As a mother of a six-month-old baby, I know all too well that postnatal care is essential, but until now it has been considered taboo. Fortunately, more and more postnatal retreats are opening across the country, offering special care for mothers, partners, and babies. These types of retreats have long been popular and common in Asia, particularly South Korea, but are now being held in the United States as well. California is home to two of her new centers aimed at giving participants the confidence and resources (and sleep!) they need to take on their new roles as parents.
The Village Postpartum Retreat Center
The Village Postpartum Retreat Center in San Francisco was scheduled to open in 2020 until the pandemic hit. Owner and founder Jennifer Darwin has worked as a labor and delivery nurse and doula for the past 10 years and always saw a need for more education for parents during the postpartum period.
“I discharged the patients and went home, and they were all just scared,” Darwin says. “It was really difficult because we didn’t have the resources or the time. Plus, I just had a baby and was exhausted, so it wasn’t the best time to teach things.”
The Village Postpartum Retreat Center
After moving to San Francisco from Dallas 10 years ago, Darwin met people who told her that different cultures emphasize the importance of postpartum maternal recovery: In the UK, for example, home visits to new parents are more common.
“Other countries seemed to get it, so why didn’t we?” she says.
In July 2023, Darwin welcomed its first guests to the Fairmont San Francisco, but has since relocated the Village Postpartum Retreat Center to a private residential hotel. All rooms are equipped with rocking chairs, heated toilet seats, walk-in showers with dual showerheads and grab bars, and blackout curtains. Darwin has also installed LED lights under his bed so he can safely go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without waking his partner or baby.
Village Postpartum Retreat Center
Most guests arrive within the first week of parenthood and stay for five to six nights, and on that first day, Darwin works to connect parents with a board-certified lactation consultant, and the nursery is available 24 hours a day, so a doula can care for the baby while they welcome it uninterrupted. Zzzzzs. New parent groups led by family therapists have also been established to discuss the emotional journey of bringing a baby home.
The educational portion of the retreat teaches parents courses that include topics such as infant CPR and safety, babywearing, tummy time, and bath time. There are also masseuses and estheticians who offer postpartum massages and facials for moms’ self-care. We also have a menu of recommended meals and luxury items.
“We’ve created a healthy post-natal eating plan, but if you ever feel like having a burger, go ahead and have one,” Darwin says.
Armor & Company
The trend is spreading up the coast: In March 2024, Ahma & Co. CEO Esther Park and COO Christina DeJesus opened the doors to a postpartum retreat at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California.
“I grew up in Korea, where postnatal care is a cherished tradition and seen as a rite of passage for all mothers, with 80% of mothers accessing some form of postnatal care,” says Park, who previously worked in the luxury consumer industry. “Everyone talks about pregnancy and birth, but no one really talks about what happens afterwards, because the attention quickly shifts to the baby.”
Armor & Company
At Ahma & Co, our journey with new parents begins in the first trimester, when most people inquire about retreats.
“We’ve been able to become a concierge for mothers’ care,” Park said, adding that they help build baby registries, provide discount codes for popular products and even coordinate birth plans.
When it comes time to check in, parents are usually fresh out of the hospital and spend an average of 7 to 12 days at the retreat. Everything is included in the base package so parents don’t have to guess when planning their experience. These benefits include his 24/7 expert care from a doula, support from newborn care experts and lactation educators, holistic pain relief services such as massage, sitz baths and foot baths, a parents’ lounge and baby Includes lounge access.
Armour & Company
“For us, it was a priority to bring everything together in one package so our customers don’t have to think long and hard about what they want and don’t want, they can create their own care package. It takes away the mental burden of identifying, sorting, and executing,” says Park. “That’s why we strive to make this process as seamless and easy as possible for all of our customers.”
DeJesus, a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner, said many of Erma & Company’s processes are rooted in the same kind of security and infection control found in hospitals, with some modifications.
Each room is equipped with the essentials needed for baby care and postpartum recovery, and a custom anti-bacterial bassinet has also been developed, designed to fit the bedside height. Also, similar to the Village Postnatal Retreat Center, you can take your baby to the nursery if you need a little more sleep. There are also several workshops you can attend, including a couple bonding session where you discuss the many changes that occur as a family grows.
Armour & Company
Both Village Postnatal Retreat Centre and Ahma & Co work closely with families to make the experience as affordable as possible and a detailed invoice will be provided at the end of your stay. Hopefully Give your insurance company everything it needs to cover some of your costs. Darwin also encourages new parents to register with her Be Her Village, a site where you can create a registry specific to pregnancy and postpartum care. So instead of signing up for a crib, she can ask her friends and family to donate to a postpartum retreat.
“I always tell moms, you make such a big investment in other milestones in your life, like your wedding, so why not do the same for something as important as becoming a parent,” Park says. “Not just for yourself, but so that you and your family can start off strong, more capable and confident.” [and] have more knowledge. ”
Both retreats were a huge success, and past clients are now knocking on the retreat door again after spending a few weeks at home. Even though they have established a routine and have fewer questions, there is one thing they are asking for: more sleep. Now, just out of curiosity…can parents of 6-month-olds check in too?
