looking for ideas, I hope that you find this list helpful!

Please note: this blog post uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from certain links. This does not affect your purchases or the price you may pay.

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