I recruited my confinement lady from the Methodist Centre who arrange these contracts for these confinement ladies who are trained through govt funds. They are under a stricted code of conduct and therefore my experience is that they do not demand lai-see's or anything. they shopped for food for me, and had everything clearly accounted for each time they shop - receipts and all.
My personal experience is that a confinement layd can assess your personal health situation and recommend the right foods at the right times - I have tonnes of books on confinement food but what they didn't tell you was when and why you can eat some of them and not others - there is a lot of wisdom in the recovery process, and I think this is where the confinement lady comes in. My helper also helped cook, but from the menu itself there was a lot of info lacking.
the confiment lady cooked my lunch and dinner ( for my husband as well), and a snack time soup for me when I was breastfeeding, and so she was very busy all day long - I was there to see her running around and not a slack moment...
I have to say that referrals are quite important though.