“Why go when my mom can do it for free?” ... Husband’s shocking suggestion after balking at the 3.5 million won postpartum care center fee [What do you think?]

[Financial News] A story has drawn attention online after a 40-year-old expectant mother, preparing to give birth to her first child, reportedly felt deeply hurt when her husband pulled out his phone calculator while they were discussing postpartum care costs and said, “It would be free if my mom came over.”
According to News 1 on the 23rd, a post was recently published on an online community under the title “I brought up the cost of a postpartum care center, and my husband pulled out a calculator.”
The writer, identified as Ms. A, said she was about two months away from giving birth to her first child. Given her age, she looked into a postpartum care center to help her recover, with a two-week stay costing around 3.5 million won, and then discussed it with her husband.
But her husband’s reaction to the cost was unexpected. He pulled out his phone calculator and objected, saying, “That works out to 250,000 won a day. It’s more expensive than a hotel.” He went on to ask, “How much would it cost to hire a postpartum helper at home?” and “Wouldn’t it be free if my mom (your mother-in-law) came over to help?”
Ms. A said, “I understand that my husband is feeling financial pressure, but I was deeply hurt by his attitude of breaking down the cost of helping my body recover into a daily rate, when I’m having my first child at 40.”

In particular, she said, “The words ‘It’s free if my mother-in-law comes’ hit me the hardest. From a daughter-in-law’s perspective, that ‘free’ option comes at the most expensive and uncomfortable price in the world.”
Ms. A added, “I’m curious about the experiences of people who stayed home and managed with a postpartum helper instead of going to a care center,” and, “If it seems manageable, I’m willing to compromise.”
Most people online who read the story strongly criticized the husband’s inconsiderate attitude. They reacted with comments such as, “If you don’t take proper care of yourself after giving birth at an advanced maternal age, your body will be damaged for life,” “When the mother-in-law comes, the daughter-in-law can’t rest because she has to be on edge—how can he call that ‘free’?” and “It’s shocking to calculate the cost of your wife’s physical recovery at the rate of a hotel stay.”
Others, however, pointed to the practical timing of reservations. One person online criticized the couple for not planning ahead, saying, “Looking into a postpartum care center just two months before giving birth is far too late. Many places typically stop taking reservations around the 10-week mark, in early pregnancy.”
According to Statistics Korea, the share of mothers aged 35 and older in South Korea has been rising each year and now exceeds 30% of all births. As giving birth later in life becomes more common, the tension between the financial burden of postpartum care centers and support for mothers’ physical recovery has emerged as a practical social issue among newlyweds in recent years.


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