Navigating the postpartum newborn days without a solitude nanny? Here’s how this mama did it with the help of solitude meals and postnatal massages
Before I got pregnant, I scoffed at the thought of the elaborate confinement period that’s unveiled in Asian cultures. 40 days without a shower, cooping up oneself in the house, wearing socks day and night…pfft! I used to think, “Western mothers have been getting by without all that mumbo jumbo for millennia, so surely we’ll be fine without it too?”
My mother, upon hearing this, simply said, “You just wait. When you requite birth… then you’ll know.”
That passive-aggressive retort was unbearable to rattle me (those with Asian moms will know), so I put my skepticism whispered and took my mom’s advice. The moment I got pregnant – besides of undertow the million thoughts that ran through my throne well-nigh where to unhook the baby, what to buy and what to do well-nigh the nursery – I immediately thought well-nigh postpartum superintendency and booked a postnatal massage package and serried for confinement meal delivery. I figured if all the women in my family swear by it, I ought to follow suit and requite it a shot. Besides, who couldn’t use a bit of pampering in the form of daily supplies deliveries and massages? Thanks to these two services, I can safely say: I unquestionably enjoyed my confinement.
Unlike the worldwide practice of engaging confinement nannies among the Chinese community, most Malay mamas in Singapore rely on the help of their own mothers to get them through the solitude period (or ‘pantang‘ in Malay), largely considering they live together. However as my husband and I live on our own and my mother runs a home-based merchantry that keeps her busy, I mostly winged it on my own in the first few months postpartum.
While a solitude nanny would’ve been worldly-wise to take over every speciality of my pantang period (from caring for the victual to cooking to massaging, etc), I was really happy with the visualization my husband and I made to take solitude into our own hands. It made us finger like we were in a secure little rainbow and unliable us to really take in every facet of the fourth trimester, whether they were good or ugly. The glorious newborn snuggles, the tough sleepless nights and the many eye-opening firsts.
Postnatal Massage During Confinement
I booked a 10-day postnatal massage service from Bali-trained masseuse Kak Idlinah, who my mom regularly books her own massages with. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but Kak Linah took superintendency of me so well every time she came over to self-mastery the postnatal massages. She’s professionally trained in prenatal massage, postnatal massage, Indonesian therapy massage and hot stone massage. To say I was in good hands is an understatement – I only found out supervenient that a number of local celebs are huge fans of hers and have her on speed-dial!
The postnatal massage treatments were conducted over 10 straight weekdays and focused on releasing ‘wind’ from the body, relieving engorgement (Kak Linah had a magical way of detecting whether my breasts were full just by massaging my back), and traditional vitals binding, which helped reduce water retention, supported the loose skin virtually the vitals zone and provided largest posture support.
For well-nigh 2 weeks, I started my mornings with a simple breakfast of hot Milo and a hazelnut-spread sandwich without getting my bub cleaned up and giving her a morning feed. Then I’d hear the glorious door knocks from Kak Linah, signalling it was massage time! Bye baby, off to Daddy you go.
The daily massages were a real treat and helped relieve the initial shoulder and backaches I had from constantly delivering a 4kg victual and breastfeeding virtually the clock. I moreover kept the vitals folder on for well-nigh 10 to 12 hours each day (taking it off at the end of the day was the best feeling) and it helped my vitals sawed-off go when to its original ‘innie’ state (pregnancy made me an outtie and it stayed that way without labour!), while holding my tummy in place so it didn’t finger so ‘loose’. Towards the end of the 10-day package, I was treated to a traditional herb-filled vaginal steaming suffusion to help heal my stitches. Kak Linah plane showed me how to massage my baby.
You can trammels out Kak Idlinah’s Instagram here and DM her well-nigh prices for her postnatal massage packages.
Confinement Meal Delivery
The solitude meal wordage service I booked with Sizzling Dyyana was flipside godsend. Every morning the supplies would come conveniently packaged and hung at our door, ready for me to plate and microwave for lunch with plenty left over for dinner. All the meals were cooked with mama and baby’s nutrition in mind (Kak Dyy of Sizzling Dyyana sends messages via WhatsApp every morning detailing what customers will receive for the day, withal with each dish’s nutritional benefits). Meals often came well-constructed with drinks and yummy teatime snacks such as lactation cookies, muffins and scones.
I can’t stress unbearable how booking a confinement meal service was one of the weightier decisions I made for my postpartum care. Having supplies ready-to-go every day meant I could focus on my new mom role, and I firmly believe that considering the meals were specially made for postpartum mothers, it helped establish and maintain my breastmilk supply. One thing I will say is that I had a lot of leftovers – sometimes too much! If you’re booking a solitude meal wordage service, trammels with the caterer well-nigh their portions. If they tell you that increasingly than unbearable will be served, you can consider your hubby’s meals sorted too.
You can trammels out Sizzling Dyyana’s Instagram here and DM her well-nigh prices for her solitude meal packages.
A Good Support System is Everything
While I had these conveniences in place, I still couldn’t have gone through the foggy newborn days without the immense support I received from my partner and family. My husband was on 2 weeks of paternity leave, permitting him to take over and handle the victual whenever I had my massages. My mother visited us plenty in the first couple of weeks and guided me through nappy changes, how to requite bub a bath, and taught us some platonic swaddling methods.
I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity and privilege to have these services misogynist to me. Having those arrangements in place gave me the endangerment to heal at my own pace, rest whenever I could (“Sleep when the victual sleeps,” right?) and navigate the new world of motherhood while making sure my needs were met.
So if you’re still on the fence well-nigh booking your own solitude meal and postnatal massage services, trust me – you won’t regret it!
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