A Review of My 14 Day Stay at Momley Loft Confinement Centre Singapore (2024)
Time to read 12 min
Life update: Hi everyone! I’m Cheryl, the founder of Hatchery Cribs, and I gave birth to my first child in February 2024. I had the privilege of staying at Momley Loft for the first 14 days of my confinement, and it was one of the best decisions that I have made for myself. Prior to my stay, I always wondered what the hype was about staying at a confinement centre. Would it be an overindulgence to stay at one? What was the difference between staying at the confinement centre and hiring a confinement nanny?
After my stay, I would say that the main draw of staying in a confinement centre was that it provided me with a comfortable, well-paced transition from hospital to home. From stepping into the maternity ward on delivery day, to giving birth, learning how to latch my baby, recovering from my wound, dealing with postpartum blues, everything seemed to be hitting me all at once.
And instead of being thrown into the deep end with my new role, I had the centre’s professional support system in place to take care of everything I needed postpartum. Being in this sanctuary allowed me ample rest to regulate my postpartum emotions, understand my new body and to calmly tackle the different experiences as a new parent.
My Stay at Momley Loft
About Momley Loft
Momley Loft is a confinement centre located at the Aranda Country Club Executive Suites in Pasir Ris. Combining traditional Asian wellness practices and modern techniques from the best in the industry, Momley Loft provides a wide array of postpartum nourishment, care and education, to allow new moms to recuperate and rejuvenate post-pregnancy.
Location
Aranda Country Club Executive Suite Level 3, 60 Pasir Ris Drive 3, Singapore 519497
Being conveniently located 5 mins away from Downtown East was great, especially for husbands to takeaway their meals, or to run any errands.
The corridors of Momley Loft leading to the suites.
The Place: Rooms & Common Areas
Momley Loft occupies the third level of the Aranda Country Club Executive Suite wing, which has been specially converted into a confinement centre facility with 20 premium suites, a dedicated baby nursery, a kitchen where TCM-based meals are prepared, and a lounge area for mothers and their guests. Mothers have their meals and postpartum massages in-room, whilst classes and activities are done in the multi-purpose studio.
Rooms
There are 2 suite types, both come with separate living and sleeping areas. All suites also come with an en-suite bathroom. As most of my stay was spent in the room, I’m glad that the Premier Suite that I was in was extra spacious and comfortable for my 14 day stay.
The main difference in the 2 suite types would be the size, the Premier Suite is 742 sqft which is like the size of a 3-room BTO flat! The Deluxe Suite at 591sqft is not small either, and compared to the Premier Suite, came with a slightly smaller living, and dining area.
The entryway opens up to the living and dining areas. The dining area has a 4-seater table which I use for my meals and to do work on my laptop.
The living area has a large plush sofa where I spent most of my time breastfeeding and bonding with baby. The television also comes programmed with Netflix, which accompanied me during my nightly pump sessions.
Within the living area, there's a pantry area that came with a full-sized fridge with a good sized freezer that was useful to store my frozen breastmilk bags. There was also a kettle and a microwave provided.
A few steps from the living area is the bedroom, which is separated with a curtain divider. The spacious bedroom is large enough to fit a king size bed, a lounge chair, and is also where the postpartum massages are done.
The room also has plenty of storage, with a large wardrobe, vanity area and wide bedside tables. There was a 2nd television in the room, a hairdryer provided, an air-purifier, and ample wall-plugs to charge appliances.
The wooden tub provided in the en-suite bathroom was useful for daily herbal baths.
Housekeeping
Light housekeeping was provided daily (except on Sundays), with bath towels and loungewear replenished daily. Momley Loft loungewear is provided for mothers during their stay, but other laundry like undergarments and the father’s laundry are not included in the stay.
Reception
Upon entering Momley Loft, there is a reception for mothers to meet their guests during their stay. Their visitor policy at that time allowed only immediate family members to visit in the suite. All other visitors could only meet the mother at the reception, and visit the baby from outside the glass panels of the nursery. All guests also had to produce a negative ART result before visiting.
I liked that they had this policy in place as it gave me a peace of mind knowing that my baby was protected from external germs, especially as a newborn with low immunity.
The comfortable Momley Loft Reception has coffee, tea and a water dispenser for guests.
Multi-Purpose Studio
Beside the Stork Room Nursery, there was a multi-purpose studio which was used to conduct classes like postpartum yoga and postpartum workshops conducted by Hegen’s lactation consultant, and was also where the nurses conduct 1-to-1 baby bath practical sessions for parents.
