Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1252 Postscript : Ming Dynasty's Obstetrics and Gynecology Technology

When the old president submitted a petition to the court requesting a change in the scientific unit, seven or eight obstetricians and gynecologists rushed to the princess's residence.

"Mr. Li, please!" Xie Yan saluted anxiously to a nursing doctor.

A "ruyi" is a doctor who is responsible for delivering babies and treating postpartum diseases. (It has been called this since the Han Dynasty.)
It can be male or female.

The nurse often also serves as a midwife. But if they are men or elderly women, they usually just stand by and give instructions, and only do it themselves when it is extremely dangerous.

The person we invited today is Grandma Li, the best nurse in Luoyang.

Her real name is rarely mentioned, and people all call her "Grandma Li". Because she has successfully delivered princes and princesses many times, Grandma Li is now a scholar of Furong.

She is already sixty-eight years old!

A clean room used as a delivery room.

Although there were public hospitals in the Ming Dynasty, people still chose to give birth at home.

It can even be said that, except for major surgical operations, the common people of the Ming Dynasty generally did not stay in the hospital, and would go home directly after diagnosis and medication. Moreover, the powerful and wealthy liked to invite doctors to their homes.

"boom!"

The door was closed and Xie Yan was not allowed to enter. He could only stand outside and worry.

"Your Highness, please stand up." Grandma Li said as she entered the delivery room.

Qingluan and Zifeng quickly helped Zhu Tangxi up.

Mrs. Li and many other medical staff took out alcohol and began to wash their hands. The prepared saline and glucose were also taken out from the medicine box one after another.

There was no need for Grandma Li to give any instructions, as the medical staff who came with her were already busy with their own work.

After feeling the princess' pulse, Granny Li began to observe and touch her lower body and abdomen, saying, "It's still early. Help Your Highness take a walk. Oh, all the maids, go out."

In ancient costume film and television dramas, the woman in labor lies on the bed crying and screaming, then the baby cries, and then both mother and child are safe. This situation is actually very rare in ancient China.

From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the new China, women gave birth either standing up or sitting down.

Even in the special decade of the new China, there are still such records: a woman in labor in a mountain village could no longer stand, and was hung under the beam by her hair. It was not until the doctor from the health center arrived that the woman was allowed to lie down immediately.

Because of traditional childbirth concepts, it is easier to give birth while standing or sitting (sitting means sitting on the birthing bucket).

Ancient midwives would only allow women to lie down when they no longer had the strength to sit.

This approach is, of course, wrong!
New China has been training old-style midwives, and the core mantra is "one lie down and three disinfections."

Lying down during childbirth can prevent excessive bleeding.

This wrong concept of childbirth was not corrected until the late reign of Zhu Ming. However, it was still customary to let the mother stand before childbirth.

Qingluan and other maids were all kicked out of the delivery room.

Zhu Tangxi was supported by a nurse and walked slowly in the delivery room.

The medical staff took out a sterilized cotton pad and spread it on the bed first, and then spread a sterilized bed sheet.

Poor families certainly don’t care so much.

"Grandma, is there any danger?" Zhu Tangxi asked.

Granny Li smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I was the one who delivered you."

With just one simple sentence, Zhu Tangxi was no longer so nervous.

After a while, Granny Li said, "Inject saline solution."

A nurse immediately took out a syringe.

The needle of the syringe is made of iron, but the syringe barrel is made of glass. It must be sterilized with steam before and after use.

The saline solution is also packaged in a glass bottle and corked.

Since corks are left for a long time, they may become moldy and breed bacteria. Therefore, physiological saline is temporarily prepared and then put into steam-sterilized glass bottles. The corks must also be sterilized.

In addition to intravenous injection of saline solution, Ming Dynasty obstetricians and gynecologists would also inject freshly prepared saline solution into specific acupuncture points on the mother's lumbar and sacral regions to relieve pain.

It's quite magical. The acupuncture points must be injected to relieve pain. If the needle is inserted crookedly, it will have no effect.

Seeing that the princess was a little tired, Granny Li said, "Lie down and rest for a while."

A middle-aged midwife with strong arms always stood by.

After all, Grandma Li is old and doesn't have the strength to deliver a baby, so she will bring her own midwife.

The same is true for male breast doctors (obstetricians and gynecologists), who only provide instructions and let the midwives do the work.

Since the "one lie down and three disinfections" trick was introduced, the maternal and infant mortality rates in the Ming Dynasty have been greatly reduced!
This five-word formula is far more useful than forceps.

This was passed down by Taizu Zhu Guoxiang.

One lying and three disinfection, that is: the mother must lie down to give birth. The place where she lies must be disinfected. The hands of the birthing mother must be disinfected. The umbilical cord must be disinfected when it is cut.

Zhu Guoxiang was quite old before he traveled through time, and was fortunate enough to have heard some of the barefoot doctors’ tips. In China, until the 1980s, many rural areas still had barefoot doctors delivering babies part-time. Some even hired traditional midwives to deliver babies!
Xie Yan was standing outside the door, walking back and forth. Suddenly, he saw a nurse coming out. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Don't worry, Prince Consort. The baby hasn't started yet. It won't be too late to come and watch after dinner."

From the afternoon till nightfall, the princess's cries became louder and louder.

Xie Yan couldn't go in to help, so he squatted under a big tree outside and smoked a tobacco.

He also smoked before he traveled through time. When he was interning at a construction site, his master was a heavy smoker. Smoking with the master could help him get closer to them.

