Making Caregiving
More Transparent

"I was busy for a while, and now that things have settled down, I truly want to write Auntie Yang a positive review. The days she spent with our family were the most reassuring days of my postpartum confinement period—once we handed the baby over to her, my husband and I could finally sleep through the night. When it came to caring for the baby, what impressed us most about Auntie Yang was her attention to detail. During the first few days after the baby came home, the baby had day and night reversed and cried heartbreakingly at night. As two new parents, we had no idea what to do. After Auntie Yang took over, she observed for two days and gradually adjusted the baby’s schedule: more tummy time during the day, more massage, and more talking to the baby; at night, after feeding, she would burp the baby according to a routine, swaddle the baby, and dim the lights. In less than a week, the baby went from waking every hour to sleeping for more than four hours at a stretch. She never missed umbilical-cord care twice a day, always tested the bathwater with her wrist, and the baby never got diaper rash. One time, she noticed that the baby’s complexion looked more yellow than the day before and urged us to get the jaundice checked right away. It was indeed high, so the baby received blue-light therapy early. The doctor said that if we had waited another two days, it could have become troublesome. We parents were not even as alert as she was. As for postpartum meals, Auntie Yang truly made both my husband and me gain weight. Her dishes were never repetitive, and she did not make the kind of overly oily, heavy “tonic” food that becomes cloying. She focused on balance and variety. Her steamed fish was cooked to perfection—the flesh separated into flakes with one pick of the chopsticks and was tender and sweet. With shredded scallion and ginger on top and a spoonful of hot oil drizzled over it, all the freshness came through. Her stir-fried vegetables were bright green and crisp; the cold dishes over a bed of greens were refreshing and cut through the richness; and her tomato and egg soup was sweet and tangy and stimulated the appetite. With a bowl of hot soup and white rice, it warmed the stomach. She also made potstickers and pan-fried dumplings, with golden, crisp bottoms and a wonderful aroma in every bite. Even my husband, who does not like staple foods, rushed to eat them. When a meal was served, with white, green, red, and yellow dishes spread across the table, it looked appetizing before we even started eating. She planned my meals around my milk supply and recovery, never missed a soup, kept my milk supply ample, and helped me avoid gaining too much weight. What was most precious was the tenderness she showed when holding the baby. In the photo, she is holding the baby wrapped in a light-colored blanket, with a steady posture—one hand supporting the head and neck and the other protecting the back. The baby was curled up quietly in her arms. It was not the kind of holding done just to complete a task; she truly cared for the baby as if the baby were her own. She also had an excellent sense of boundaries and never overstepped. While working, she taught us along the way: how to burp the baby, how to tell whether the baby was hungry or sleepy, and how to bathe the baby without getting water in the ears. She explained everything hands-on. My emotions were unstable during my confinement period, and she never lectured me. She simply quietly took on more work and brought meals to my bedside so I could eat them while they were hot. She is skilled, understands babies, and is a kind and decent person. Meeting Auntie Yang was a blessing for our whole family. If anyone around me is looking for a maternity nanny, she will be the first person I recommend."

"We signed a three-month postpartum nanny contract with Sister Liang eight months in advance and paid a deposit. We stayed in communication throughout that time. However, on the day I was discharged after giving birth, she suddenly informed us that she had tested positive for COVID and could not come to our home as agreed, and she refunded the deposit. Because the notice came so late, just as I had given birth and was preparing to leave the hospital, we had no choice but to urgently interview replacements, which had a major impact on our family right after the birth. At the time, I clearly told Sister Liang that I hoped she would contact me after testing negative, and she agreed. But afterward, I never received any message from her. Eleven days later, I saw on her social-media Moments that she had “moved to another city to continue working” and had already started work with another family with twins. I cannot determine the specifics of her COVID situation at the time, so I will not speculate about whether she intentionally abandoned our booking or whether a COVID-positive result 11 days earlier could have affected the health of the next family. However, since she explicitly promised to contact me after testing negative, I was very disappointed that she resumed working without notifying us or offering any explanation. For a postpartum nanny role that requires advance planning and directly affects care after a mother is discharged from the hospital, I believe reliability and communication are very important. This experience caused me to lose trust in her reliability and communication, so I am giving a one-star review."

