Expecting twins, Ahn Hye-young, 34, knew motherhood would be tough. But she did not expect the new phase of her life to weigh on her so heavily. She found herself feeling drained, struggling with mood swings and unhappy with herself. Her changing body was another source of frustration, adding to the overwhelming physical and emotional strain of caring for two newborns. “Exercise helped a little, but I could never fully get my old body back. Newborns need to be fed so often, and with household ch

Two twin sisters, not yet 50 days old, lie in separate bassinets, quietly sucking on bottles they are too young to hold, their tiny arms and legs fluttering at their sides. It is a typical morning routine for the sisters, and a precious few minutes for their mother, Shin, to wash her face, make coffee and put in a load of laundry. Those uninterrupted minutes are made possible by self-feeding pillows, bib-like cushions with built-in pockets that hold baby bottles in place, allowing infants to fee

Childbirth by surgery is more than twice as common as childbirth through labor in South Korea today. Of the 235,234 babies born in the country in 2024, 67 percent were delivered by cesarean section — up from 51 percent in 2019, when surgical births first surpassed vaginal deliveries, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service. For Hong Hanna, who gave birth to daughters in 2022 and 2024 through surgery, the decision was shaped more by personal preference than medical necessity.

A bathroom stall, with its locked door and toilet seat, often becomes a lifeline for Cho Ji-won whenever her 11-month-old's hunger cues kick in outside the home. The mother in her 30s, who has been breastfeeding since giving birth in May last year, finds herself heading to bathrooms when no lactation room is nearby or she does not have a nursing shawl. Among mothers like Cho who breastfeed directly without expressing milk in advance, frequent feeding — often every one to two hours — leaves littl

In Seoul, indoor playgrounds for toddlers are not just private businesses — they are a public infrastructure. Across the capital, 137 publicly operated “Seoul Kids Cafes” offer slides, ball pits, trampolines, costume play areas and climbing gyms for as little as 3,000 to 5,000 won ($2–$4) per two-hour session, roughly half the price of private venues. The fee is waived for families with two or more children. For Park Jeong-eon, 38, who is raising two sons aged 5 and 6, the branch near Daebang St

A baby sleeping alone in a separate room from as young as 100 days old is an often idealized, yet unrealistic, thought for many families in South Korea, where children commonly share their parents' bedroom well into their toddler years. But these days, a growing number of young Korean parents have begun sharing their infant sleep-training journeys on social media, posting videos of their babies' nighttime routines — being left to cry until they fall asleep, waking and settling back to sleep on t

Pregnancy comes with a heavier belly, swollen legs, sore backs and hormonal mood swings. But for many mothers-to-be in South Korea, it also brings something else: the urge to splurge on an overseas vacation. These "babymoons" first gained popularity here more than a decade ago, as a final getaway for parents-to-be before the round-the-clock feedings and sleepless nights begin. The practice has since become a rite of passage, much like a honeymoon for couples. A quick search of “babymoon” on Inst

Postpartum care centers, where new mothers rest and recover after childbirth, are a uniquely Korean creation found nowhere else in the world. While some countries have similar facilities, Korea remains the only nation where such care centers, known as sanhujoriwon or just joriwon, have become an integral part of postnatal care. A 2023 survey of 3,221 new mothers by the Health Ministry found that 8 to 9 out of 10 new mothers used the service that year. In traditional Korean culture, the initial t

After two years of studying, all while caring for her toddler daughter and welcoming a son, Lee is now on the brink of beginning a new chapter in her life. A 35-year-old former dental clinic employee, she passed the annual civil servant exam in the health affairs field this August. The demanding once-a-year test covers subjects from Korean history and English to health care administration and related laws. “I often felt anxious and physically exhausted when household chores piled up, from prepar

Five days a week for the past two years, Koo Jung-soo, 66, has made her way to her daughter’s home with her husband by 7:40 a.m., to be greeted by her 6-year-old grandson, ready for breakfast. Koo barely has time to sit down, and time flies as she cooks breakfast for her grandson, reads him stories and helps with kindergarten assignments. Before she knows it, it’s 9 a.m., time for him to catch the school bus. Once her grandson leaves, Koo and her husband spend the rest of the morning doing the d