Moms-to-be, this is interesting! Can be good for Malays to start-up this kind of Business!

Yupp, take this idea and maybe we can turn this into 'Muslimah Confinement Service' hehe..

http://parenthots.com/features/New-confinement-practices-among-the-Chinese.aspx

New confinement practices among the Chinese1 June 2011
By WONG LI ZA

Overall, it is safe to say that the Chinese are the most commercialised lot when it comes to confinement or jor yuet (in Cantonese) practices. A large part of this commercialisation is based on providing help and support to the new mum and her family.

Confinement ladies (pui yuet) for hire, who currently charge between RM2,800 and RM3,200 for a month-long stint in the Klang Valley, not only come to take care of mother and baby but can also, upon request, provide the whole month’s supply of herbs, spices, wines and other essential dried foodstuff. A few even offer to supply pots, pans and cooking utensils needed to cook the special confinement food, all at extra cost, of course.

Mothers who choose not to hire a confinement woman can get special meals delivered by catering companies. One-stop centres have also sprouted, providing confinement ladies for hire, masseurs, daily meals, various herbs and tonics, and other related products and services.

Confinement ‘hotels’ Another relatively new trend is staying at a confinement centre or home for one month. These facilities offer a complete package where a mother and her baby’s needs are fully taken care of. They are mainly found in the Klang Valley and cities like Penang, Malacca and Johor Baru. A first-time mum who checked into one such centre was Seto Kit Sau, 36, an assistant manager with a bookstore chain in Kuala Lumpur. “This place is actually quite comfortable and the food, tasty. My sister also finds the food delicious and would ask for some of mine whenever she visits,” said Seto, when met recently at the confinement centre in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling in Kuala Lumpur, one of a few in the Klang Valley.

Those who check into the centre – a three-storey corner link house which started operations in 2005 and can accommodate up to eight mothers – stay in for 28 days and can choose either a private or a twin-sharing room. A private room costs RM6,600 while twin-sharing is RM6,000. The package includes all meals, baby diapers, baby clothes, baby formula and a few traditional Malay massages.

Each confinement lady there has two babies under her charge. Seto said her friends had been puzzled by her decision to put up at the centre with her newborn son. “A lot of people have negative opinions about staying in confinement centres. But I am glad I did because it is very convenient, and everything is taken care of here. The confinement ladies here are very experienced and look after my baby day and night, so I can get a full night’s rest,” said Seto. Being new to parenthood, Seto and her husband appreciate all the advice they can get. “The confinement aunties here will tell you all the taboos and rituals. My husband has also been observing and learning how they bathe, feed and change the baby.”

On whether she was bothered by the noise at the premises, with other babies and people around, Seto said she did not find it a problem. “I stay in a single room, so it’s rather quiet and I can do my own thing. Everybody is also friendly here,” said Seto, who often read, watched TV and went online during her stay. Another mother at the centre was Evelyne Pom, who gave birth to her fourth daughter recently. “For my first three daughters, I hired confinement ladies and stayed at home, but there is not enough room in the house for me to do so this time,” said Pom, 44. “Even if I do, my husband still has to go out and buy groceries and foodstuff. Here, it’s more convenient as everything is taken care of and done on time. There’s 24-hour care and I can get some rest. The price is also reasonable,” said Pom, whose other daughters are aged 16, 14 and 12. “The food provided is generally okay but those who expect a very traditional style of cooking may feel it lacking in terms of ginger and alcohol content,” she added.

Breakfast includes milk and bread, fried rice or fried noodles. For lunch and dinner, the menu comprises a balanced meal of a soup, a vegetable dish, and fish or meat. Red dates boiled with other ingredients like wolfberry (kei ji), honey date (mutt chou) and astragalus root (pak kei) are also served as drinks daily.

**the news was quite lengthy, this is the only part I was intereseted in hehe.. :P