"At my 42-day postpartum checkup, the doctor looked at my complete blood count and said, “You’ve recovered very well—your qi and blood have been replenished.” The first person I wanted to share that with was Auntie Xie, our postpartum nanny. Honestly, in the first few days after giving birth, I felt completely depleted—my complexion was waxy yellow, I would break into a cold sweat with even a little movement, my milk took a long time to come in, and I often woke up at night because my hands and feet were cold. On her first day, Auntie Xie felt my wrist and looked at my tongue coating, then told me confidently, “You have a typical qi-and-blood deficiency. Don’t worry—give me two weeks of food therapy and I’ll help you recover.” Later I learned that she had seriously studied traditional Chinese medicine; it was not just talk. She could clearly explain which meridian each ingredient benefits and which body types should avoid what. Even my mother-in-law, a devoted wellness enthusiast, was convinced by her. Auntie is from Guangdong, and making soup truly seems to be in her bones. Her soups were never the bland, tasteless kind of “confinement water.” Every day, there was a pot gently simmering on the stove. The pork rib soup with corn and carrots was sweet and light without being greasy; winter melon and coix seed were cooked until perfectly tender; dried tofu skin soaked up all the broth. Auntie said soup-making depends on heat control and timing: bones need to go into cold water first so the blood foam can be skimmed off, while corn and carrots should be added later to preserve their sweetness. She would also wrap medicinal ingredients in gauze and tie the bundle before adding it to the pot, saying it keeps the soup clear rather than cloudy and prevents the herbs from overpowering the flavor. I used to be most afraid of soups with a strong medicinal taste, but every bowl she made was fresh and clean, with a naturally sweet aftertaste. I could actually finish two big bowls, soup and ingredients included. She truly knows how to replenish qi and blood. Rather than crudely forcing down brown-sugar water, she organized my diet in stages: the first week focused on gently helping discharge lochia; the second week added astragalus, angelica root, and five-red soup; the third week included donkey-hide gelatin, longan, and black-bone chicken. I lost less hair, my complexion gradually changed from waxy yellow back to rosy pale, and the most noticeable improvement during my confinement period was my sleep. I used to wake up four or five times a night, but later I could sleep continuously for five or six hours. Even a postpartum nanny friend who came to visit said, “You really don’t look like someone who just gave birth.” Her home-style cooking was also excellent—it was not the kind of miserable “postpartum meal equals flavorless food.” In her stir-fried cauliflower with shrimp and carrots, the shrimp provided me with high-quality protein; the cauliflower and carrots were brightly colored, and a sprinkle of chopped scallions made the dish appetizing as soon as it reached the table. Her stir-fried greens were crisp and never limp; her sliced meat with mushrooms was unbelievably fresh and flavorful. Auntie could prepare a full table by herself—six or seven dishes—with meat, vegetables, and soup all thoughtfully balanced. My husband and visiting relatives benefited too, and we cleaned our plates at every meal. What moved me even more was her attentiveness: whenever the baby made even a small sound at night, she woke before I did. She changed diapers, burped, and soothed the baby to sleep so gently, as if afraid of startling the air. Every day she recorded my temperature, lochia, milk supply, and the baby’s bowel movements, filling her notebook with notes. When I had a blocked milk duct and a fever, she got up in the middle of the night to help clear the blockage and apply cold compresses, staying awake until dawn without a word of complaint. Auntie Xie does not like saying pretty things, but she cares for you and your baby as if you were family. Her cooking, her foundation in traditional Chinese medicine, and her genuine sense of responsibility are worth the price—indeed, they exceeded my expectations. If you are also looking for a postpartum nanny, especially if you care about postpartum qi-and-blood recovery and daily dietary conditioning, I sincerely recommend Auntie Xie. You will remember her soup for the rest of your life."