New Jersey

"02) I’ve always just been a lurker, but I’m writing my very first post! I recently gave birth to my baby and hired a postpartum caregiver. Based on recommendations from acquaintances and posts on MissyUSA, I contacted several postpartum doulas, but many had full schedules. I ended up booking three caregivers in total (two live-in + one commuting / I’m currently staying with the second caregiver), and I’m posting this review because the first caregiver we worked with was just so wonderful. (This is 100% my own paid experience; I was not asked to write this review nor did I receive any benefits for writing it!) I met the caregiver through a personal referral. Since she lives out of state, she mentioned that she only does live-in service for New Jersey, and I did 3 weeks (15 days) with her. 1. Baby Care First of all, she takes care of the baby so amazingly well. Honestly, I’m the type of person who doesn't care about anything else as long as the baby is well cared for, and she truly cared for the baby extraordinarily well. Even if the baby whimpered just a little bit, she immediately caught what was uncomfortable and solved it. We were clueless first-time parents coming home from the hospital, but we learned so much (we had bought the Baby Brezza and sterilizer but hadn't even set them up, and she showed us everything, and she even helped us with putting the baby in the car seat when we struggled). When the baby’s nose was clogged and the breathing and crying sounded stuffy, we panicked as first-time parents, but she cleared out the mucus and boogers right away. She adored the baby so much. Naturally, she took care of the baby overnight so I could sleep peacefully without worry. 2. Meals Her cooking skills are also excellent. She made great use of ingredients already in the fridge and requested minimal grocery shopping for only what was necessary. (I heard some caregivers request excessive groceries, but she wasn't like that at all. On the contrary, even when I told her to throw away unused ingredients, she thriftily used everything, saying it was a waste to throw away fresh food.) She also prepared a wide variety of menus. When I told her I prefer light breakfasts, she focused on yogurt, oatmeal (she told me it helps increase milk supply), and egg dishes. For lunch and dinner, she cooked various delicious meals so we never got tired of eating. Thanks to her, my husband ate really well too. 3. Massage (Breastfeeding Success!) Because I had a C-section, there was no sign of colostrum coming out during my 3-night, 4-day hospital stay (a lactation consultant came to check and consult at the hospital, but didn't really do much; just gave standard advice like 'keep putting the baby on even if nothing comes out, stimulate with a pump'). But on the very first day the caregiver arrived, she gave me a duct-unblocking massage, and milk started coming out immediately (super amazing). It was really painful when getting the massage at first. She told me that if we hadn't done it that day, I might have suffered from severe mastitis. After getting two more massages (3 times in total), my breast milk started flowing smoothly. She never forced breastfeeding or pumping at all, and when I asked her to feed formula at night, she did so. It was so great because she adjusted according to what the mother wanted. (I occasionally heard that some caregivers enforce their own ways and stress the mothers out, but she had zero of that.) Her personality is also wonderful. Having a stranger in the house could feel uncomfortable, but there was zero discomfort. I heard these days some caregivers can be demanding (e.g., refusing live-in unless given a separate room, insisting on strict break times, etc.), but she wasn't demanding at all. (Since we have two rooms, we let her sleep in the baby's room.) Since every caregiver matches differently with each person, I can't guarantee she'll be perfect for everyone just because she was great for me, but she was such a wonderful person that I decided to leave a review. If you're interested, try contacting the number below! (Feel free to contact her directly and proceed if you like!) Caregiver Anna (If you mention that you contacted her upon recommendation from a New Jersey July '26 live-in mother, she will know~) If you have any further questions regarding the caregiver, please feel free to reach out via my Open KakaoTalk."