Mum who paid $31k to stay at Newton confinement centre says newborn contracted Covid-19 there

A mother who forked out over $31,000 for a stay at a luxury confinement centre was left sorely disappointed by the service she received, adding that her newborn daughter had also contracted Covid-19 there.

The 33-year-old housewife, surnamed Lin, had stayed for 28 days at KAI Singapore located along Dunearn Road in Newton last July, reported Shin Min Daily News on Oct 26. 

"We initially wanted to hire a confinement nanny but got to know this confinement centre through a friend's recommendation," she revealed.

This premium one-stop pre-and post-partum care retreat was launched in 2020.

According to Lin, they decided to stay at the confinement centre after meeting the boss in May 2022, as he reportedly assured them that the nursing staff at the confinement centre are extremely professional.

Lin's stay got off to a rocky start on the first day when she found the air-conditioning to be very strong, also claiming that the nurse did not close the door whenever she entered the room.

"I was sensitive to the cold during my confinement and so I turned off the air conditioner in my room," she explained.

"However, the nurse did not close the door when delivering meals and the air conditioner from the corridor blew into the room, making me feel very cold."

The mother also claimed that there were insects in her food, and the fruits served were mouldy.

Newborn contracted Covid-19

But the last straw for Lin was when her newborn baby, who had been staying in the nursery, contracted Covid-19.

"My daughter suddenly had difficulty breathing during the last week [of our stay]. We were worried that she had contracted Covid-19, but the nurse insisted that it was not the case and did not administer a test.

"It was not until we went to the hospital and the doctor recommended administering a test that we then insisted for the confinement centre to do a test, which confirmed that it was Covid-19."

The housewife revealed that she had broken down and cried bitterly after learning about her daughter's condition.

Her husband brought their daughter to the hospital where they stayed for four days, before going to their parent's home to quarantine.

It was not reported which hospital she was in. 

"In the last week, I was alone in the confinement centre. My wounds were painful, my movements inconvenient and my mood seriously affected. I spent more than $30,000, yet the confinement centre's services were lackluster."

Confinement centre responds

In response to Lin's allegations, Kevin Kwee, founder of KAI Singapore, told Shin Min that the centre has a set of strict infection prevention guidelines and standards, adding that all visitors must be tested, and their clients and employees are also tested weekly.

"For newborns, however, it is not possible to keep testing them all the time. Nurses will observe the condition of all babies, and if there really is an infected baby, other babies in the same nursery will be tested," he explained.

Regarding Lin's complaint about bugs and mouldy food, Kwee explained: "We regularly review our food suppliers, and as the food is all natural, there might sometimes be insects."

Kwee stated that the centre has always put their clients' needs first, pointing out that the confinement centre would send Lin's breast milk to her daughter every day when the newborn was admitted to the hospital and then later quarantined at home.

"We understand that mothers have various needs after giving birth and we will try our best to meet them. However, we don't understand why the other party would wait more than a year before expressing their dissatisfaction online," he said.

'Why did she still need our services?' 

Kwee added that the housewife had also ordered meals from the confinement centre after her stay. As Lin was reportedly moving house, she had requested for them to take in her daughter and allow the nurses take care of her child for a few hours.

"At that time, they had left the centre and for the safety of other babies, we did not accept them again. If she was really dissatisfied, why did she still need our services?"

Head nurse Lin Yanyan (transliteration) also added that the nurse who served the mother did not deliberately leave the door open.

"If we enter the room, the door will definitely be closed. When delivering food to the room, the door may be left open, but certainly not for long," she said.

Responding to KAI's explanations, the housewife clarified that she had ordered the meals to utilise her credits, and had asked the confinement centre to take in her child as she was unable to find another suitable place.

"I was very dissatisfied at the time but later calmed down after some time passed. But till now, however, I am still very angry, and so I decided to complain online.

"Additionally, my confinement was not done well and I now often experience full-body pains."

Heavy bleeding during confinement

The housewife also shared that she had experienced heavy bleeding during her confinement. However, she claimed that the nurse did not know how to deal with the situation, and her husband was the one who eventually sent her to the hospital. 

In response, head nurse Lin told the Chinese evening daily that the nurse had examined the mother and suggested sending her to the hospital, but the couple had refused to do so.  

But the mother denied that the head nurse's claim, stating: "It was already late at night and the boss was not here. The nurse didn't know what to do, so my husband sent me to the hospital." 

ALSO READ: Scam or bad luck? Woman spends $1,500 on confinement meal delivery but ends up eating her own food

lim.kewei@asiaone.co