Supermum Wen Xiao Wei cares for Zhang Shasha’s baby, while the new mother eats specially prepared food to help her recover from childbirth. Picture: Aela Callan

In China, that’s what happens. New mothers are traditionally expected to put their feet up and relax for a whole month after the birth, while a hired “supermum” deals with the tantrums and the nappy-changing.

This 30-day ritual is known as “confinement” and is believed to be essential for the health and wellbeing of parents and children. In the past, the grandmother would often step into the caring role, but in recent years, professional services have become big business.

“Our parents took care of babies almost 30 years ago,” says new mother Zhang Shasha in documentary China’s Supermums, which airs at 9.30pm on SBS. “It’s been a long time and they only have experience with one child. Living conditions and ideas of that time were different from nowadays.”

Like many of her peers, Shasha has hired a supermum to take care of all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, feeding, bathing and soothing, while she recuperates. Wen Xiao Wei has been caring for new families for around seven years, and charges $3,500 for the month — several times the average salary in Beijing.

Some families check into postnatal care centres, where nurses tend to the child and a nutritionist prepares healthy meals for mum. Picture: Aela CallanSource:

She has a long waiting list. It’s a tough job, with supermums (historically known as “confinement ladies”) only sleeping for around three or four hours a night. Some report becoming very attached to the children, and finding it hard to leave after establishing a bond.

The luxury options for zuoyuezi, or the “sitting the month,” are growing. Tracy, husband Ryan and baby Ethan are spending the month at the Cheerful Postnatal Care Centre in Shanghai, where pictures of celebrities line the walls and a stay can cost almost $12,000.

“In the morning I actually feed him myself, but at night, because they need to ensure my night’s sleep … they feed the baby for me,” Tracy tells reporter Aela Callan on tonight’s Dateline.

A team of masked nurses cares for the newborns round the clock, and when parents don’t want close contact, they can watch through a soundproof glass wall. “If I miss him, he can come over whenever,” says Tracy.

The centre also offers a private nutritionist to prepare the right food for mums to regain their strength and figure, at around $14,000 for the month. Pigs’ feet soup is a popular choice.

Luxury care for the “confinement month” is now big business in China. Pictured, Tracy gets some exercise while her husband Ryan looks on. Picture: Aela CallanSource:SBS

Ryan, who returned from living in Australia to take advantage of the extra care available in China, adds: “We are not so experienced, so the professional people here can help us have some hands-on experience.”

It isn’t all indulgence, however. The new mothers are expected to follow a strict set of rules to help them recover, staying indoors at all times, not drinking cold water for fear of overworking the kidneys, and not washing their hair, since it may lead to a chill.

They are also advised to keep warm at all times, and those who adhere strictly to tradition often refuse to shower, open windows, wash their clothes or even get out of bed. Some say these extreme measure are unhygienic and even dangerous.

Thes practice came under scrutiny recently when a Shanghai mother died of heatstroke after wrapping herself in a quilt and leaving the air-con off despite sweltering temperatures. In another tragedy several months ago a new mother died of pulmonary artery thrombosis from lack of activity, CNN reported.

Tracy and Ryan chose to stay in a luxury postnatal care centre for the first month after their baby was born. Picture: Aela CallanSource:SBS

Some claim the sitting month simply delays the reality of parenthood, and indeed, Shasha hired Ms Wen for a second month after the filmmakers’ visit.

The ritual may sound excessive to Western ears, but most Chinese families consider it worth the expense. Others eschew the most traditional postpartum care, but hire a yuesao to help around the house.

Kate Middleton caused uproar on Chinese social media when she emerged from the hospital just hours after the birth of her daughter this year, but of course, she would have more help than most Western mothers.

While the one-child policy has been relaxed, having a baby is still a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many in China, so it’s easy to see why they bring in assistance.

This kind of care isn’t cheap, but a few grand for live-in support at one of the hardest times of your life must sound like rather good value to many frazzled new mums.

Watch the documentary China’s Supermums on Dateline tonight at 9.30pm on SBS. Filmmaker Aela Callan will be answering questions on Twitter during the show.