"We are not allowed to choose the prices ourselves. The government has mandated a price that all centers have to abide by," said Tseng Sheng-kai (曾聖凱), owner and operator of Lan Tan (藍田), a privately run postpartum nursing care center close to Da-an Park.
The center has nine beds on three floors where the new mother and her partner have the option of resting for fifteen or thirty days. According to Tseng, there is a four-month waiting list to get into the center, so reservations must be made early.
In addition to preparing five meals a day, the center also provides women with aerobics instructors in their rooms, a secure environment and the attention of 20 nurses — all of whom have gone through extensive zuoyuezi training. The center also offers the new mothers classes on how to care for their infants — including what to feed them and how to hold and wash them properly — and help choosing a Chinese name for newborns. They even bring in a fortune-teller who can help them choose an auspicious name for their child.
"Staying at home also has its benefits," says Zeng. "Some people feel safer sleeping at home rather than in a place like this. Take me for example, I stayed at home rather than coming to a center because that is where I felt comfortable."
For those parents who would prefer to stay at home like Tseng, the center provides a variety of out-of-center services such as cooking and delivering the food to a customer's house for around NT$1,000 per day. For those who are busy during the day, the center will care for the infant at NT$1,000 per day.
Though expensive, for young married couples like German expat Martin Schoenberger and his partner Vivian Ting-Schoenberger (丁伯薇), it was worth it.
"It's like a holiday for me and you can enjoy the time you spend with your baby," said Shoenberger. "And it's your own choice to give the baby to the nurses so that you can sleep the whole night. And during the daytime you have a full day with your baby," she said, adding it "was like living in a hotel for one month."
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