This is my second installment in sharing about my stay at Yuan Yuan Confinement Retreat Centre for my one month confinement after the birth of our little Murtabak. I decided to break this review down to bite size posts so that I could cover my stay in different parts as I have been getting requests/emails and comments from my blog readers on specific areas.
Location
One of the biggest push factor for us when we decided to confirm on Yuan Yuan was the proximity to our home. When I was in confinement with Chapati at my parents home, the traveling really wore Hubby out. Mind you my parents home is really not that far away and it was still difficult. The incredible ease of getting to and fro our home and the confinement centre was just such a huge plus point!
- Less tiring for Hubby who was working as he didn't need to travel out of his way to come and visit me everyday. The confinement centre is in between our home and our parent's place. So early in the morning, he could literally drop by to say hello before continuing on to drop Chapati off for the day and same for evening when it's time to take Chapati home.
- I could go home for the KKIA home visits and not have to go through the hassle of registering in another KKIA. This is because when you get health services from them, it based on your location. I would have had to register again at a different KKIA if I wanted them to visit me at the centre.
- I could visit home at anytime that I felt homesick!
- I could also visit our other "kids" namely Kape, Skippy & Christmas and Hubby could also ensure that they get fed and loved in a timely manner.
- It was easily eaccessible to our parents who wanted to visit their precious grandson!
Facilities
Ground Floor
The center itself is relatively new, well kept, neat and tidy. when you first enter, it open up to a spacious living room with ample sofa seating, a TV and a PC. You can entertain your guest here of if you choose to spend some time out of your room, you can watch TV/Astro or surf the internet here. Just after the living area is a simple dining area that you can also meet with your visitors or eat your meals if you prefer communal dining with other mummies. Beyond that is the kitchen and the baby nursery.
The kitchen is generally off limits for parents and guests whilst only the parents could go into the nursery . This is quite understandable as the staff would need to be able to work and cook freely without outside people getting in the way. As for the nursery I thought that it was a good policy because new born babies are very delicate and sensitive . It is important to limit their contact with outside people as your never know if the person is unwell and might just pass on a bug to your baby. Anyway the staff on duty were more than happy to carry out baby to Mummy or our guests. The nursery has an attached bathroom for the staff to bathe and clean the baby everyday.
I only wished that the flooring could be less slippery. Whilst the tiles were beautiful, it wasn't very practical. It got even worse when they mopped the floor and the water made it really slippery. Half the time I thought that I was going to fall down at anytime and the other half was worrying about the staff falling down whilst carrying my baby! They were very considerate in providing mothers with a pair of slippers to navigate the slippery floors better.
As you can see ample seating space for lots of people. That's my little murtabak!
Chapati is always glued to the computer when he comes over because they always have youtube playing children's programs. That's Isaiah the owner's son (cute little fella)
I would sometimes eat downstairs when I want a change of scenery. It was fun because I got to talk to other people rather than just eat on my own.
The kitchen is pretty spacious.
The nursery overview. They had special baby cot beds like in the hospital. Very safe and practical
The Good:
Spacious living area
Computer for internet surfing
Alternate dining area
Full facility nursery
They provide slippers to mummies
The Bad:
Extremely slippery floor.
Tip:
Bring your own slippers if you want to be more comfortable.
Don't wear socks or go barefooted without slippers
First Floor
All the rooms for the Mummies to stay are on the 1st Floor. I had the opportunity to experience both the sharing room and the single room.
Sharing Room
This was the room that I had initially booked and when I checked into the center 5 days after coming out from hospital, it was really pleasant, bright, airy and spacious. It had floor to ceiling windows facing an open field and a lot of natural lighting. I literally didn't need to leave the room at all because it had a TV with Astro channels, a dining table with chairs where you could eat all your meals and a large attached bathroom. This was so ideal for me because after my delivery, I experience very severe lower back pain and pain in my legs radiating all the way done to my foot. I could hardly walk so I didn't leave the room for 5 whole days.
