Making Caregiving
More Transparent

"Haiyan is a highly responsible nanny who never leaves the baby unattended. She remains attentive throughout the night and is always alert to the baby’s needs. In addition to providing excellent care for the baby, she also takes great care of the mother, preparing a variety of nutritious meals efficiently, even within limited time constraints. Her dedication, reliability, and caring nature make her an exceptional caregiver."

"A deceitful person. She injured her leg and did not come to start work at my home as scheduled, yet she still kept my deposit. It was truly disgusting. Just a warning to other moms: avoid her. She is an experienced yuesao, and her childcare ability is actually okay. She worked at my home for one month. When settling payment, we agreed that she would come work at my home again six months later, and I also took the initiative to let the deposit I had paid before continue to serve as the deposit for the next service. Then midway she told me she could not come because of a leg injury and introduced other nannies to me. I had no choice but to start interviewing new candidates at the last minute and rearrange my childcare plan. Later, when I decided to have family come back to help, she said again that she might recover and be able to come to my home. Considering that my baby was in the early walking stage at the time and needed frequent chasing and supervision, I truly did not feel comfortable with her leg condition. In addition, my parents had already adjusted their schedule to come back and help, so we did not continue the cooperation. I originally thought the deposit should be returned, but unexpectedly she directly blocked me. Throughout the whole process, she was unable to fulfill the agreement for personal reasons, yet in the end the employer had to bear the loss. Although the amount was not especially large, this way of handling things is really hard to accept. I’m posting this as a reminder for families looking for a nanny: be sure to clearly put contract and deposit matters in writing in advance."

"As a first-time mom, this was my first time hiring a postpartum nanny, and I didn’t have a recommendation from someone I knew. I’m very glad we chose Auntie Lu at the time. She really likes children, is very patient with the baby, and happily “chats” with the baby. She is good at soothing a fussy baby. During the “second-month fussiness” period, the baby often didn’t sleep well, and Auntie would often hold the baby to sleep. Luckily, we hired a yuesao for 52 days, which helped us get through that difficult “second-month fussiness” stage. Auntie Lu got along well with my family and made things feel relaxed and comfortable. She is easy to get along with, easygoing, and not picky. She and my mom are around the same age, and the two of them chatted like friends and went out to buy groceries together. Auntie is good at making nourishing soups and Chinese herbal food therapy. The braised golden pomfret, taro pork rib soup, Hakka salted chicken, and apple millet porridge she made were all delicious. She cooks very efficiently. When she was cooking, my family and I would take care of the baby. Auntie Lu would boil mugwort water for the postpartum mother to wash her hair and bathe for a period after giving birth, which felt very comfortable. Her approach to handling clogged milk ducts was also very scientific. During my first three weeks of breastfeeding, I kept getting hard lumps in the same spot on one side, and I was very worried it would develop into mastitis. Auntie Lu’s recommendation, as well as the latest research I found myself, both suggested cold compresses rather than hot compresses, and that massage is not necessary. The latest research shows that clogged ducts are a sign of inflammation in the body. To reduce inflammation, you need cold compresses and more sleep; you can consider taking ibuprofen, and you should not overstimulate the breasts (no need to pump extra to fully empty the breast). You can nurse directly more often and take lecithin as well. Auntie Lu has a gentle lactation massage technique that can help remove hard lumps. My personal feeling is that lactation massage is not essential for reducing inflammation and can be done occasionally depending on the situation. A little bit of experience to share with other first-time moms: if you plan to breastfeed by bottle-feeding pumped milk or do mixed feeding, I recommend becoming familiar with how to use your breast pump before giving birth and choosing a hands-free bra in advance. I went into labor early, and only started researching all the pump-related items and tools after giving birth, which made the already exhausting postpartum period even more tiring and frustrating. While you are in the hospital after giving birth, I recommend learning more newborn care skills and breastfeeding skills from the nurses and lactation consultants. If you have specific preferences about feeding methods (for example, trying not to waste breast milk while being more flexible with formula), I suggest communicating clearly with the nanny in advance."