You might want to note that most confinement nannies in Singapore are middle-aged Malaysian-born
Chinese-speaking ladies, whose job it is to ensure that both the mother and child follow
traditional Chinese confinement practices in the first month after giving birth.
I too looked into getting a confinement nanny while I was pregnant with my twins and I discovered 3 things about traditional confinement nannies:
(1) If you are
not comfortable following traditional Chinese confinement practices, it really doesn't make sense hiring a confinement nanny. Such practices include eating special meals (that are collagen-rich and contain 'warming' ingredients, like pig trotters and vinegar), taking special baths (during the confinement period, the new mother is not permitted to bathe or wash her hair too frequently, lest it 'cools' her body down - in fact, a friend of mine was only permitted to bathe once a week and was not permitted to wash her hair at all during the entire month - and when she bathes, she must use a special herbal mixture to do so), and ensuring special living arrangements (a new mother cannot be exposed to any form of moving air as it is traditionally believed that this will rob her of her 'warmth', therefore she must be kept tightly wrapped up at all times in an enclosed room).
(2) In addition to traditional practices regarding the mother, confinement nannies also have their own ways of dealing with newborns. To not follow their advice would mean incurring their distinct displeasure. I have had many friends who have almost come to blows with their confinement nannies (only to have their husbands break it up at the last minute) because they strongly disagreed with what their nannies were doing (e.g. rubbing medicinal oil on the baby's tummy and head to prevent 'coldness', putting the newborn baby to sleep on his tummy, tightly wrapping the baby's arms and legs to ensure that they 'grow straight', etc.).
(3) Confinement nannies typically
only speak Chinese. Very few of them speak any English at all (why would they need to after all, since they are supposed to help a new mother follow traditional
Chinese confinement practices). So, unless you can speak Mandarin, the chances are that even finding a confinement nanny whom you can communicate with will be a challenge.
For me, I didn't bother with a confinement nanny in the end. After many of my Singaporean friends had shared how much they had suffered during their confinements, there was no way I was going to do the same.
And the Singapore government wonders why more women won't have more children...
. Tomorrow will be our first day home so will let you know.