Confinement Overseas: How I Did it Without a Confinement Nanny

So, you've just had a baby - congratulations! Are you wondering just how tough the postpartum period is? Confinement after childbirth may appear daunting, however it is an important time for your body's recuperation and recovery. Below is a useful breakdown of the realities of life following childbirth to help you determine whether it would be manageable without assistance from a confinement nanny.

1. Recovering from childbirth. Most women take at least 6 weeks to feel normal again. The postpartum recovery period can be a difficult time to go through, with pain as the uterus shrinks back to its normal size, sore perineum and breasts, vaginal bleeding, and even postpartum depression. The most important thing you can do for yourself after giving birth is to rest, as this will help your body to recover quickly from pregnancy and childbirth.
2. Eat and drink nutritious foods and soups for your body. A healthy and nutritious diet is essential for recovery after childbirth. Eating plenty of nutrient-rich foods can help your body to heal and have the stamina to function on limited sleep.
3. Breastfeeding your baby. Not everyone is blessed with a good supply of milk and a baby who can latch on well. It takes days, weeks and months to learn to latch onto your baby and/or hours of pumping per day around the clock.
4. Feeding, burping, bathing, changing diapers and soothing baby. You can take baby classes, but nothing beats hands-on experience with a baby – from carrying to burping to putting baby to sleep.. Every child is different and a seemingly simple task like putting a baby to sleep or soothing a crying baby can take more time than you think.
5. Household chores. The amount of cleaning you have to do multiplies with a new baby! Laundry, pump parts, bottles, on top of basic household cleaning and cooking, can be overwhelming for a tired mum.

Armed with the experience of having my first child, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do all of the above by myself, without help, especially as we also have a toddler. My original plan was to hire a Malaysian confinement nanny to come so that I could outsource most of the chores, such as laundry and cooking, but we couldn’t get her visa in time. Luckily, I was able to persuade my mother to come. Here are some suggestions to get through the first few months without a confinement nanny:

Having a child overseas without a confinement nanny is a daunting task. But like everything else in life, it can be done. It was a brave and bold decision, but I felt that it was the best decision for me and my family to be together as a unit, even overseas.