It’s been very profitable, very popular.

To a point, 75% of women that give birth in Korea go into postnatal-care facilities.

(The way pricing works, the cost per night goes down if you stay for longer.)

a nursery inside boram postnatal retreat in nyc

Courtesy Boram

This [care] made complete sense to them.

I had totally prepared myself for what would be weeks of no sleep and isolation.

The United States is still trying to answer this question.

boram founder boram nam sitting on the bed in one of the guest rooms at her postnatal care center

Founder Boram Nam

These deaths are often attributed to severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and infection.

My Own Birth Experience

Fortunately, my own pregnancy was a smooth one.

My blood pressure and weight gain were healthy.

writer danielle kwateng takes a mirror selfie at boram postnatal care center

Courtesy author

The babys development was excellent.

Being a Black mother made my birthing experience all the more sensitive.

We experience the highest amount of maternal deaths in this country nearly three times that of white women.

a newborn baby in a crib at the boram postnatal care retreat

Courtesy author

The high-profile passings of mothersDr.

I felt seen but also terrified, contemplating leaving my son in this world without me.

And for so many, because of myriad roadblocks, this is where the story ends.

postpartum underwear and other postnatal essentials on display at boram care center

Courtesy Boram

you could never know other people’s lived experiences.

But, she acknowledges, generally, the system is broken.

I think people are realizing more how essential it is to mother the mother, she says.

then i met you skin care products and a jar of bath salts on a shelf at boram postnatal care retreat

Courtesy Boram

Pelvic-floor therapy is on the rise too.

“In the US … moms feel like candy wrappers.

The baby comes out, you throw away the wrapper, and just focus on the baby.”

She also suffered from postpartum depression for two years after giving birth to her second child.

I didn’t get any support.

An hour after surgery, I was on my work email.

How Do Things Get Better for Birthing Parents?

There is no federally funded paid leave in America.

And we find out the persons blood pressure is really high.

We strongly recommend that they go back to the hospital or see their OB.

Nope, that’s going to be critical.

The rest I got during my first night at Boram completely reset me.

My son, although new to the world, calmly recovered from birth.

I took many hot showers during those three days.

I felt supported and cared for.

Most important, I felt seen.

Currently, private medical insurance does not cover a stay at Boram.

But we’ll get there.

We need to get there.

The baby comes out, you throw away the wrapper and just focus on the baby.

To take the time to focus on yourself, which we as a society do not say often enough.