When Julia Kim was preparing for the birth of her first child, she — like many new mothers — spent the pregnancy preparing. “I took all of their classes. I read all the books. I mean, it was like I was preparing for the SATs. So I was hyper-prepared. At least that’s what I thought,” she says.
After giving birth, though, she says that she felt overwhelmed and in need of support. “There’s got to be a better way,” she recalls thinking.
With that experience in mind, she created Sanu, a postpartum retreat for new parents and their babies that opened early this year in Tysons. The retreat is designed to provide crucial support immediately after birth, to help families adjust to parenthood, physically and mentally, while getting a chance to relax and recover from the birthing experience.
Sanhujoriwon centers, comprehensive postpartum care facilities that are commonplace in South Korea, inspired the framework for Sanu. Using the idea of a care facility for new mothers, and with feedback from physicians, Kim founded Sanu.
How It Works
For every family who stays, or “parenting teams,” as Kim, the CEO, calls them, Sanu creates a customized care plan. There are four main facets of care: physical recovery, mental health care, 24/7 mother and baby care from licensed clinicians, and parenting “master classes” for things, such as bathing, feeding, and caring for a newborn. That includes help with lactation, three nutritious meals for the mother, therapeutic treatments like massages, and a well-mother visit with an OBGYN on site.
Kim compares the model to a staycation. It’s in the Watermark Hotel in Tysons, where parents stay in a king junior suite with a lounge and kitchenette, while babies can receive care at a 24/7 nursery.
Partners are welcome in the retreat. They can come and go as they please and can take part in the same master classes as the parent who gave birth.
“Partners are really left out of the fold, and the evidence says that the sooner, and the more partners are included in this whole process, the better caregivers they are — not only to their children, but also to their partners,” Kim says.
It’s recommended that parents head to the retreat immediately after giving birth to receive care right away, but some families do opt to go home first. The facility has four overnight rooms. “That is to ensure that we can provide one-to-one ratio care,” Kim says. “Our caregivers will only ever be serving one parenting team at a time.”
A minimum stay is three nights. Most families opt to stay between five and seven nights. Rates are $880 per night for a three-night stay, with lower costs for longer stays.
Kim recommends booking at least three weeks in advance — though accommodations can be made if the baby arrives earlier than expected.
A Rising Trend
Sanu isn’t the only postnatal retreat in the U.S. — similar facilities have been popping up across the U.S. In October 2023, Fourth Trimester opened in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC.
The prevalence of postnatal retreats like this one is part of a larger shift toward increased awareness about the lack of postpartum support, Kim says. About one in eight women experiences postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kim says she’s seen more women talking about the need for this type of care.
“We’re being more vocal about being unhappy and the high incidences of postpartum depression and anxiety,” she says. “We have to be doing more. And so, with that realization, I think there’s more attention being paid to this problem.
“And I think there are wonderful apps coming out on the market, postnatal retreats coming out on the market, better products, better services, more mental health providers who specialize in postnatal health — and so I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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