New moms choose postnatal care centers over home confinement

More and more new mothers in China are going to postnatal care centers for help bathing and soothing their newborn babies, as well as for emotional and mental support for themselves.

Traditionally, Chinese women stay at home in confinement for about a month after the birth of a child, as their body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy.

Typically, the mother of the new mother comes to stay at their house during this time to help care for the newborns.

Now, with more disposable income, many Chinese women are choosing professional care centers rather than confining at home.

The market size of China's postnatal care centers surged to nearly 18 billion yuan (about three billion U.S. dollars) in 2019, from less than 2 billion yuan (about 309 million U.S. dollars) in 2013, with an average annual compound growth rate of about 47 percent, according to a report released by market research company iiMedia Research last month.

The firm also predicts the market will keep growing to over 24 billion yuan (about four billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, given the country's current fertility rate and its introduction of the three-child policy earlier this year.

One new mother who is enjoying services at a Saint Bella maternal and baby care center in the east China city of Hangzhou said she reserved a room six months before her estimated due date as the center is so popular.

"I booked this postnatal care center half a year ago because it is quite popular. When I was in the third or fourth month of pregnancy, I booked this postnatal care center," said Wang Xinyi, a new mother.

The founder of Saint Bella said rooms at their properties in large urban cities fill up quickly.

"Basically, the occupancy rates (of our centers) in first tier and second tier cities are very high, basically above 90 to 95 percent," said Xiang Hua, the founder of Saint Bella.

Currently, there are no government requirements for postnatal centers regarding the supervision or facilities.

The general manager of another postnatal care center operator in Hangzhou City is calling for strict regulations on the sector.

"(I) hope we can have professional industry regulations, like grading A, B, C, D regarding food safety for the catering," said Zhang Jiaqi, the general manager of Mammy Best's Xianghu store.

As China lifts its birth rate cap and allows couples to have up to three children, postnatal care centers are becoming increasingly popular.

Some high-end postnatal care centers charge hundreds of thousands of yuan (about 77,000 U.S. dollars) per month.