From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 101 Delivery
You Ming felt that the old woman's teaching level was quite good. This old woman, who spoke incoherently in his eyes, showed unprecedented potential when it came to her area of ​​expertise.

In fact, Wu Mo, Chuang Po, and other early divine officials who followed him were all quite talented and virtuous. You Ming felt that he should give them more responsibilities.

After the first day of lessons, You Ming arranged for the midwives to stay in the nearby Yangjiaoshui Village.

He had already instructed Aiping to negotiate these matters with the village, allocating a vacant lot in a remote area at the village entrance and building more than twenty houses, with the three of them sharing one room.

His purpose in making this arrangement was to encourage everyone to work in groups of three in the future: one to be the primary midwife, one to be the assistant, and one to take notes.

Only in this way can we truly summarize the experience of childbirth and continuously improve upon it.

After all, this so-called "Brief Record of Pregnancy Safe Delivery" is truly a "brief record." In reality, it was just a compilation by Youming and Tang Gong, two deities who were not particularly skilled in obstetrics and gynecology, based on their past experiences.

The main purpose is simply to establish a logical framework for the midwives so that they can handle problems in an organized manner in the future.

The midwives attended classes for half a month, but to be honest, these two weeks of classes were far more effective than the traditional mentorship system.

After all, in this era, a skill or craft is very valuable.

If you don't serve your master for three years, no matter how well you serve him, how can your master pass on his skills to you? Even if you serve him carefully, some people would rather take their secret skills to their grave.

This has led to a lot of "archaeological" research on techniques.

But with Youming, the only concern is whether you can learn it, not whether you can learn it quickly.

If you study well, he has promised you a reward: you can be admitted to the temple priest position during your lifetime and become a messenger in the underworld after death.

Being a messenger in the underworld is a good job, even though you're not a proper deity, you can still accumulate good karma. When your lifespan in the underworld ends, you'll directly enter reincarnation, and in your next life you'll at least be born into a royal family.

"Bedmother, get ready to arrange the practical training. Let a few experienced midwives lead the way, and I will also supervise from the side."

When it comes to childbirth, you can't just study it behind closed doors. Even if you simulate it a thousand times in the scene created by the [Mirage Slave], it's still fake. The pain of the characters and the cries of the fetus are all virtual.

In reality, these are real people, and if you make a mistake, the pregnant woman and the child will truly feel the pain.

The old woman obeyed and left.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of pregnant women in Changning County; almost every month, several women in the village are about to give birth.

The temple provided each midwife with a special medicine chest, equipped with the necessary medicinal herbs and tools. These medicine chests were made of medicinal wood cultivated by Master Tang, which, to a certain extent, served a disinfecting function.

It's worth mentioning here that You Ming's unintentional remarks about microorganisms actually gave Tang Gong a lot of inspiration.

There are similar sayings in this world, such as "Looking down at a bowl of water, one sees 84,000 insects." But no deity has truly connected them with pathology. If Master Tang were to study them carefully, he might be able to broaden the path of medicine and gain even greater authority.

You Ming was naturally happy to see this happen, as it was a great act of merit.

After preparing for an afternoon, Granny Chuang led a few people to the village.

Since the delivery was done at the pregnant woman's home, it wasn't appropriate to bring too many people at once; a large group of dozens would be too overwhelming. Since babies were being born frequently in the nearby villages, the teaching was conducted separately for each family.

You Ming had considered bringing the woman to the specially built teaching and delivery room at the academy to give birth, but he figured those Xuan Guang cultivators would never agree, and the pregnant woman's family might not be willing to go through such trouble. So he decided to put it aside for the time being and wait until everyone had developed a more objective attitude towards childbirth before considering such a matter again.

The bedside doctor personally selected some pregnant women who were in stable condition and ready to give birth, and gave them their first practical exercise.

"Do you remember our lesson? When we arrived at the pregnant woman's home, we first did the 'three observations and two questions': observe the fetal movement, complexion, and contractions, and ask about the frequency of contractions and any other discomfort..."

"Then light the [de-scaling incense] and prepare the utensils. During this process, have someone start boiling water."

Because we had already made arrangements with the family beforehand, they were very polite and cooperative when they heard that we were from the Niangniang Temple.

Therefore, the old woman taught everyone, and even pregnant women and their families listened with great interest.

Moreover, they felt more at ease, knowing that these midwives must be blessed by the gods, making their success almost certain.

This belief is particularly evident in Yangjiaoshui Village, Dadun Village, and Dachenzhuang Village, the three villages where You Ming first took control.

Since You Ming took charge of these villages for more than two years, there has not been a single case of childbirth death; every birth has been smooth and successful.

As the pregnant woman was about to give birth, everyone immediately mixed local anesthetic powder into hot water, then used a fine cloth to apply it warm to the woman's lower abdomen.

The pregnant woman, who had been clenching her teeth in pain, relaxed slightly after a while, and even her breathing became easier.

The subsequent delivery went much more smoothly because this pregnant woman was not a first-time mother and had previous experience with childbirth.

After applying local anesthesia, the delivery was exceptionally smooth.

The novice midwife carefully followed the "three-tap method" taught in the school. After the baby's head came out, she carefully supported it, and then tapped, pushed, and guided the baby out smoothly.

Actually, this technique originally belonged to an old midwife. It was a unique skill that she developed based on the teachings of her ancestors and her own experience.

You Ming thought it was indeed good, so he included this technique in "A Brief Record of Pregnancy Safe Delivery".

After all, all skills are built upon the wisdom of countless people, and he would not abandon past experience in pursuit of new delivery methods, as that would only lead to castles in the air.

After the delivery, the nurse arranged for a comprehensive examination of the baby to check if the baby's mouth and nose were clear and to feel if the limbs were strong. She then prepared a warm and nourishing herbal soup for the new mother and instructed her family on how to take care of her during the postpartum period.

Only after going through all these steps can the birthing process be considered truly complete.

In the past, midwives may have engaged in similar practices, but these practices were not formalized into a standardized procedure.

You Ming remained hidden in the shadows; mortals, lacking divine power, could not see him.

He always kept a lucky fruit in his sleeve, ready to use it to save his life should the situation turn against him.

Now that production is going smoothly, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, this delivery went perhaps a little too smoothly, as forceps were not even used. He had originally wanted everyone to practice using this tool more.

(End of this chapter)