A new mom documented what it's like to heal postpartum in a tranquil Korean care center, but questioned spending so much time away from her newborn

• A TikToker documented her weeklong stay at a traditional Korean postpartum care center, or sanhujori.
• Foreign viewers were awed, while others were skeptical about leaving a newborn in someone else's care.

A 30-year-old mother of two went massively viral documenting the process of giving birth in Korea, as viewers were intrigued by — and somewhat divided on — her time spent in a traditional postpartum care center.

Sarah Goo told Insider that postpartum care centers are "very common" in Korea, which has a markedly different philosophy toward new moms than in the US.

"In America, mothers are quick to get back to normal life," Goo said. "But Koreans focus on healing and replenishing your body." Goo added that mothers in Korea are instructed to rest and eat seaweed soup for at least 30 days while avoiding cold showers and lifting heavy weights. Culturally, she added, it is believed that postpartum recovery can have lifelong health impacts.

Widespread postpartum care centers in Korea, known as sanhujori, however, have made an impact on US maternity culture, inspiring uber-luxe retreats, like Manhattan's Boram (which is priced at a cool $1,800 per night.)

At the facility, which Goo likened to a hotel for babies and new moms, nurses mostly take care of newborns while mothers rest. On TikTok last week, she broached some thoughtful questions about her decision to be admitted.

"Am I a bad mom if I let other people take care of my baby?" she asked at the top of a video that has amassed 12.3 million views.

Viewers were divided, as some foreigners were awed by the facility. "The USA could never," one wrote. "Wish we had that in Europe," another added.

Others said they preferred to bond with their newborn babies and expressed anxieties about leaving them unattended. "Not for me. I wanted my baby with me 24/7," one commenter said. "I would not be able to do this," another added. "I didn't even want to set my baby in the crib."

She healed fast and felt stronger afterward but lamented missing out on milestones

Goo, for her part, said she opted to try a care center after having a "pretty rough postpartum" with her first daughter, who she had in Hawaii, and subsequently suffered from exhaustion and depression. "I wanted to focus on healing myself this time," she said.

Goo stayed in the center for seven days, located in the same building as the hospital where she gave birth, and said it cost her roughly $1,500.

There, she slept, stretched, and ate nutritious food – free from chores like cooking, cleaning, and laundry. There were even massages and yoga classes available to her.

She was instructed on basic baby care (such as how to swaddle and change diapers) and received help breastfeeding. She was also able to bond with other new moms, as a doctor checked on the babies daily.

In hindsight, even amid all of these benefits, she has mixed feelings about her own stay. "I definitely healed faster and my body felt stronger earlier this time around," she said. But she also felt she missed out on some bonding opportunities.

"I felt kind of distant and wasn't really able to cherish the first week with my baby," she said. "I felt like I missed a lot of milestones," like giving her baby baths and changing her diapers. (That said, Goo emphasized that mothers at the center are able to see their babies as little or often as they wish.)

Due to COVID, however, neither her husband nor her elder daughter could visit, which she said made her feel guilty.

"I probably won't do it again because I will have two toddlers at home if I give birth next time and I don't think I'll feel comfortable leaving them alone for too long," she said. "But I would do it again if this was my first time giving birth."

Goo added that while it can be a foreign notion for Americans to not be with their newborns 24/7, it is a lifesaving resource if one needs it.

"I highly recommend it to other moms, especially if you are a first time mother," she said. "It is really tough postpartum to go through alone when you don't really know how to take care of a newborn on top of trying to heal yourself."