The concept comes from Korea and some other Asian countries, where the centers are mainstream
Located on the 19th floor of The Watermark Hotel, one of the first postpartum care centers in the U.S. is taking care of new parents in Tysons, Virginia.
The concept, which is commonplace in other countries, gives parents the opportunity to receive 24/7 care and even pampering instead of going it alone at home with their infant.
“So, we’re called Sanu, and ‘sanhu' in Korean means 'postpartum,'” said founder and CEO Julia Kim.
She said it’s a concept modeled after a tradition in Korean culture and some other Asian countries.
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“Eighty percent of Korean women go after childbirth to a postpartum care center,” Kim said. “It’s so normalized that hospitals will often ask which postpartum care center you are going to.”
Alison and Paul Cusmano, both medical professionals, were Sanu’s first clients in December, following the birth of their second child.
“We thought at first, we didn’t even think it was real because it sounded so magical,” Alison Cusmano said.
They jumped at the chance after remembering the early days of caring for their firstborn.
“The first time around, sleep was definitely the hardest thing for us,” Alison Cusmano said. “Just feeling like everything is a blur. Everything is more overwhelming when you haven't been sleeping.”
It was a few weeks after little Paul’s birth when they spent three nights at Sanu. The “parenting teams,” as they are called, stay in plush suites. The necessities for the baby are all there — the tiny bathtub, the diapers — but also a care package for mom and dad, and around-the-clock infant care.
“Just to have someone help with food, watching the baby for even just an hour so we could have some time to talk again, was revolutionary,” Alison Cusmano said. “Definitely catching up on sleep, but also being able to feel human again, to take a shower, to put on some makeup.”
Being right in a hotel, the couple was even able to have dinner out.
“Probably the biggest thing for me was to be able to leave Paul with the nursery for an hour or two. To be able to go downstairs and have dinner and have a date night just a few weeks after the baby was born was amazing,” Paul Cusmano said.
Kim says the idea for the center started germinating after she suffered postpartum depression after her children were born.
“I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t eating, I was just crying randomly,” she said. “I thought, there has to be a better way.”
Then she learned of a very different experience from friends who had family in Korea.
“I would have friends or acquaintances who would say, ‘OK, I’m six or seven months along. I’m going to just fly back to Korea for several months and wait out the pregnancy there, have my baby and then I’m going to be pampered for a month afterwards.’”
Sanu was born, starting small for now, with nursing professionals as part of the staff. Services include feeding and lactation help, parenting master classes, massages, healthy meals and mental health therapy.
Kim said the length parents stay has already changed.
“When we first started, it was around three to four days. Now it's five to seven, and we’re actually seeing 14-night stays, and we’re seeing 21- to 42-night stays,” Kim said.
The cost for a three-night stay is $880 a night.
The Cusmanos say their time at Sanu made a difference.
“I felt like our relationship was recharged, and I think we felt more like a team after being here,” Alison Cusmano said.
They said that if they had a third child, they would return.