Attending a Postpartum Workshop organised by Hegen's lactation consultant.
Confinement Meals at Momley Loft
5 meals were provided daily - breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper - all of which are freshly prepared in-house and verified by a qualified nutritionist. 2 flasks of red date tea are also served daily. Momley Loft partners with Madam Partum to provide confinement soups, teas, and baths for the mothers here.
I’m no food critic, but I have to say that the meals were delicious and nourishing, varied, made with fresh quality ingredients, and was a huge boost to my morale during my 14 days there. Prior to my stay, I indicated my dietary preference that I didn’t want any innards in my meals. The kitchen could even customise confinement meals for vegetarians. The meals were served at fixed times daily, and brought to your room on a tray, all still warm and smelling amazingly yummy. On your breakfast tray, there will be a tag stating the menu for the day. There was almost no repetition of dishes, except for the traditional confinement dishes like Pig Trotter Vinegar.
Staying here for 14-days set the gold-standard for me as to what confinement food should be. As a first time mom, I had so many questions about confinement food - what type of ingredients are good for postpartum recovery and lactation? What type of groceries and condiments should I buy and when should I buy them? Can I use salt in my confinement food? Can I eat carbs? How much food should I eat? Momley Loft was a true lifesaver, and took away all that stressful decision-making.
The tag stating the 5 meals for the day.
Breakfast
Breakfast was usually more simple - a porridge, a sandwich, a simple noodle or bee hoon stir-fry.
Peanut Pork Porridge with Seasonal Vegetables
Tuna Sandwich with a cup of Milo
Lunch
Confinement soups (with herbs provided by Madam Partum) were served daily for lunch and dinner. Lunch was soup, rice and dishes, or noodles, and fruits. I appreciated that they varied the proteins, flavours and vegetable dishes across the meals. The food was also of restaurant-standard - the fish dishes were perfectly steamed, meat dishes were tender and juicy, and even their vegetable and tofu dishes were conscientiously prepared.
Yellow Wine Pork with Brown Rice, Seasonal Vegetables, Confinement Herbal Soup and Fruits
Dinner
Dinner was the most substantial meal of the day - usually soup, rice with 3 dishes, and fruits. My favourite dishes during my stay were the ‘DOM Codyceps Pork Ribs’ and the ‘Peanut Pork Knuckle Stew’.
Black Vinegar Pork Trotter, Tomato Tofu Stew, Seasonal Vegetables, Confinement Herbal Soup and Fruits
DOM Cordyceps Pork Ribs, Herbal Spinach, Seasonal Vegetables, Confinement Herbal Soup and Fruits
Tea Time & Supper
Chinese desserts like sesame paste, white fungus porridge, mixed grain cereals, were served for tea time and supper.
Freshly prepared Almond Paste
White Fungus Lotus Seed Soup
24/7 Baby Care in the Nursery
I will always remember how helpless I felt on check out day when my husband and I wheeled baby from the hospital’s nursery to the carpark, all ready to head out into the big world by ourselves. Goodbye to the comforts of the maternity ward, with nurses at my side at the call of a button, and baby well taken care of in the nursery. But hey, when we checked into Momley Loft, all my worries subsided as baby was now in the good hands of the experienced nurses and infant care assistants in Momley Loft’s Stork Room. To me, this round the clock comprehensive support system is the main difference between staying in a confinement centre and hiring a confinement nanny.
During my stay, I requested for baby to stay in the Stork Room at night and for the nurses to feed her. In the day, she would be wheeled to my room in her bassinet to spend time with me. The Stork Room team was very accommodating to my requests and ultimately just wanted to allow me to rest and recuperate well.
Nurse Ho teaching us how to swaddle baby Cherie.
Nurse Izza demonstrating to us how to give baby Cherie a bath.
Professional Care
The staff to baby ratio here is 1:3, and the care team is split into 2 shifts to ensure that they get sufficient rest in between shifts. There is a morning care team from 8am to 8pm, and a night care team from 8pm to 8am. During my stay, there was always at least 5-6 staff in the Stork Room on duty at any time, and they did everything from feeding the babies, burping them, changing their diapers, coaxing them to sleep, and bathing them in the mornings.
