Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 107 Production - 2

Sister Wang helped her grandmother nod and replied, "Don't worry, I've noted down the time. I'll write it down in my notebook later, and I'll make sure I remember it correctly."

The baby was brought out first, and Sister Wang quickly took him into her arms. The nurse smiled and said, "Congratulations to Zhang Jingyan's family, it's a boy, weighing six pounds and eight ounces, and he's very healthy."

Grandma asked the doctor anxiously, "How is my granddaughter-in-law? When will she be able to come out?"

The nurse smiled and replied, "They're getting the mother ready. She'll be out in half an hour at most. Family members can wait outside a little longer." After saying that, the nurse looked around and asked in confusion, "Isn't the baby's father here?"

Grandma replied, "The baby's father is at school and will be back tonight. Is there anything wrong? I'm the new mother's grandmother, so you can tell me if you need anything."

The nurse nodded: "When the new mother returns to the ward, she will need to be transferred to a bed. If you don't have any male staff members who can help, I can contact one of our male doctors for assistance. If she has family members, I won't need to look for anyone."

"Then I'd appreciate it if you could help us find someone to lend a hand. It's just my grandparents and me here. It's not the weekend, and everyone we know is either at work or school, so we can't contact them for a while," the grandmother said.

The nurse smiled and replied, "It's okay, I'll find someone to help you later. Don't worry, just wait a little longer." Then she turned and went back to the delivery room.

Grandma finally had the time to look at the baby. The baby was being held quietly, his little face slightly flushed, but unlike most newborns these days, he wasn't wrinkled at all. Instead, he was quite chubby, and the old lady found him extremely endearing.

"Jingyan is tall and has a large pelvis. It's not easy for her to give birth to such a heavy baby. She must have had good nutrition during her pregnancy. Look at her little face, it's all grown up."

Sister Wang nodded in agreement: "At over six pounds, he's definitely a big, healthy boy. He didn't suffer in the womb; he's grown much bigger than most babies. Look, his lanugo is quite thick; he'll surely have great hair in the future."

With her baby in her arms, the wait outside the delivery room wasn't boring at all. It seemed like only a short while before Jingyan was wheeled out. She was exhausted and slept soundly, not waking up at all on the way from the delivery room to the ward.

On the way, the nurse ran out to find someone. When she arrived at the ward, two doctors had already come in, one of whom was Dr. Qin, who had taken Jingyan's pulse during her prenatal checkup. Everyone helped her move to a hospital bed, and Dr. Qin took Jingyan's pulse again.

"Not bad, she wasn't injured. Although it's good to nourish the body during postpartum recovery, avoid overly greasy foods. It's best to skim off the surface oil from soups like pig's trotters and soybeans or old hen soup before giving them to the new mother."

Also, avoid spicy food and keep the food lightly salted. There aren't many other dietary restrictions; she can eat normally. However, once she wakes up, give her something light first, like noodle soup or porridge.

Sister Wang listened attentively, nodding as she listened. Dr. Qin then looked at the baby: "The baby looks fine, quite big. Once the baby passes the meconium, he/she can start drinking milk. If the mother's milk supply is insufficient for the time being, the baby can be given some formula. Have you prepared formula?"

Grandma nodded: "I prepared a bag and brought it with me. There are also a few milk powder coupons. If Jingyan doesn't have enough breast milk, we can just buy more."

After confirming that there was nothing else to advise, Dr. Qin nodded: "During the postpartum period, remember to avoid cold drafts and cold water. Your pelvic bones haven't fully closed yet, making you susceptible to chills. If you need to shower or wash your hair, use warm water only, and dry your hair promptly."

It's important to maintain personal hygiene during postpartum recovery. Don't believe in restrictions like not washing your hair or taking a bath. If the mother is too dirty, it can affect the baby's health. As long as you keep warm, the impact is minimal.

Grandma nodded repeatedly: "We've got it, doctor. Thank you so much. Um, when can we be discharged?"

"You'll need to stay in the hospital for three days, then you can go home. When your grandson arrives, have him come see me. I'll prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine for you to boil in water and soak your feet to help expel lochia," Dr. Qin replied.

Grandma's eyes lit up at this: "Okay, okay, I'll definitely have Zhijun come find you when he gets back. Which department are you in?"

"I was Zhang Jingyan's doctor throughout her pregnancy. My surname is Qin, the Qin of the Qin Dynasty. When your grandson comes, just mention it to him and he'll know where to find me," Dr. Qin said with a smile. After giving these instructions, she left the ward with another male doctor.