However when I stayed in the sharing room there was only one other mummy there. If it was full house, I think it might not be as comfortable as the room is supposed to fit 4 mummies. You could see that three beds were properly planned whilst the 4th one was just a bed that was pushed in at the last minute. They also had curtains separating the 3 beds except for the 4th one which is at the other end of the room. That bed is the worst as people coming through the door would see that bed first.
My bed when I first checked in. A nice side table with drawers to put your personal things
Attached toilet and shower, dining table with chairs and a central laundry basket
It was great that there was space to entertain visitors and we even managed to celebrate Chapati's birthday with a little cake for him. His birthday only 6 days away from his baby brother!
The Good:
Spacious open area with dining table
A lot of natural lighting during the day (you don't even need to turn on the room lights)
Flat screen TV with lots of ASTRO channels
The Bad:
Not enough privacy screens - only 2 available whilst there are 4 beds.
The 4th bed on the other side of the room has no privacy at all. They really need to either buy more privacy screens or put up a curtain like the other beds.
The 4th bed on the other side of the room has no privacy at all. They really need to either buy more privacy screens or put up a curtain like the other beds.
Shared laundry basket - If you are particular about your clothes then this might be an issue
The staff don't know whose laundry belongs to whom so you have to check and make sure that all your clothes are there. I saw a lot of laundry that were left behind by other mummies who forgot what clothes they have brought with them.
I personally left my beautiful mickey mouse laundry net that was given to me as a gift from a friend who went to Tokyo Disneyland. Sniff... :(
No specific laundry system, ie. where they put the washed laundry for people to check. Sometimes they put it upstairs, some times downstairs...etc.
Tip:
Bring your own laundry basket and washing nets for intimate items or other delicate items.
Check all the places that they put the washed laundry to ensure that you don't leave anything behind
Single VIP Room
After about one week , I had the opportunity to stay in the VIP room. There are two VIP rooms and one Deluxe room in the center. The VIP rooms have a window and an attached toilet, whilst the Deluxe room shares the Sharing Room toilets.
Honestly comparing the Sharing Room and the Single room I felt that the Sharing Room seemed more comfortable because of the size and natural lighting.
However after a day or two of staying in the single room, I could really appreciate the larger bed size (Queen) and the added privacy. My hubby and Chapati could some over at any time and if they were tired could also sleep there as the bed was a queen size.
Eating in there was a bit depressing as they had a small table facing the window which looked out to the house behind. So I choose to eat in the Shared room dining table or downstairs dining table. I would only eat my tea or supper in there.
The Good:
A lot of cupboard space to organise your things
There is a comfortable armchair in the room for breastfeeding or if you felt like watching TV but not sit on the bed.
Private toilet and shower (No worries if you decide to walk around naked! :)
Flat screen TV with ASTRO channels
The Bad:
A small desk/table facing the back of the house behind to eat your meals at.
The Toilets and Shower
In general the toilets were pretty good with basic facilities and had a shower area, toilet and sink. The provide you with toilet paper but all other toiletries you will have to bring your own which I felt was ok because everyone has their own preference for soap, toothpaste...etc.
However, there was one thing that was very strange, they provide salt and hot water for a Sitz Bath for mummies who went through a normal vaginal delivery but don't have a plastic container for you to actually take a Sitz Bath???!! Yes very strange indeed, so I had to ask my mother to bring me a shallow round container for me to use whilst I was there. Probably a hygiene issue?
If you are interested in preparing one for yourself at home, you can read up all about Sitz Bath through this link here at Healthline.
Watch out for my 3rd and 4th posting which will be about the food and how they care for the mummies and babies there!
Update: 30th December 2016
The center has been rebranded to Culture Romance Confinement Retreat Center. You can reach them on their Facebook page at @cultureromance
Update: 30th December 2016
The center has been rebranded to Culture Romance Confinement Retreat Center. You can reach them on their Facebook page at @cultureromance
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