Postnatal Care Retreat idea - Your help please Post Reply

[happylalachan]

Hello Ladies, 

I am doing research in relation to the establishment of a postnatal retreat that supports mothers straight after discharge from hospital. This service is specifically aimed at those mothers who do not have additional support from family, for example, mums from overseas, especially from Asia where postpartum confinement centres are standard. 

I would be interested in your thoughts on whether such facilities already exist in the UK, if so, which ones as I cannot find any.

If not, why do they not exist?

If it were available, would you want to stay in one for a week or two after birth to sleep, have you baby taken care of by midwives and have nourishing meals and parentcraft classes?

I would value your views as expectant mothers and any I would particularly welcome any midwife contacts you may have to be able to speak to them about this idea. 

I am based in Singapore where these centres exist and offer amazing facilities. 

Thank you in advance for your help. 

[tooposhtopush]

Hi I believe that there was something launched like this a fews back on the Kings Road in London, not sure if it is still there and if its not why not but it might be worth investigating. So sorry I can't remember anything more about it.

[Indi]

Yes, the centre on the Kings Road was called something like Mermaid maternity?? eventually it went into liquidation. Couldn't make a go of it. To be honest in the UK if you had enough money to afford something like that, you'd probably just get people coming to the house to help like a doula or maternity nurse.

[Mumof3SW11]

As previous posters have said, there was Mermaid on the Kings Road. It didn’t last long. To be honest, I think there are too many variables and if it’s not your first baby, you’d be unlikely to want to spend more time away from your other children. Additionally, if you partner was taking paternity leave, partly to help look after the other children, it would be quite difficult to then be away with the baby, and actually my personal view is that if you have a partner it’s good for them to be involved from day 1- so if you’re staying away for a week that wouldn’t really happen. Cost wise a facility like this would have to be ££££ to make it a business, and I feel as a mum of 3 even though we have no family support at all, I would spend money elsewhere. Eg for my second we had a postal doula. It’s a nice idea but I don’t see the potential, sorry. 😔 Maybe as a very niche market, first time parents, with a lot of disposable income but even then I’m not sure.