Wongjangneem
Wonjangneem called me when I was in the hospital and incorrectly told me that the date of service started at the hospital admittance date. However, upon reviewing my contract when I returned home, it showed that date of services started on the hospital discharge date. I don't know why she told me date of service started on my hospital admittance date when the baby was not even born yet and when the contract said otherwise, but her mistake made it more stressful than it had to me when I was in the hospital. She also told me when I was in the hospital that I had to pay for a holiday when the postpartum caretaker was going on a trip with her husband, but I learned from the postpartum caretaker that she never went on a trip with her husband on a holiday, which leaves me to believe the wonjangneem lied to me or was just a poor communicator. She tried to blame me by saying my Korean was bad, which I felt was although gaslighting me, because I remember clearly what she said. I ended up not paying for the holiday, but I did not like that she lied to me.
Postpartum caretaker
What is most upsetting to me is that the postpartum caretaker worked very dangerously. She would carry my baby to the stove and mix hot items in the pot while cooking, and she would pour hot water into the mugwort foot bath while holding my baby. I have seen her leave my newborn baby on the diaper changing table to check on something cooking in the kitchen. She insisted that he sleep in her room because she thought it was easier for her to care for him in her room, and then she would fall asleep with him in her bed or in her arms while sitting in a chair on more than one occasion. She had no consideration for the fact that I wanted him to sleep in my room as a newborn. She would also have my baby sleep on top of a pillow for no apparent reason, even when I told her I wanted him to sleep on his back with nothing in the crib due to SIDS concerns. She said I did not have to worry about SIDS, which I think goes to show how poorly trained she is. I had to literally come into the room and remove all things in the crib because she would not listen to my directions about how I wanted my baby to sleep. The only reason I did not terminate before our 4 week contract was because I could not find other postpartum care during my recovery period, and I was in a position where I had already paid for the contract and felt vulnerable and stuck because I needed someone to cook and care for me and my baby while I was recovering. I was nervous the entire time and felt like I had to watch the postpartum caretaker closely, and she was always very pushy and insubordinate when I asked her to do something differently or safely. I also did not feel I could tell the wonjangneem about these issues because of on my previous communications with her, where I felt like she had no problem lying or gaslighting me about when the date of service started.
Insubordinate
In addition to refusing to listen to my feedback and directions about newborn sleep safety and working safely in a newborn and postpartum setting, the postpartum caretaker refused to provide me with proof of vaccination for whooping cough vaccine because she said she's done this work for 10 years. She said she's already taken the whooping cough vaccine. However, if it's been ten years, she would have been due for a booster shot.
She refused to do a Covid test when she returned to work on Monday because she said I didn't ask our cleaning lady, who comes once a week and was never in the same room with us, to do a Covid test.