Hsie A Yi / Xie Ah Yi helped us for my first month postpartum This is an invaluable service if you are privileged enough to afford it and can communicate in Mandarin. (The aunty does not speak English- this was challenging for my partner who does not speak Chinese) Her food and care helped me heal! We rested and actually recovered. I elected to drink some Sheng Hua Tang (TCM) and all the daily teas and broths - everyday the aunty made meals, cleaned all the dishes and the kitchen, allowed us to nap, cared for the baby when we needed her. She was very flexible with us regarding schedule because as new parents we found that we wanted to do some night care- so the aunty was kind enough to allow for changes day to day around her breaks and when we needed her. We felt so lucky to have her assistance. She was fast, capable, and incredibly helpful. She was great at soothing the newborn and taught us how to change diapers, put her down for naps, wash her hair and body for the first time, and even gave us cooking tips! Each day we were thrilled to have her cooking and her knowledge. Caveats- You should be able to handle the communication with somebody who is native Chinese including cultural norms and manners. We had some different ideas around baby sleep- as An ABC, I still look to the American medical establishment for guidance which conflicted with some of the established experience and knowledge that the aunty had- specifically around sleep. The medical establishment would have you think that anything but back sleeping in a bassinet will basically kill your child- where the aunty knows from experience that babies can sleep perfectly safely on their sides, with blankets, etc. It took a few weeks to get on board but I realize now that the experience and knowledge as well as supervision from the aunty was all valid.
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