Another "super mom" in Shanghai is Kiro Zhang, who operates under a regimented daily schedule like Zou's. Her parents and parents-in-law alternate turns coming to the house to tend her two children, assisted by a part-time housekeeper.
Zhang, 33, had her second child, a baby girl, last month. Her son is 3 years old and just started kindergarten.
"It's a new challenge for all of us," says Zhang. "We are considering having my parents take care of my son at their home, but we don't want to separate the children. They are very sensitive when young."
Zhang works for a state-owned company and has a stable income. She says she is lucky that her job isn't very stressful and doesn't require overtime work.
"I have time to spend with the children after work and during weekends," she says. "My husband works in a bank and he is much busier than me."
However, Zou's husband, Harry Tang, who is now a human resources director at an international advertising company, rarely gets home in time to have dinner with the family and is often away for work-related duties.
"In terms of taking care of the baby, he is too busy," Zou says. "Weekends are really the only time we spend together as a family."
"I feel really sorry for not being able to spend time with my family," says Tang, 36. "You know, raising children in Shanghai is so expensive that I have to sacrifice my private time to earn our bread. I know Melody is so stressful sometimes, but I have no choice ..."
Sera Lee, 31, who lived in Shanghai for more than 10 years before moving to Paris with her French husband, says fatherhood in China is not very hands-on, from what she has observed.
"In China, most fathers don't realize that spending time with a child is part of the growing-up process," she says. "Instead, most fathers cast themselves in the role of family breadwinner and leave the children to wives and parents."
Lee has a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. She worked as a website editor for a fashion brand while in Shanghai and had to hire two babysitters to look after the children.
"In China, working moms do have more assistance — from the grandparents to babysitters," she says. "However, it's really hard to find good, reliable babysitters in China. I changed nannies for my son 10 times."
Most parents feel some relief when their children start school. In China's mainland, children can enter kindergarten when they are three years old, though some private schools accept younger children.
"Some families send two children, both under 3 years old, to school," says Chiu Chien-Lin, head of GymGoLink, an early education school in Shanghai.
School hours, from about 8am to 5pm, dovetail with the schedules of many working mothers.
"Learning in a balanced environment is very important to children," says Sandy Chu, founder of the school. "Little kids learn how to deal with other children and to share in a group. That is one of major advantages to sending kids to school instead of just leaving them with babysitters or grandparents."
But the cost of "early education" can be hefty. GymGoLink charges about 8,000 yuan ($1,200) a month per child. That compares with the average cost of a full-time babysitter of between 5,500 yuan and 6,500 yuan a month now in Shanghai.
The higher cost of a second child may not be the only drawback to couples hesitant to enlarge their families. "In China, most of the pressure of taking care of a baby falls on the shoulders of the grandparents," says Emily Feng, 28, a working mother with a 2-year-old daughter and no plans to have a second child.
"It's a bit cruel. The older generation should be able to enjoy their retirement — traveling and entertaining, rather than having to raise our babies," she adds.
Feng says she thinks some women want to have a second child to show off their wealth or to prove that they still have a good relationship with their husbands.
