Parents, is your new bundle of joy arriving soon? While giving birth brings immense joy and excitement, it also marks the beginning of parenthood—a remarkable journey filled with sacrifices and challenges. The first few weeks after labour are often filled with sleepless nights, round-the-clock feeding, and diaper changing. And, this is an overwhelming task for parents to do all on their own, not to mention that a new mom needs proper rest after childbirth.
If you are planning for your confinement, an important question arises: Who is going to help you out? Do you need to hire a confinement nanny? In this article, we dive into the world of early parenting and explore the factors to consider when making the decision to hire a confinement nanny.
1. Are you a first-time parent?
If you and your partner are first-time parents, caring for a newborn including tasks like breastfeeding, diaper changing, bathing, can be completely new and challenging. Having a professionally trained confinement nanny gives you both peace of mind during the first few weeks. It’s also a good idea to learn as much as possible about how to care for a newborn before your nanny leaves at the end of the confinement period.
2. Can someone help you with your confinement?
Pregnancy and labour take a significant toll on a woman’s body, both physically and mentally. Your confinement period, which lasts from 4 to 6 weeks depending on different cultures and races, is extremely crucial for rest and recovery of your body so that you can regain energy to spend quality time with your little precious one. Thus, you will need a helping hand with your confinement. In Singapore, some mother seeks support from their families, such as mother, mother-in-law or other relatives who are experienced in postnatal care. For those who do not have any support, hiring a professional confinement nanny is a great idea as she is experienced in postpartum and newborn care.
3. Who will prepare well-nourished confinement meals and soups for you?
Do you know that the postpartum period is a critical time for new mothers to regain vitality and health? A well-nourished diet is essential for replenishing Qi and blood, wound healing, and regulating hormonal balance after childbirth. If you have a confinement nanny around, she will be responsible for taking care of your diet by preparing nutritious confinement meals and soups as well as special soup for boosting your milk supply. Alternatively, you can opt for confinement food delivery to ensure you receive a proper diet during this transitional period.
4. Do you need breastfeeding guidance?
Is my baby latching correctly? How to increase my milk supply? How to relieve the pain due to breast engorgement? These are the breastfeeding questions often encountered by new moms as they are totally new to breastfeeding. With a confinement nanny around, she will be able to guide you on tips and the correct ways of nursing and will readily answer your queries about breastfeeding.
5. Do you need assistance with household chores?
Adjusting to a lifestyle with a newborn can be exhausting, and it may not be practical for you or your partner to handle all the household chores during the confinement. You can delegate some of these responsibilities to your confinement nanny, such as laundry, vacuuming and mopping. If you already have a domestic helper, you can rest assured that your house’s cleanliness and tidiness are well taken of. Some of them are professionally trained to look after baby too! Alternatively, you can hire a part-time cleaner to assist with these tasks.
Confinement is all about prioritising the health and well-being of both the mother and newborn. Whether hiring a confinement nanny, getting help from your relative or ordering confinement food delivery, it is important to plan ahead and get sufficient support so that new moms can have proper rest while newborns receive proper care.
Also, read our article on “Financial Readiness for your Baby’s Arrival” here.