About
Elan House of Wellness is a world-class wellness brand dedicated exclusively to nurturing, nourishing, and empowering new parents and through personalised postpartum support, vital nutrition, physical rehabilitation, and expert advice.
For too long we have accepted that exhaustion, sleep deprivation, illness and stress are an expected part of early motherhood.
Our mission is to help women navigate the early stages of motherhood with confidence and clarity, moving back to a community-based model of care through a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Chinese tradition of ‘sitting the month’ (坐月子 – zuò yuè zi). We believe that supporting the health and wellbeing of the mother supports the entire family.
Our initial offering includes mother and baby oils, mists and moisturisers and our supportive postpartum planning workbook as well as other resources, all available now from our online store. From April 2022” with “In early 2022, Elan started to offer the ultimate pregnancy and postpartum selection of snacks and food supplies, combining nutrient dense ingredients into delicious and satisfying snacks that offer restorative nutrition, all delivered worldwide.
Our future includes fully prepared food delivery and in-home postpartum support. We hope you will join us on this journey placing a greater focus, awareness, and acknowledgement of parental health needs. Sign up to our newsletter to learn more about our evolution.
Mission & Vision
Who We Are
Elan is a French word meaning enthusiastic and lively, with a distinctive energy of style and flair that reflects the warm, positive, and passionate philosophy that is Elan House of Wellness, as well as reflecting the beauty of the space itself.
Elan provides a modern approach to the traditional practice of confinement, otherwise knows as “lying-in” or sitting the month” in many different cultures. Women staying at Elan have everything they need for complete postpartum recovery wellness under the one roof. They can also choose the depth of their experience, a very traditional approach versus a more contemporary approach. Either way, Elan provides specifically tailored care to each mother so that she has the best possible outcome physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Surrounded in an environment of peace and tranquillity, with a tribe of experts on hand, Elan supports each and every mother to focus on herself and her baby so that she can recuperate and embrace her incredible new chapter with confidence.
Our Why
The process of childbirth and adding a baby to the family unit is a big life event, that can cause many new challenges and issues for parents. We also live in a time of unprecedented stress, anxiety, and ill health, where loneliness and lack of community support prevail, and where mothers return to the burden of household responsibilities and their careers far sooner than is ideal.
Our Belief
Currently there are no accommodation facilities with nurse support that service new mothers beyond the four days prescribed by the private hospital system.
Postpartum care as an industry is fragmented, with various individual businesses and independent personal care providers offering limited services.
With the advent of the modern life, there is no social structure that serves new mothers. Elan House represents ‘the village’ that supports new parents so that the journey of parenthood is one of celebration, joy, and fulfillment.
We question western values post birth and therefore present a new framework of care focused on physical and emotional recovery, bonding with baby, and honouring this sacred time. Hence, we translate the traditional practice of postpartum care into a form that is accessible to everyone.
We believe that the traditional practice of postpartum care is essential in today’s world. That ancient healing wisdom has a place in our contemporary lives. And that preventative wellness is far better than cure.
Five Pillars
Elan H.O.W Nourishing — It can be difficult to meal plan and cook once your baby comes along. We are now offering Elan Dry Pantry Range, consisting of nourishing snacks that are easy to make to nourish the Mother and the family.
Nourishing Staples will be landing earthside June 2022 and available to Victorian customers, cooked with good quality ingredients and produce to heal and nourish the mother during pregnancy and postpartum days. Sign up here to be the first to know when we launch.
Women tend to experience very strong emotions after giving birth. You’re biologically primed to be more attuned and sensitive to your experiences, and your hormones are also recalibrating. Proactively safeguard your mental health.
Our Postpartum Planning Workbook has been designed to alleviate some of the stress and assist with preparing you so that you can spend your early postpartum days resting, recovering, and bonding with your baby. Our affirmation cards and motherhood deck have been created to support you through birth and your postpartum journey.