At this moment, smoking the tobacco with a pipe, Xie Yan found that the taste was quite good and much better than ready-made cigarettes.

As he puffed away at the cigarette, Xie Yan's nervousness eased a little.

I was very anxious when I was going to be a father for the first time, fearing that there would be a difficult birth.

"My dear, let's go to the next room. It's a bit cold at night." Qingluan came over and said.

Xie Yan stood up: "Then I'll go and sit down." A large group of servants were gathered outside the delivery room, waiting for the medical staff's orders at any time.

Even the cook came and asked if she could get something to eat for the princess.

Xie Yan was dozing off in the next room, and could vaguely hear the princess's cries. He fell asleep in a daze.

At dawn, someone knocked on the door and shouted, "It's born, Your Highness has given birth, and both mother and child are safe."

Xie Yan woke up suddenly and ran out.

The midwife was already carrying the baby out of the delivery room, waiting for Xie Yan to come over and see.

The baby was born at full term, and actually had hair and his eyes were open. His facial skin was smooth and rosy, and he no longer looked like an ugly little mouse.

Xie Yan was so amused that he smiled foolishly at the baby.

The midwife only let him take a look at the baby, and then took the baby to another room next door. All the bedding there had been boiled in boiling water and dried in the sun in advance.

Soon, the princess was also carried over on a stretcher, and the mother and child snuggled quietly in bed.

Zhu Tangxi was very tired at the moment. She smiled at Xie Yan and said, "His eyebrows and eyes are very similar to yours. He will definitely be handsome and romantic when he grows up."

"Thank you for your hard work, sister." Xie Yan sat in front of the bed and watched over her.

Most of the servants had left, and a few maids and cooks surrounded Granny Li to listen to the doctor's advice.

After Grandma Li finished her instructions, Qingluan took out the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes and distributed reward money to the medical staff one by one.

Today, the smallest denomination of Ming Dynasty treasure notes has become 10 guan.

Grandma Li got 100 strings of coins, the midwife got 80 strings of coins, and the rest all got 10 strings of coins.

The reward money was very generous, and the medical staff were all smiling from ear to ear.

After the excitement wore off, Xie Yan and the princess went to sleep, both feeling extremely sleepy from giving birth.

It was already afternoon when Xie Yan woke up. He ate something and then hurried to see his wife and children.

The princess is drinking chicken soup.

The child is missing and is being taken away by the wet nurse.

Before the baby was born, four wet nurses were hired. Their family background and health were strictly checked.

The princess was a new mother and had no experience in raising children, so she felt more at ease letting the wet nurse take care of the child.

Moreover, the princess did not breastfeed the baby herself, so her milk stopped flowing in a few days, and she could devote herself to postpartum recovery. After a while, she was beautiful again.

"How about calling the child Brother Hu?" Zhu Tangxi said after drinking the chicken soup.

Xie Yan asked: "Why do you call me Brother Tiger?"

Zhu Tangxi said: "He was born with a tiger-like head and a tiger-like brain."

Xie Yan smiled and said, "As long as my sister likes it."

Many ancient boys' nicknames contain the word "ge". For example, Ouyang Xiu's eldest son's nickname was "Seng Ge", and Lu You's uncle's nickname was "Ma Ge".

There are many people with the character "A" in their name. Su Che's second son's nickname was "A Luo".

Girls' nicknames are "Mou Jun", "Mou Ji", or reduplicated characters such as Xiang Xiang and Yun Yun.

The couple chatted for a while, and then Tiger was brought over by the nanny.

This wet nurse is not even 30 years old yet, but she is already the mother of three children and has extremely rich experience in raising children.

"He drank milk and slept for a while. I brought him here as soon as he woke up." The nanny said with a smile.

Zhu Tangxi took the child and held him in her arms, wanting to have some interaction with him, but Hu Ge'er just stared at her blankly and soon fell asleep again with his eyes closed.

Even if the eyes are opened at birth, the baby still cannot see clearly because the retina has not yet fully expanded.

"Liu Lang, do you want a hug?" Zhu Tangxi said.

Xie Yan took it carefully, as if he was holding a bomb, and it felt like no matter how he held it, it was not right.

His embarrassed look made Zhu Tangxi laugh.

Xie Yan was filled with emotion, as if he were dreaming. He had traveled through time without knowing what was happening, and had a son just when he turned 18.

Several high-ranking maids also gathered around.

Qingluan stared at Hu Ge'er and looked at him carefully: "His forehead and nose look like mine."

Zi Feng said: "The chin and face shape are very similar to your Highness."

"Hey, you're frowning. Are you dreaming?" Yucai guessed.

Jinhua smiled and said, "I really want to touch it."

Zhu Tangxi sat quietly at the head of the bed, watching her husband holding the child with great care, while the maids watched and discussed the child. This scene made her feel very comfortable, as if her life had suddenly come to a complete state.

If my father were still in heaven, he would probably be very happy too.

“Wow~~~”

Maybe he was uncomfortable being held by his father, or maybe he felt there were too many people around him, Tiger brother suddenly burst into tears.

Xie Yan was so frightened that he was in a panic. No matter how he tried to coax the baby, it didn't work. He quickly handed the hot potato back to the wet nurse.

"vomit!"

At this moment, Zi Feng covered his mouth and retched.

Everyone was startled.

Qingluan was stunned and scared: Could Zifeng be pregnant too? My husband and I had sex first. I haven't gotten pregnant in such a long time, is there something wrong with my body?
(End of this chapter)