Taiwan's mommy maternity 'confinement hotels'

The term "confinement hotel" refers to the Chinese custom of zuoyuezi (坐月子literally translated: sitting month), the period a mother and newborn baby are supposed to be confined at home.

Ask any new mother, however, and she'll tell you the brilliant new Taiwanese spin on the custom make confinement hotels more heaven than prison.

At confinement hotels, mothers and their newborns stay in residence where medical and professionally trained staff are on hand around the clock to tend to the needs of new families.

Don't fret husbands, you're allowed to stay as well.

In addition to accommodations, courses are offered on skills aimed at preparing new mothers for life back at home.

Babysitting and nurses

A 36-year-old working mother of two sons, Cecilia Wu was so pleased with her first stay at Yono Maternal Center that she returned after her second son was born a little more than a year ago.

“It’s great, you have twenty-four-hour babysitting service," says Wu. "You don’t have to wake up at night for feedings. It’s entirely up to you how many feedings you want to do yourself and the nurses will take care of the rest.”

In Taiwan, maternity leave for most women is two months. Mothers can choose how to split their leave time before and after delivery.

Wu elected to take the full two months following delivery. She stayed at Yono for 20 days.

Wu opted for Yono because it's close to her home.

The cost was about NT$5,000 (US$165) per day. That covered all expenses from accommodations to meals (including Chinese medicinal soups), round-the-clock care for mother and baby, daily health check, classes such as a baby swimming class and bi-weekly consultation with a pediatrician, obstetrician or traditional Chinese doctor.

Optimal recovery

For optimal recovery, mothers are advised to spend a month recuperating from the birthing process by eating all manner of Chinese soups and other dishes, such as pork knuckle and egg cooked in rock sugar, and ginger, rice and vinegar soups meant to replenish the mother’s nutrients and fortify her constitution.

During the confinement month, those who can afford it hire a confinement nanny (peiyue or 陪月). Confinement nannys are experts in cooking the aforementioned dishes and caring for babies, especially late night feedings, giving mothers the chance to rest.

Confinement nannies can be expensive. In Hong Kong, the average confinement nanny costs around HK$10,000 (US$1,300) a month, while top nannies have been known to command up to HK$25,000 (US$3,200) a month, with year-long waiting lists.

Some families employ two confinement nannies, one for day and one for night.

Nice digs

In 2005, Eonway Health Maintenance Center was a pioneer in offering an integrated maternal medical care and luxury hotel facilities.

In addition to medical care, Eonway’s center includes a 25-meter swimming pool, gym, lounge to entertain family and friends and Jacuzzi spa.

What matters most to mothers, however, is the specialized care.

“Most mothers are very satisfied with the health care they and their babies receive," says Sherry Shih, deputy executive director of Eonway Health Maintenance Center. "At Eonway, they get constant and immediate attention. Because we’re affiliated with West Garden Hospital, aside from professionally trained staff, we have pediatricians and obstetricians making regular rounds and we offer ultrasound and hearing examinations for babies, as well as bone density tests for the mothers.”

A night at Eonway costs around NT$10,000 (US$330) per day.

Price differences are usually reflections of proximity to a city center and whether a center uses imported products, such as diapers and formula. For example, at Eonway mattresses feature NASA foam technology for postural memory. For moms who suffer from connectivity withdrawal, there’s Internet access.

Considering that most five-star hotels in major Asian cities charge as much for a room, confinement hotels are an attractive proposition for many.

In the mid- to upper-range price bracket, Yono has four centers in Taiwan.

“It’s booming business in Taiwan, and I believe it will soon be everywhere with a Chinese zuoyuezi culture,” Wu predicts.

Confinement hotels have recently come to China with New Mother Center in Beijing and Care Bay opening in Shanghai.