Chapter 456: 456 Difficult Birth
Chapter 456: Chapter 456 Difficult Birth
Tang Chuxia merely listening to the screams felt goosebumps popping out all over.
She felt scared in every way.
She could also understand why the midwife did not want an unmarried girl present at the childbirth.
If they saw this, who would dare to have children?
Fortunately, Mrs. Gu was an experienced obstetrician, so for her, repositioning was not very difficult.
It was just the laboring mother who would suffer the most.
Repositioning was just the first step, the next step of childbirth was the most intense.
Tang Chuxia could clearly feel Mrs. Gu’s nervousness; the conditions here were too primitive, even occurring in the room where they lived, which had no sterile, disinfected environment and windows that even leaked air.
Fortunately, the uncle already had seven children and knew that boiling water was needed for childbirth, and Mrs. Gu had brought a medicine box with supplies. At this point, she could only try to calm her mind and ensure the child could be born safely.
There was also a midwife in the room.
Compared to a professional doctor like Mrs. Gu, the midwife was much more casual.
Their skills were passed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law and were limited, which was why the mortality rate of newborns was so high.
Often, due to limitations in childbirth techniques, both the newborn and the mother endured great suffering.
At this moment, the midwife watched as Mrs. Gu put on rubber gloves and had Tang Chuxia help check the dilation of the cervix, then began to prepare the mother’s skin.
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This was somewhat surprising to the midwife.
They never cared about such things; childbirth was always a messy affair, smelly too, who bothered about cleanliness?
“Hurry up and dilute some water to clean her down there.”
Mrs. Gu asked the midwife to do this, not out of disrespect but to teach her how to deliver babies.
The midwife was a quick learner and immediately understood what was needed.
She promptly ran to do the work, and after helping clean the auntie, she watched as Mrs. Gu began to prepare the scalpels.
“What’s this for?”
The midwife had never done this before.
“When the child just comes out of the belly, it will touch here; if there’s dirt in these hairs, won’t it make the child sick?”
Mrs. Gu tried to explain in simple terms for the midwife to understand.
Since Tang Chuxia had not yet had children, Madam Tang did not allow her to watch.
She certainly didn’t want to risk not having grandchildren in the future.
Tang Chuxia watched the midwife realize, then slapped her thigh, “I always wondered, sometimes when a child is born and then develops a fever or rash, I thought it was something carried over from the mother, but it turns out to be this.”
Mrs. Gu sighed.
There was no other way.
Since the country encouraged childbirth after its establishment, being hailed as a heroic mother had been many women’s pursuit.
This led to many women, as long as they were still able to, continuing to give birth incessantly. While the midwives had experience, their knowledge of medical safety and hygiene was still lacking, even though they underwent regular training every year. Cultural and educational levels, along with their receptiveness, resulted in many midwives still lacking much-needed knowledge.
Even though so many years had passed and medical conditions had developed for nearly thirty years, efforts by a generation were substantial but always had gaps.
Mrs. Gu couldn’t explain further.
Because the cervix was already dilated to five centimeters, and when it reached six centimeters, she could start delivering the baby.
Moreover, the auntie, having had seven children, had a cervix that opened quickly.
The issue previously was just due to the baby being in a breech position.
Once the cervix opened, Mrs. Gu instructed the midwife on proper birthing techniques while directing the mother to coordinate with the delivery.
Probably because she was truly experienced, the auntie adjusted well, and childbirth wasn’t as difficult as it could have been.
Tang Chuxia’s acupuncture preparations had been futile.
The birth of the child surprised both Mrs. Gu and the midwife.
Not because the child was a monster, but because the baby’s umbilical cord was twisted like a pretzel—it was so contorted that another couple of twists could have strangled it to death.
“My goodness, how many times did it twist!” The midwife was indeed experienced.
Even Tang Chuxia couldn’t help but click her tongue.
The little guy’s face was all pinched up; it truly was extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, Mrs. Gu was very experienced and helped clear the dirt from the little one’s mouth and nose, tapped on the little one’s heels, and made him cry.
While Mrs. Gu was cutting the umbilical cord and tying a knot, she watched the midwife help the mother expel the placenta from her abdomen.
The little guy had several Mongolian spots on his body, which looked quite frightening.
Tang Chuxia was curious about how long these Mongolian spots would take to disappear, to which Mrs. Gu explained, “They gradually disappear as he grows, gone by the time he’s three or four years old at most!”
Mongolian spots are not birthmarks strictly speaking, as they disappear over time.
The house did not have a scale, so the uncle went outside to borrow one, and found that the little guy weighed only four and a half pounds!
He indeed was small and would require good care.
Busy until midnight, Tang Chuxia and Mrs. Gu were both exhausted.
Beihuai had come with them, and now, not wanting to risk driving them back at night, fortunately, there were plenty of houses on the farm. The farm manager, knowing that Tang Chuxia and Mrs. Gu had come to assist with the birth, directed them to rest in the office’s duty room.
That night, Tang Chuxia hardly slept at all, constantly thinking.
She had a feeling that she might not have children in this universe.
“Let me ask you a question!”
Tang Chuxia looked at Beihuai who was accompanying her, as both were awake and stargazing outside.
At that moment, Beihuai adjusted Tang Chuxia’s clothes to ward off the cold, and upon hearing her speak, he instinctively hummed a response, “Go ahead!”
“If I can’t have children, would you divorce me?”
She truly did not want to burden Beihuai.
The Gu family probably still cared about their legacy.
Beihuai was stunned for a moment, then said, “If you can’t have them, then so be it. I’m not desperate for a child!”
His response was casual, but Tang Chuxia spoke very seriously, “I mean it, I really might not be able to have children!”
She did not mention her health issues, but rather a gut feeling.
She was not a soul from this era, and moreover was a time-traveler. The original body might be fine, but she knew she would not leave descendants!
Beihuai laughed, “We still have Zhizhi. If the Gu family needs to continue the family line, Zhizhi’s children would suffice!”
Tang Chuxia was stunned.
She thought Beihuai would seriously consider this matter, but didn’t expect such an explanation from him.
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
Beihuai rubbed Tang Chuxia’s head, “Why should it bother me? I don’t even like children much!”
Tang Chuxia…
She had not noticed his dislike before!
But now was obviously not the time to continue this topic.
Tang Chuxia had already decided; if there was a chance in the future, she would let Beihuai not be too attached to her.
Compared to Beihuai’s nonchalance, Tang Chuxia felt somewhat melancholic.
Was she ultimately still a burden to Beihuai?