Could you imagine having a nanny who would take care of you and your child right after childbirth—sans the emotional load of a mother or mother-in-law?
A Korean mom recently shared an Instagram reel about her postpartum nanny and it has gone viral because moms wished they could hire one too. Content creator Sarah said in the reel, “Korea definitely knows how to take care of new moms.”
What is a postpartum nanny in Korea?
Immediately upon arriving home from giving birth, Sarah and her husband hired a postpartum nanny. The mom of two said in her reel that it is a program of the Korean government mainly to help and assist new mothers.
The postpartum nanny is under the government assistance program, which is why the nanny's rate is at $20 per day. The nanny stays for two weeks.
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According to a Korean skincare website, The Klog, the postpartum nanny hired by Sarah is called “Sanhudoumi” (literally “postpartum helper”). They are usually middle-aged Korean women trained in postpartum maternal and infant care. Her responsibilities include all things baby-related (feeding, bathing, diapering, etc.) as well as cooking meals for mom, giving her massages, and some light household chores.
“Sanhudoumi” services can be booked for one week to months on end, eight hours a day, or as a 24/7 live-in service. They are also a support for mothers to help them get back into the swing of things at home.
As Sarah shared some snippets of how their postpartum nanny helped them, she did basic chores such as cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. She particularly described all her nanny’s foods as delicious, as evidenced in the some of her video footage of the same reel.
Nanny's role: take care of the newborn baby
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWAside from this, the nanny’s main role is to take care of the newborn baby, while the mother is recovering.
Sarah also said that felt so so lucky with their nanny because she even took care of their toddler, played with her, and made her some snacks. The nanny also made them fresh kimchi.Sarah also recounted another example of how a postpartum nanny goes beyond caring for the newborn baby. “One day, I was doing the laundry, and she said that she would do it because my wrists are still fragile from childbirth.”
South Korea’s Postpartum Care
Aside from the postpartum nanny, South Korea’s postpartum care is widely popular because of the ‘Joriwon’, or the Postpartum Care Center. The Netflix series Birthcare Center shows what this is like.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowAccording to Al Jazeera, the South Korean government increased the cash incentives for parents with a new baby. “Since 2022, mothers have received cash payments of 2 million won ($1,510) upon the birth of a child. Families receive 700,000 won ($528) in cash per month for infants up to the age of one and 350,000 won ($264) per month for infants under two, with the payments set to rise to 1 million won ($755) and 500,000 won ($377), respectively, in 2024.”
After the child’s first year, cash payments will still be given until elementary school age, “A further 200,000 won ($151) per month is provided for children up until elementary school age, with additional payments available for low-income households and single parents.”
In April 2023, additional incentive were announced for new parents.
“All households in Seoul with newborns from fall are eligible for a subsidy of KRW 1 million ($750) for postpartum care,” Korea Net reported.
It stated, “The subsidy can be spent on expenses to recover a mother's health such as a postpartum care center, maternity helper service, and purchase of medicine.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWRELATED: Up To 2 Years Of Paid Maternity Leave: How Postpartum Recovery Looks Like Around The World Vs PH
Other benefits given by the government are medicines during pregnancy like folic acid and iron, first-class upgrades in KTX (train), paid maternity leaves, childbirth preparation classes for parents, and many more.
The South Korean government continues to improve the maternity and postpartum benefits for families and mothers, to further resolve the low birth rate in the country. As of 2022, South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world, with only 0.78 total fertility rate for the year.What other parents are reading
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