Yes, their pricing is really very high! I have asked Confinement Angel agency for their pricing for Feb EDD, and becos my EDD is 4 days before CNY, confirmed will tio CNY period. Their price is $2950 for 28 days & there is an additional surcharge of $1200 if its between 11-24 Feb (as long as got 1 day inside this period, $1200 extra O_O). Not including surcharges if you request for better/experienced/eng-speaking nanny. So far, have not asked any freelance CL for pricing cos i'm afraid of last minutes screwup esp after tons of negative reviews on the forum here. dun think i can take the stress when near delivery or even after delivery with so much stuff and baby on hand.
And so I probably be doing confinement myself without CL. You can call me practical but i rather spend the $3-4k on baby essentials, maybe a better breastpump, UV steriliser instead of steam etc. But there are also other worries on mind, like confinement food and rules. 2 options for food. either tingkat (also not cheap; thomson confinement food for 28days lunch & dinner already $1.9k) or ask someone to cook for u. for rules, I wont be following so strictly, but maybe basic ones like buying herbal to boil for bathing and buying ginger shampoo (saw somewhere in this forum but haven't go source for it yet), or else my MIL or mum will start nagging -.-
Kelly, have you ask your MIL about this issue - confinement food? Try asking, your baby is going to be her grandchild! But also must understand while she may be a good cook, she might be clueless about confinement food too. Like my mum, she can cook, but confinement food she did admit she dunno. Luckily my MIL is still okie, she said guar-guar know, but seriously i have no complain right now, its a big sum i going to save here. Have a talk with her to understand better. I think as long as you settle the confinement food, at least you can concentrate on the baby. And yes, agreed with the mummies here, your husband will be your best support!
So far the "worse" part i heard from friends and family is no time cos baby need full attention. If intending to BF, latch and pump will take time, plus need to burp baby. Somemore for FTMs, baby cries and sensors might be overwhelming. Mummies will get worry such as why baby is always crying, drinking milk. but i think its part and parcel that we need to face. Changing nappy and bathing baby also another chore. Cleaning bottles and washing baby clothes too. One thing worth mentioning would be baby like skin-ship for better bonding, so BF and bathing are all good ways to bond! Unless you are very strict on confinement rules like cannot touch water etc, maybe you can let your husband bond while bathing the baby instead.
I'm also a FTM and I also tend to worry alot haha (is it due to pregnancy?). What i doing now is reading up, and stocking up necessary stuff at home, so at least i can be prepared for my baby delivery since no CL (but at least MIL cook and hubby will help and support). Try to look at the bright side, it will be worth it when your baby arrive!
