SINGAPORE: Drawn by lower prices and the convenience of a specialised team caring for their newborns, more parents from Singapore are heading to Johor for post-childbirth confinement “retreats” during their parental leave.
Confinement centres in the Malaysian state said in response to CNA queries that there is a growing proportion of Singaporean mothers among their clientele compared to Malaysians, doubling from pre-pandemic levels.
But while the added convenience and lower cost may sound attractive to parents, postpartum experts said that there are some safety risks that they need to consider.
For one, travelling so soon after delivery could interrupt mother and baby’s care, especially if complications were to arise, several obstetricians and gynaecologists told CNA.
A postpartum practice followed by many Asian cultures, confinement is a period after childbirth where a mother recuperates indoors typically with the aid of a hired nanny or close relatives and lasts for around a month or more.
In Singapore, couples typically hire “confinement nannies” hailing from Malaysia, who cook nourishing meals for mothers, care for the newborn and teach the parents how to look after the baby.
There are no formal training requirements for confinement nannies. The service is also not regulated in Singapore due to the nature of such work, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in September in response to a parliamentary question filed by Member of Parliament Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied).
Confinement nanny services are private arrangements that are “decentralised, varied and highly personalised in nature” and hence were not amenable to standardisation and regulation, MOM said.
