Demand for "maternity matrons" grows as China adopts two-child policy

Guo Yanling has many roles: midwife, babysitter, dietitian, and even yoga instructor. But she prefers to be called a "maternity matron," a job she says combines them all.

The 49-year-old came to Beijing 12 years ago from her hometown in northeast China's Liaoning Province. After three months of training, Guo became a postnatal attendant, or "yuesao" in Chinese.

These maternity matrons have seen their salaries triple or even quintuple over the past decade in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai amid China's economic boom.

Due to growing health awareness and higher standards for child-rearing, demand for postnatal services has surged, creating great job opportunities for women like Guo.

"On average, we make 10,000 yuan (about 1,500 U.S. dollars) a month. Top hands in the sector could see their salaries doubled," Guo said.

Being a good maternity matron is not easy, as new parents now have higher expectations than before.

Traditionally, Chinese people believe that delivering a first child puts stress on a woman's health, particularly in the first month after birth.

As a result, new parents prefer to have middle-aged women with child-raising experience take care of the new mother and baby to avoid damage to the younger woman's health.

A good postnatal attendant must be extremely careful and patient.

"We must take care of both the mother and baby, mentally and physically," Guo said, "Sometimes we have to help solve their problems with the mother-in-law, too."

Demand for maternity matrons is expected to grow in 2016, in part because many believe giving birth in the Year of the Monkey, which begins on Feb. 8, will bring luck to the new-born.

Mothers have to book maternity services months in advance in the Year of the Monkey, said Rao Xin, manager of Fuyingle, one of the top postnatal service providers in Beijing.

An even bigger factor driving demand for maternity matrons is the end of the decades-long one-child policy beginning this year.

In Beijing alone, at least 300,000 newborns are expected in 2016, compared to an average of 250,000 during the past three years, according to the health authority. The baby boom will require at least 5,000 more maternity matrons than a year ago. Nationwide, new babies will number an estimated 22 million.

Higher incomes and increasing demand have even lured white-collar women and college graduates into the business, said Guo, who also helps train new matrons.

The supply shortage has caused problems, however, as cases of poor service are frequently reported.

"Every year we hear stories about the maltreatment of babies, sometimes even causing death," Rao said. "Most of the cases were caused by insufficient professional training."

Random phone interviews by Xinhua to maternity service providers revealed that most of them are recruiting, but they have cut training to about two weeks and promise all trainees a diploma.

A uniform national standard could help solve the problem and improve the industry, said Rao, who has set up a website for his company and hopes to expand across China. Endi