Those who have known me or have been following me on my journey for a while now would know that I was also pregnant and in my third trimester during this time last year. If you are a new reader or just got to know me recently, here is the story of our little angel – Baby Ellie.

 

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We were caught by a pleasant surprise when we realise that I am pregnant again in March this year, less than 5 months since the arrival and departure of Baby Ellie. We are truly thankful for God’s amazing grace and trust that He makes all things beautiful in His time 🙂

 

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I am also extremely thankful that my body had been able to recover quickly and properly during the short period of time from my last pregnancy, to allow me a relatively ailment-free pregnancy journey this time round. I didn’t engage a confinement nanny after my pregnancy last year, but I still had a DIY confinement at home where I had confinement food, took herbal soups, herbal tea daily, and diligently did my 10 sessions of post-partum massage.

As I was talking to some of my friends, relatives and readers who reached out to me to talk about miscarriage or child-loss, I realised that many of them did not think it was necessary to do a “confinement” post-partum. I shared the same thoughts initially too, but Yen, the lovely lady behind Madam Partum, explained to me the importance of caring for my post-partum body and allowing it to recuperate properly after every pregnancy.

I had initially told Yen that I’m not sure if I can share a review on Madam Partum even after I tried the service because I was physically and emotionally exhausted during that period. But armed with her strong conviction to help mummies recuperate after pregnancy, Yen insisted on offering the post-partum package to me without obligation, as she sincerely wanted to see me get well and recover. I still get a little emotional thinking about it because on my first post-partum massage session, she came along with my therapist to visit me and gave me a huge, tight hug.

This was me, looking all listless and dishevelled, with Yen who visited me on the first day of my post-partum massage.

Post-Partum Massage with Madam Partum

On the first session of my post-partum massage, my therapist brought along a portable massage bed, some towels, essential oils and a set of 3-piece body-sculpting corset. She will collapse the massage bed and pack the remaining items neatly away after each session and leave them at my place to be used for the following sessions.

Knowing the special circumstance that I was in, my therapist, Lu Jun, was very sweet and comforting during our conversations. She mostly told me to relax and have a good, uninterrupted rest during the sessions, which I could hardly resist because they were so comfortable. Furthermore, she was using essential oil which smells like lemon grass for the massage and we were playing relaxation music in the background so it just felt like a complete spa experience to me. Actually writing about it now makes me look forward to my post-partum massage so much!

After the massage session, my therapist will help me to put on the 3-pc slimming corset. Unlike the cloth binder I used during my Jamu post-natal massage 4 years ago, I could easily adjust and put on the corset by myself after I shower/ washed up because it uses velcro. I remember I gave up wearing the binder after I completed my Jamu massage previously because I found it such a hassle to put the binder on without the help of the masseur. This time, I actually used the corset on my own for quite a while even after my post-partum massage ended.  

Besides the corset/ binder, I felt that the massage bed also made quite a difference to the massage experience. Previously, my jamu massage was done on a mattress which was placed on the floor and getting up and down can be quite uncomfortable during the first couple of weeks post-partum. The massage felt ok then when I had no prior experience to compare to, but now that I’ve experienced massage on a proper massage bed, at the comfort of my own home, it definitely feels better this way!

Madam Partum Confinement Herbs

As I did not engage a confinement nanny after my pregnancy then and we did not have a helper to cook, so we ordered confinement food to be delivered to me. The food were alright, but Wayne and our mums will sometimes have to add on more dishes to make the meals more nourishing. Thankfully, we had the individually-packed herbs as part of Madam Partum’s post-partum package. Even with limited knowledge on herbs and confinement, we were able to easily and conveniently boil herbal soup to help me recuperate at the various stages of my recovery. There are 12 different kinds of soup to be taken daily across the 28-day confinement period so there is no way we will know what kind of soup to boil or herbs to use if they did not come nicely packed with instructions! Besides what I think is the Postpartum Tonic Soup (which tasted okayyyy but I wasn’t a fan), all the soup were delicious and I had no problem finishing them to the last drop.

Same goes for the herbal tea which were also neatly proportioned for daily boiling and consumption. The tea tasted rich and delicious and yes, I’m looking forward to drinking them again after delivery this time! I remember my mum and my MIL both commented that the ingredients used were nice and fresh 🙂

Although I’m not obligated to share about my previous experience with Madam Partum, I thought it would be useful to do so because:

1. I truly, truly enjoyed my post-partum massage sessions – I wish they lasted longer than 10-sessions.
2. I believe that the TCM-based meridian massage really complements the TCM basis of confinement in terms of the practices we adhere to, as well as the food we take, and that really aided in my post-partum recovery.
3. The pre-packed confinement herbs provided us with much convenience and ease of mind, which I believe will be useful for mummies who choose to do their own confinement.
4. It is extremely important for mummies to let our body recuperate properly after every pregnancy – even after a miscarriage or child-loss.
5. Most importantly, I am really touched and convinced by Yen and the Madam Partum team’s desire to be present to help mummies in our post-partum recovery process. I experienced it first hand and I hope other mummies can experience that too.

Here’s a before and after comparison of my tummy before the first massage session and right after the last massage session with Madam Partum. Besides the massage and using the corset, I did not do any exercise at all and was on my confinement meals.

More importantly, I felt healthier and looked more revitalised and energised at the end of my confinement period from the rest I was getting, the nourishing herbs I was taking and the love I was overwhelmed with during the period of recuperation – physically and emotionally.

I have recommended Madam Partum to people I personally know and I will be entrusting my post-partum care to Madam Partum again after my pregnancy this time because I know we will be in good hands during the important recuperation period. When I hear my friend talking about her post-partum massage with Madam Partum, I kept telling her how I am already looking forward to my post-partum massage sessions (although I still have more than 10 weeks to go)! Before that, I am just really excited to be trying the pre-partum massage which I didn’t get to try the last time. If you would like to know more about my personal experience with Madam Partum, feel free to email me or drop me a comment, I will be most happy to share!