Delivering the Baby

Xiaoguo calmed herself down and came to Mrs Yang’s side. “Sister-in-law, try to relax.”

Mrs Yang opened her eyes. When she saw that it was Xiaoguo. She immediately tried to cooperate.

“This… this little brat is really anxious. He’s coming out so early.”

Seeing that she still had the energy to make jokes, Xiaoguo relaxed a little.

“Yu Ling, go boil a pot of hot water first.”

Xiaoguo wanted to avoid frightening Yu Ling, in case she saw anything that could be traumatizing. So she asked her to leave while she attended to the situation.

Yu Ling nodded obediently and walked out.

“Sister-in-law, how are you feeling?”

From what she had heard, Xiaoguo knew that the cervix had to dilate before the baby could be delivered. She had no idea how to check the progress, so she could only ask Mrs. Yang to find out if she was ready.

“I’m fine. I am only in pain right now. The baby will still take a while to arrive.”

Although Mrs Yang was in pain, she still perked up and tried to talk to Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo nodded. Fortunately, she still had time to prepare and Mrs Yang looked like she was in good spirits.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll cover you with a blanket to get ready.”

“Okay… Ah!!”

Mrs Yang had just opened her mouth when her stomach started hurting again.

Xiaoguo quickly told her to calm down. Of course, she had to use less strength now. There was still a tough battle ahead.

Mrs Yang was not inexperienced. She knew that Xiaoguo was right, so she silently endured the pain.

As Mrs. Yang gritted through another wave of pain, Xiaoguo didn’t dare to delay any longer. She quickly took the opportunity to cover Mrs. Yang’s lower body with a blanket, then she reached under her back and felt around for her wet pants before removing it.

Feeling the cold air on her lower body, Mrs. Yang tossed a shy glance towards Xiaoguo, but the busy woman didn’t notice it at all.

She really didn’t expect Mrs. Yang to be so shy since it was her third time in labor. Moreover, they were friends who hung out on a daily basis. Her heart was filled with a mix of emotions at this moment.

Mrs Yang slowly laid her head down, feeling pain and embarrassment both at the same time. This feeling was something that was going to stay with her for a long time.

Xiaoguo had no time to chat with her. She carefully placed a blanket beside each of her legs.

“Sister-in-law, can you rest your legs against the blankets to see if they’re at the right height?”

Mrs Yang followed her instructions in a daze. At this moment, she was feeling disoriented. Xiaoguo’s voice was the only sound she could hear and recognize.

She did exactly what Xiaoguo told her to do.

After spreading her legs, she nodded slightly to indicate that the height was ok.

The older Mrs. Yang and Grandma Wang had yet to arrive after a long wait. Xiaoguo was so anxious that she kept pacing around in circles, causing Mrs. Yang to feel dizzy just from watching her.

She had gotten everything ready, but the women were still not here. It’s too nerve-wracking!

“Xiaoguo…”

“Sister-in-law, I’m here. Don’t be afraid. Relax and stay calm!”

Xiaoguo was feeling nervous, and her hands were trembling uncontrollably. When she heard Mrs Yang call her, she quickly comforted her.

Mrs Yang sighed weakly. She looked at the pale Xiaoguo and opened her mouth several times without making a sound. This was clearly what she wanted to tell Xiaoguo. “Relax and stay calm.”

Seeing that her lips were cracked, Xiaoguo picked up the warm water beside her and moistened her lips with a cotton cloth until the dead skin disappeared.

Mrs Yang wanted to thank Xiaoguo, but before she could open her mouth, the pain hit her again.

This time, Mrs Yang looked like she was in a lot of pain. The veins on her neck were bulging. With clenched fists, she bit hard on her lower lip while holding her breath. Harnessing all her strength, she pushed downwards with all her might. By now, her entire body was trembling and drenched in sweat.

When Xiaoguo saw this, her legs and stomach were shaking. “No way, no way!!”

Just as she was still in a daze, Mrs Yang suddenly shouted, “Xiaoguo, quick!”

At this point, she completely understood. Mrs Yang was delivering the baby right now!!

Instinctively, she turned her head to look outside the house. Other than Yu Ling and Xiao Zhu’s worried expressions, and the sounds of Xiaohua and Xiaohu crying in fear, there were no other new developments.

The midwife, Grandma Wang, was not here yet. What should she do? What should she do?

