As a father of four children, I have journeyed with my wife through different confinement stages and witnessed the various challenges a mother goes through each time.
The first few weeks after delivery is crucial for her to recover, connect with the baby and adapt to a new way of life. It can be a highly sensitive period having undergone drastic physical and emotional changes.
It is far more common for mothers in Taiwan, South Korea and China where recuperating in a postpartum facility is widely regarded as a social norm. In Korea, the trend started when several popular Korean artistes stayed in postpartum facilities after giving birth. Their postpartum experiences gained greater public attention, setting the trend of recuperating in a confinement facility.
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This is an emerging trend in Asia — Singaporeans share similar postpartum recovery expectations, lifestyle and spending power. Yet, such a facility was lacking in the country. This led to the development of KAI SUITES, Singapore’s first licensed luxury confinement hotel concept exclusive to mothers and newborns. We offer a holistic, specialised prenatal and postpartum care programme where Asian cultural practices and traditions are combined with modern science. This is delivered with wholehearted hospitality by a team of specialists in their respective disciplines.
It is important that throughout this confinement experience at KAI SUITES, mothers are encouraged, motivated, empowered and instilled with confidence for their journey of motherhood.
I also think it is good to understand Asian cultural practices and traditions, and combine them with modern science to benefit from the best of both worlds. Although some of these beliefs are more myth than fact, a mother needs to maintain cleanliness and hygiene to prevent any infections to her labour wounds.
It is also crucial to maintain personal hygiene if she is breastfeeding. At KAI SUITES, we offer mothers a complimentary warm herbal bath each day for their showers. We also have herbal mouthwash for their dental care. We would advise mothers to wash their hair during the day and blow dry immediately. It is important to keep warm and consume hot beverages after the shower. These are the options but mothers are empowered to make their own decisions based on what they are comfortable with.
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Everything we have planned for is the first of its kind — maternity nurses with at least ten years of maternity expertise and experience; our KAI CUISINE programme (a confinement food programme combining TCM and postpartum dietary science with gastronomy to deliver a full recovery); personalised services; as well as spa and wellness for prenatal and postpartum in a one-stop facility. We want to grow a Singapore-branded, multidisciplinary business model that is unique to the world, especially at the start of a new era in prenatal and postpartum care.
Singapore is the perfect place to introduce a prenatal and postpartum care programme that combines the best practices of the East and West. With our multicultural influence and open accessibility to the regions, it allows us to easily adapt these practices from various countries.
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At KAI SUITES, we encourage the spouse to be involved and hands-on when caring for the baby; for example, changing the diapers and bathing the baby. Spouses and family members who wish to help can attend prenatal classes and learn how to care for the babies. Simple tasks like burping the baby after feeding or changing nappies will bring great relief for mothers. During this period, the mother is going through drastic physical and emotional changes so it is important to monitor her well-being and ensure that she receives adequate rest, stays well hydrated and eats well.
The emotional needs of a mother after childbirth is crucial. The biggest support a father can offer is to be as involved as possible and learn as much from our nurses on how to care for the baby. As a father myself, I feel that my wife really appreciated it when I supported her with day-today routines, such as preparing and assembling the breast pump for expressing milk and thereafter cleaning and sterilising it for the next round.
Helping out with these tasks is the least I could do to lessen her workload.
Perhaps because I am meticulous and organised, it is easy for me to manage these tasks. Back when my wife was still working after the birth of our first child, I always made sure the breast pump batteries were fully charged so she could conveniently express her milk at work. I also accompanied her to every doctor’s appointment; I believe that being physically present is important and it is the small things that add up and make a big difference.
This story about Kevin Kwee of KAI Suites first appeared in our May 2021 issue.
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