What are these maternity doctors and nurses chanting?

June 22, 2008 11:38 PM

[Link is NSFW: graphic childbirth.] What is the maternity staff chanting in this video? They seem to have a few different songs, one for when the woman is pushing and another for once the baby is born. The notes for the video say that they are in "an Asian country" but I don't know what language they're speaking.

If you have any other information about these chants (how common they are, if there are other variations, how helpful and/or annoying it is to have a crooning chorus over your crotch, etc.) that would be great, too.

posted by lemuria to society & culture (3 comments total)

I studied a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of Japanese in high school. Sounds like it's Japanese to me. But that was many years ago and I only listened to a few minutes. Can't help with anything else.... but it might narrow your google searching.
posted by taff at 12:02 AM on June 23, 2008

I studied a tiny amount of Japanese in college. It sounds like they're saying zutto haite, mm, hai.

I guess that'd mean totally enter, yeah, yeah. Since the baby is coming into the world, I'd guess they mean enter the world, rather than enter something else. Maybe the nurses are going all Elite Beat Agents cheering section for the baby. (Even though it's the mother that's doing all the work.)
posted by fnerg at 1:18 AM on June 23, 2008

Yep, Japanese.

I lack the hubris to suggest I'm fluent, but it's definitely usurped my second language after 14 years of residence. The nurses and doula are chanting "fuu-to haite...mmm...hai", or "breathe...hold it...yes!" (the "fuu" is the onomotopoeic term for "blow" and "the "mmm" isn't an actual word, just a sound frequently used to imply correct procedure is being followed.) The doula is interjecting your typical instructions updates about "just a little more" and "I can see a bit...[of the crowning baby]" and the ever present cheer, "you can do it!"

The cresecendo chant is simply "fuu...hai."

I experienced almost an identical chant recently when I was full of barium and being rotated for a radiography. Joy.
posted by squasha at 2:27 AM on June 23, 2008