Postpartum care providers seek to deliver high-cost services

A couple watch their newborn on a TV screen at the Heyi Confinement Center in Xiamen, Fujian province. The center takes in only 20 pairs of mothers and babies at a time and charges 48,000 yuan ($7,400) to 198,000 yuan per month.[Provided to China Daily]

"My parents as well as my husband's are too old to help me. I can't handle my son's care and the newborn's at the same time," she said. "My mom would still visit me occasionally in the first few months after delivery, to oversee the postnatal care and diet, but she definitely cannot stay up all night like a yuesao."

According to Cai, most of the couples having a second baby will likely encounter similar challenges. "Women now give birth to babies at a relatively older age. This makes it more challenging for their aging parents to take care of them. So, hiring a yuesao is the best way out for many."

Pregnant Wu Jing, who is employed with a foreign company in Beijing, lives in a 55-square-meter, one-bedroom apartment with her husband. She hired a postpartum nurse five months ahead of her expected delivery date. "I made the appointment with a yuesao in July, seven months ahead of the due date. Still, I didn't have too many choices. Many of my friends, who have already given birth, said the first four weeks of taking care of the newborn alone could prove extremely stressful and testing."

The needs of new-age working moms are different, requiring specialist maternity nurses. So, Beijing Fuyuan's training program for nursing assistants covers various aspects of maternity care, including special confinement diet, said Cai.

But not everyone is convinced the so-called "qualified" yuesao are worth the money they demand.

"I didn't have much experience in looking after a newborn when I first gave birth three years ago. But my yuesao's advice was often contrary to what I had learnt. So, I fired the nanny days after giving birth. I won't hire one this time," said Sun Yiyao, a mom of a three-year-old who is expecting her second baby in April.

"She claimed she was an expert in all maternity matters and barely listened to my instructions. As it turned out, her actual nursing knowledge was less than mine. Her practices were totally at variance with what I had learnt from private hospitals and books.

"I heard that many unqualified workers are pouring in to firms that offer yuesao services. I believe they take up new jobs after just one month of training. Their knowledge of taking care of an infant is questionable, perhaps even outdated. They could pose a serious risk to families with newborns," said Sun.

She may well have a valid point. For, cases have been reported that some yuesao are way too demanding, insisting on being provided with purified drinking water, imported fruits and vegetables during their employment.

It is safe to say part of the confinement nursing market in China may have spun out of control. No wonder, the authorities concerned responded with some regulations.

A national quality standard for the mother and childcare services sector was released by the Standardization Administration of China in July, aiming to better regulate the confinement nursing market.

The new regulation, which sets various grades for yuesao to match their capacity with salary, will be implemented from February next year.

"I'm looking forward to the new regulation," said Sun. "Hopefully, some governmental intervention would constrain the feverish rise in yuesao's compensation levels or at least outlaw the unprofessional ones."