“Oh! Xiaoguo! Hurry! Ah!”

At this moment, Mrs Yang was calling out again. She could already feel the baby coming out.

Xiaoguo looked anxiously at the woman who was writhing in pain on the bed. Then she looked at the empty road outside the door. In the end, she nodded firmly. “I’m here!”

Time waits for no man. At this moment, she couldn’t afford to be afraid. There was no room for delay. She had to give it her all!

When she reached the lower end of the bed, Xiaoguo gathered her courage, lifted the cover in one go, and poked her head in to take a look.

She swore that she would never forget that scene for the rest of her life. She probably would have to ask for several bowls of Meng Po soup1 when she reaches the underworld after her death.

Xiaoguo controlled her trembling body and resisted the waves of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her.

“It’s really coming out. Oh my…”

“Sister-in-law, I’m here!”

“Come on!”

Although Mrs Yang was a little disoriented, she did consider the fact that Xiaoguo was still a newbie. In any case, she was much more experienced than Xiaoguo, so she told her everything that she knew.

But Xiaoguo didn’t understand a single word of what she was saying.

“Xiaoguo… Mmm… Ah… scissors… Ah!!”

Unable to rely on Mrs Yang’s account of her experience, Xiaoguo could only take a deep breath, reach under the blanket, and look directly at where the baby was coming out from.

“Sister-in-law, one, two, three. Push! Okay! Take a deep breath. One, two, three, Push!”

Mrs Yang adjusted her breathing according to Xiaoguo’s words. And Xiaoguo went from being flustered at the beginning, to becoming calm and steady after a while, tugging gently at the baby as Mrs. Yang exerted strength at each interval.

This was also thanks to her biology class in junior high school where her teacher had shown them a video of an actual birth in the hospital. At that moment, she suddenly recalled the birthing process that she saw in the video.

At this moment, there was no other way. She could only carry on and follow the steps based on her recollection.

Fortunately, with Mrs. Yang’s physical build and experience, the delivery went smoothly.

After a while, Xiaoguo felt a weight in her hand. Her face lit up as she looked at the chubby baby covered in blood and vernix. Without hesitation, she immediately picked up the pair of sterilized scissors that she had boiled, steamed, and rinsed with alcohol, to cut the umbilical cord.

The chubby boy was now laying in Xiaoguo’s hands. At this moment, the little guy must be thinking that he was still in his mother’s womb. Xiaoguo aimed at the baby’s back as she patted his back with her cupped palm. After a while, the baby that was feeling pain for the first time, finally realized that he was no longer in the womb. Hence, he let out a groan and his wrinkled face instantly scrunched up. Right on the heels of that, his loud and powerful cries sounded across the room.

Hearing him cry, Mrs Yang and Xiaoguo instantly felt relieved.

The few people waiting anxiously outside the house felt immensely relieved too.

“Sister Xiaoguo, do you need help?”

Yu Ling stood guard at the door and asked.

Xiaoguo was about to say no, but before she could speak, Mrs Yang started pushing again.

“Xiaoguo, there’s another one coming!”

“Yes, I need help! Yu Ling, come in quickly.”

Yu Ling responded and opened the door.

As soon as she entered, the smell of blood and heat in the air hit her in the face. Without hesitation, she walked to Xiaoguo’s side.

“Yu Ling, wipe down the child, then clean his umbilical cord with wine and wrap him up in a small blanket. Hurry up and don’t let the baby catch a chill.”

Yu Ling responded in a flurry and brought the child to one side.

Xiaoguo did not dare to stop. She quickly returned to Mrs Yang’s side and lifted the blanket to take a peek. As expected, another small head was making its way out.

“Sister-in-law, continue. Take a deep breath. One, two, three, push! Come, take a deep breath. One, two, three…”

At this moment, Mrs Yang’s body was covered in sweat. Her hair had come loose and there were clumps of it stuck to her forehead and face. Her lips were dry and cracked from biting. Having exerted too much strength while pushing, her capillaries had ruptured and traces of red marks could be seen on her face.

Xiaoguo was no better. She looked like she had just been fished out of water. She didn’t even dare to think about what was going to happen next.

After a while, Xiaoguo looked at Mrs Yang, who was sound asleep with two babies lying on either side of her. She couldn’t come out of her daze for a long time.

The smell of blood in the air slowly dissipated. Grandma Wang and Mrs. Yang arrived shortly after the second child was born.