FAQ

In short: a confinement nanny does the work for you; a doula supports you, teaches you and stands beside you. The doula side is about you — how you're coping, how your recovery is going, whether you have reliable information to lean on — and about teaching you and your partner so your confidence grows. I work as a doula and can also live in. A few hours a day, nights only, or 24-hour live-in — we can talk through any of them.

Not at all — the opposite. A doula's work is to make you more confident as a mother, not to replace you. When you want to hold, feed and settle the baby yourself, I support you while you do it. When you're exhausted, I take over. You decide when I step in and when I step back.

My next opening starts 1 September 2026. Confinement bookings usually need a few months' notice, so the sooner you tell me your due date the better. Babies arriving early is something I have handled more than once: if you are already booked, we start over WeChat straight away, and I move my start date up whenever my schedule allows.

I'm based in Mill Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area and work mainly in California, but I do travel. Families I've worked with have been in San Francisco, San Jose, Napa, Belmont and West Covina, and in Arizona, Nevada, Washington and New Jersey. Travel and accommodation are quoted up front.

Live-in is a 24-hour arrangement. At night I take the feeds, the burping and the settling so you get real stretches of sleep. Days are the baby's bath, massage, exercises and tummy time, plus something simple prepared for you to eat. Feeds, sleep and nappies all go into an app the family can see. I do need one day off a week — we can work out which day together.

Not at all — a lot of the families I've worked with were first-timers. One mother wrote that “as first time parents, she was an incredible source of support”; another said they went from “the chaos of bringing the baby home to a household that runs in order.” I explain what I'm doing as I go, so that by the time I leave you can carry it on yourselves.

Yes, and I'd prefer it. The first conversation is free. One mother said she'd interviewed several candidates and decided after about ten minutes with me — but that was her call to make, and you should talk to me before making yours.

It depends on the number of days, live-in versus daytime, your city and what you actually need, which is why I do not post a fixed rate. Tell me your due date, your city and how long you need, and I will come back with a clear quote. The first conversation is free, and a video call first is very welcome.

I make simple meals for you — something warm and ready in the gaps between caring for the baby, not a full confinement-meal service. Tell me about any allergies or foods you avoid. If you want full confinement catering, I can help you find someone who specialises in it.

Mandarin is my first language and my English is good enough for day-to-day work — I scored 92 (Advanced) on NannyFYI's childcare English assessment, and I still study every day. I have worked with both Chinese-speaking and English-speaking families.

Everything connected to the baby and to you: baby laundry, sterilising bottles, keeping the nursery in order, and cleaning up the kitchen after I've cooked for you. Deep-cleaning the whole house isn't part of my work — that's better arranged separately.

I am a confinement nanny and postpartum doula, not a nurse or a doctor. I do not diagnose, prescribe or carry out medical procedures. If I notice something that needs attention — a change in jaundice, weight, a wound, or how you are doing emotionally — I will tell you promptly and suggest you contact your doctor or midwife. Decisions about treatment stay with you and your medical team.

No. Nothing from your home — no photo, no video of your baby — goes on this website, on social media or anywhere else without your explicit permission. Every photo on this site is of me.