What a Confinement Nanny Can (and Can’t) Help With for Breastfeeding

The practice of confinement traces back to the traditional practice of “zuo yue zi” (坐月子, “sitting the month”) — a structured postpartum recovery period centered on the mother’s physical healing. A confinement nanny “yue sao” (月嫂) traditionally takes over newborn care, household tasks, and the preparation of warming, nourishing confinement meals, so a new mother’s body has the best chance to recover — from healing after childbirth to simply catching up on sleep.

Since the late 1990s, the importance of breastfeeding has become increasingly recognised in Singapore through science-based research and global health guidelines. Traditional confinement nannies who come to work in Singapore have gradually picked up some familiarities with handling breastmilk and are open to encouraging or supporting the practice of breastfeeding.

What This Means in Practice

That familiarity with and open support for the idea of breastfeeding is genuinely valuable — but it’s different from formal lactation training, and it’s worth knowing the difference, especially if you’re dealing with issues like a poor latch, low supply, or recurring blocked ducts.

What Dedicated Lactation Training Actually Looks Like

Formal lactation credentials do exist in Singapore. IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) is the most internationally recognised clinical certification, and there are other international Lactation Counsellor certifications as well. BMSG (Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group Singapore) also runs an accredited volunteer breastfeeding counsellor programme. Such dedicated, supervised training specifically in lactation is distinct from the general newborn-care experience a traditional confinement nanny brings.

Questions Worth Asking Yourself

As you decide on your postpartum care arrangements, it is worth asking yourself if breastfeeding support will be a priority for your family. If it will be, you have the following options:

• Self, relative (mum/mum-in-law) or traditional confinement nanny as primary care, PLUS a lactation consultant to support OR
• Self or relative (mum/mum-in-law) certified postpartum doula who can provide you the lactation support you need during her visits

Both options can work well — the right fit depends on your family’s priorities and how you’d like your support structured.

If pumping specifically is where you’re anticipating the biggest challenge, it may help to know our founder, Yi Ling, has personal experience with achieving a sustainable extended exclusive pumping lifestyle across three of her own children between 2014-2020, well before the approach was as widely discussed as it is today. One of the key advantages of a primary or exclusively pumping lifestyle is being able to gradually work the pumping routine down to just 3-4 pumps a day while balancing other life demands, such as an older child’s schedule and work. Such firsthand, lived experience shapes how she supports families through our Exclusive Pumping Support sessions.

Whichever path you’re leaning toward, feel free to reach out if you’d like help figuring out which fits your family best.