We live in a society which greatly values independence and autonomy. Some of us are so used to doing things on our own, that we have created stories in our head that stop us from reaching out for help.
ELAN H.O.W Curated — A curation of products and resources to support your recovery and boost your wellbeing as you transition from Maiden to Mother.
Healthy communities and individuals recognise the need for celebration and create ‘rituals’ and initiations to celebrate rites of passage. Becoming a Mother is a beautiful life transition, but it does involve adjustments just like any other major life event. Sadly, in contemporary society, many of us have abandoned the practice of honouring and celebrating the Mother and her transition into Motherhood.
Participating in some kind of ceremony / ritual / blessingway before you give birth is a beautiful way to honour the transformation you’re about to experience.
The importance of rest during your postpartum cannot be overstated. Not only have you spent the past ten moons growing a human, but the physicality of the birth process means your body needs ample rest for optimal healing and recovery. Many Mothers are surprised to find that during Postpartum, even when they have carved out time and space to rest, they are not able to truly rest. Instead of winding down, they feel anxious and restless.
Setting up your home space to be calm and peaceful for you, can greatly influence your postpartum experience. This is not about painting, renovations, or serious redecorating. It’s about making small shifts so you have somewhere comfortable to nurse, sleep and introduce your baby to loved ones.
Founder
U-Fhern Chang is a wife, wellness advocate, entrepreneur, and mother to two beautiful daughters and a son.
She grew up in Brunei before moving to Australia to take up studying a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne, followed by an accounting career at Deloitte. She then went on to complete her CA and MBA. Since meeting her husband and getting married, her creative and analytical nature has been fulfilled in developing and running businesses with her husband.
“Elan House of Wellness was born from a need I saw when I had my first child. At the time, I was fortunate enough to experience the traditional practice of confinement and came to learn of its incredible healing benefits. I also had the gift of my mothers, grandmothers and aunties combined wisdoms.”
When U-Fhern had her first child she returned to the traditional roots of her mother and practiced 40 days of confinement according to Chinese philosophy. During this time, she came to deeply appreciate having the support of wise women – moms, aunties, and friends – as she embarked on her new journey into motherhood. She also saw the value and importance of ‘tribe’ and community. And as she learned about the healing practices and benefits of confinement, she began to understand just how important this approach to postpartum is for a woman’s beauty, vitality, and longevity.
“As I began researching what was available to women in the post-natal phase, I realised that while there were various offerings in the market, no one business catered to confinement in a contemporary sense and under one roof. When looking at the residential hospital stays in Australia and confinement center’s overseas, I found that the sense of luxury and aesthetics, that you find in a hotel, was sadly missing from each of these environments.”
With her second baby, U-Fhern once again practiced traditional confinement and not only gave birth to a beautiful little girl, but also began dreaming up a contemporary postpartum wellness sanctuary. She also began expanding her knowledge around postpartum care, becoming qualified as a Newborn Mothers Postpartum Professional and Certified Postnatal Care Professional (Taiwan). U-Fhern is also currently completing her Innate Traditions and Oh Baby Nutrition certifications to be able to offer an extensive and holistic array of services to clients of Elan.
“There is so much pressure for women to be supermoms in the Western world, and this mindset and way of life is hugely detrimental to health and wellbeing. It is my intention and hope that Elan House of Wellness becomes a space where women gather, learn and grow, in amidst a supportive environment that fosters preventative wellbeing for mother and child.”
For her third, U-Fhern was pregnant and birthed and the height of a pandemic during Melbourne’s strict lockdowns. With travel restrictions in place, her family were not able to come over to assist with her confinement but thankfully she sought support from a local midwife and doula.
“It is so important for women to feel worthy of care and support in the early postpartum days and not shy away from asking for help. We were never meant to navigate motherhood alone so trust that you are worth the investment and having care and support is not selfish or a luxury. It is in the interest of future generations that mothers are cared for today.”
Giving Back