As there was always one experienced nurse on duty at any time, many of whom have had prior experience in the maternity wards, there was always someone there when I needed guidance on how to take care of baby. Attending pre-birth classes and changing diapers on a fake baby is nothing like handling a real one. Being a first time mother, every task was a new daunting experience. Am I changing the diaper right? Am I burping baby correctly? Is she comfortable in my arms? Because each care team member was professionally trained and not just dishing out ‘old wives tales’ or using their past experiences to justify how to handle my baby, I felt at ease trusting my baby to their care. The team was also warm and patient, and I could sense their genuine care and kindness for my baby and myself.
The Momley Loft Stork Room.
Structure & Support for New Parents
Similar to being in the hospital, the nurses here were helpful in guiding me as I embarked on my breastfeeding journey (the first few days are usually the toughest). They advised me on how to latch baby properly, how to alleviate the pain of my clogged ducts, and to be that calm, steady, and experienced support whenever I needed someone there.
There was also real-time video monitoring care system to check on baby while I was in my suite. WhatsApp was used to communicate with the Stork Room team, who were exceptionally prompt in responding to all texts and queries. My texts to them ranged from checking in on baby, requesting them to wheel baby’s bassinet to my room, having them assist to sterilize my breast pump parts, and sending them SOS texts whenever I needed assistance with baby in my suite.
Learning how to burp baby Cherie
Besides gaining hands-on experience from the nurses, I also learnt a lot from the structure and routine that was in place to kickstart my parenting journey.
How to record baby’s feeds and poops and what should I be looking out for during diaper changes
What baby supplies (like diapers, diaper cream, body lotion etc. will I need to get and what is the frequency of use or change
How to clean and how often to sterilize my breast pump parts
Typing these out at 2 months postpartum, they sound so trivial and so easily Googleable online. But in the first few days postpartum, every single thing was new and daunting, there was so much to learn, and having all the systems already in place at Momley Loft was truly a lifesaver.
Postpartum Care for Moms
Postpartum Massages by Madam Partum
Momley Loft partners with Madam Partum not only for their confinement soups, teas and herbal baths, but also for their postpartum massages. These massages are offered complimentary to mothers staying here - the number of sessions vary depending on the type of room and duration of stay. The massage sessions are arranged directly with the Madam Partum team. The masseuse brings a portable massage bed, towels, and massage oil to conduct the massage in the comfort of the suite.
Prior to my stay, I thought I would only need a massage 1 month postpartum due to my c-section wound and didn’t think to book any massage sessions. Thankfully, Momley Loft had this all covered and advised to book my first massage early. I went for my first massage 4 days postpartum and I’m so glad I did as the massage was essential to clear my clogged ducts (which were the worst in the first week postpartum). The session was coupled with a relaxing body massage on my sore shoulders and back, and was truly therapeutic and comforting.
Enjoying a relaxing massage by therapist Yan Ping from Madam Partum.
Postpartum Workshops & Breastfeeding Support by Hegen
All Momley Loft mothers get to kickstart their breastfeeding journey with a welcome pack from Hegen consisting of feeding bottles, storage bottles, and breast pump accessories.
During my stay, there were weekly postpartum workshops conducted by a Hegen lactation consultant. The 2 sessions that I attended discussed the topics ‘Postnatal Expectations’ and ‘Baby Development’. They were held at the multi-function studio and were a good respite from being cooped up in the suite, as we got to interact with other mothers and talked about our feelings.
The Momley Loft Team
It takes a village to make the magic happen at Momley Loft. Not only was there the care team from the Stork Room, the chefs preparing the nourishing meals, the housekeeping team keeping the place tidy, there was also the Guest Relations team. They assisted with the check-in and check-out process, any housekeeping issues, changing of meal times, scheduling of guest visits, booking of wellness talks and just checking in with us daily to ensure that all was well.
Overall Experience
Everytime I scroll through my phone’s album of photos taken during my stay at Momley Loft, I can’t help but feel a gush of joyous emotions and gratitude. I’m thankful for the support system at Momley Loft who held my hand every step of the way, gave me the emotional support I needed during my vulnerable moments, and set me up with the proper skills and headspace to embark on the rest of my parenting journey.
That's my husband Julius, baby Cherie and I on the day of checkout, all well rested and ready to head home.
Contact Details
For rates and reservation requests, Momley Loft can be contacted at hello@momleyloft.com , +65 8883 3988.
All opinions stated are my own, and all information is correct as per the day of publication. My 14-day stay was sponsored, and Hatchery Cribs is in no way affiliated to Momley Loft.
One Stop Baby Furniture Store in Singapore
To start on your parenthood journey, shop Hatchery Cribs' range of nursing chairs, breast pumps, and nursing cushions that will be perfect for the precious months ahead. Shop here.
