Prior to joining the outfit, the UK-qualified registered doctor had never considered the world of Obstetrics or Paediatrics, not even as a medical student or junior doctor.

“I had my daughter in 2020 and the founder, Yvonne Heavyside, was my lactation consultant and supported me during a very trying time in the early postpartum days. It was the height of COVID, our families weren’t able to come out from the UK to help us and Yvonne was
our saviour!” she says of her introduction to The Family Zone.

According to her, breastfeeding was a surprising challenge; “I hadn’t anticipated I’d have such difficulties initially, and was so grateful for Yvonne’s expertise, wisdom and reassurance.” Heavyside saw Dr. Ng and her husband Hugo Busbridge quite a few times over the first six months, postpartum, and they became friends, during which time, Dr. Ng says she had become very interested in the world of lactation, “and rather dismayed at the lack of education and resources for new mums in Hong Kong”, a subject that she frequently discussed with Heavyside.

“I thought what The Family Zone offered was so incredible and rare, so I was shocked when Yvonne announced her intentions to retire in 2021, as I felt her expertise was needed more than ever at that point! And that’s when she took a leap of faith and asked me to take the helm.”

Prior to The Family Zone, Dr. Ng was an education consultant and tutor running a bespoke private tuition company which specialized in UK Boarding school and university entry. Her particular focus was IGCSEs, A-Levels and, of course, medical school preparation and entrance.

Aside from their postnatal support services, at home or in-office consultations, Dr. Ng says that all three of The Family Zone’s core classes are equally in-demand: Fast Track Antenatal; First Aid and CPR classes; and Domestic Helper training.

“As a parent I would view all of them as being important to do, although if I had to highlight one, it would be the First Aid and CPR training,” she says.

Dr. Ng adds that she has quite a few clients who initially work with The Family Zone during pregnancy. They do their antenatal education with them first, then she’ll see them again with the baby for home visits, and they may then send their domestic helpers for childcare and first aid training, as well as learning basic life support themselves.

“I’m very honoured that my clients want to keep working with me, meaning that I could very well be popping up in their lives for the first few of years of parenthood.”