Another doctor asked curiously, "Old Qin, why are you so interested in this place? Do you know them?"

Dr. Qin shook his head: "I don't know her. This pregnant woman believed in traditional Chinese medicine during her pregnancy. She came to me for pulse diagnosis every time she had a prenatal checkup. These days, Western medicine is gaining prominence and traditional Chinese medicine is being suppressed. It's rare to find a patient who trusts me so much, so naturally I have to pay more attention to her."

Another doctor laughed and said, "You're still so persistent. The suffering you endured during those years of criticism and struggle sessions didn't scare you at all. Why are you so stubborn?"

“I come from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. If even we are forced to give up, traditional Chinese medicine will truly disappear into the future. Then our lineage will be sinners. So even if we have to bear it, we have to bear it.”

Fortunately, although it's not encouraged now, it's not being suppressed anymore. I have my own consultation room in our hospital, and the hospital also has a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. I'm content. Things will only get better in the future." Dr. Qin's voice was gentle, without a trace of the resentment from the suffering she endured back then.

After the doctors and nurses left one after another, the ward returned to quiet. Sister Wang placed the child on the empty bed next door, and the grandmother sat by the bed watching the child. Sister Wang took out five or six diapers she had brought and placed them aside, and then put the basin for washing diapers on the floor.

"Grandma, if the baby poops or pees later, please change the diaper and put it in the basin. I'll wash it when I get back. Someone can't leave the ward unattended."

I'm going to buy groceries and cook now, and I also need to make some soup for Jingyan. Please don't leave the ward. I've heard of cases where people take advantage of the postpartum weakness to swap girls for boys, or even worse, steal boys outright. We need to be careful.

Grandma became nervous upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I will definitely not leave. You don't need to cook, just make some soup for Jingyan. Take the lunchbox to the state-run restaurant to buy food. Jingyan can't move around much right now, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of her by myself here."

After saying that, he took out twenty yuan from his pocket and handed it to Sister Wang: "Take this and spend it first. Come back and tell me when you've spent it all. We brought enough money with us this time."

Without any hesitation, Sister Wang took the money and put it into her wallet: "The money in this wallet is all the money you gave me to buy groceries. I keep a rough record of the expenses every day, and we'll give you a full account when we get back."

Grandma waved her hand: "I believe you, go and come back quickly."

Sister Wang left in a hurry, first going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two pig trotters, and then going to that family's house to make soup. When the lady of the house saw Sister Wang returning with pig trotters, she stepped forward and asked, "Sister, did your family give birth?"

Sister Wang nodded: "Yes, she just gave birth this morning. The doctor recommended that she stay in the hospital for three days. I'll make her some soup to help her recover."

"If you need to make chicken soup, I have two more hens at home, so you won't have to go out and look for more," the woman said, promoting her own hens.

Sister Wang followed her and looked at the two hens in the coop, then nodded: "It's been about two years, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it's winter now, so they're not laying eggs anymore. If we can sell them, we won't keep them. We can't bear to eat them ourselves, so it would be best to get some money." The woman was very honest.

"Okay, we do need the old hen. We'll kill one tomorrow, and we'll talk about the other one later. We'll keep it for now." Sister Wang agreed readily, after all, the two hens were indeed quite large, which was good.

Sister Wang was stewing pig's trotter soup. She asked the hostess to watch the fire while she went to a nearby state-run restaurant to buy two dishes and four steamed buns before returning. She poked the pig's trotters with chopsticks to make sure they were tender, then carried the casserole and a basket containing lunchboxes straight to the hospital.

When she arrived at the hospital, Jingyan was still asleep, and the child was also asleep. Sister Wang put the casserole aside and called the old lady to eat first. Jingyan woke up to the aroma of the food.

When she woke up, she habitually touched her belly and found it was already flat. Only then did she remember that the baby had been born. She quickly opened her eyes and looked to the side: "Grandma, where's the baby? Boy or girl?"

Grandma, who was eating, came over with a steamed bun in her hand: "Jingyan, you're awake. You gave birth to a boy. Are you hungry? Xiao Wang made you some pig's feet soup. Would you like some?"

Sister Wang had already come over to help Jingyan sit up, with a pillow behind her back. "Hmm, I'm hungry. I'd like some soup, and I'd also like some steamed buns."

"Drink the soup first. The doctor said you should eat something easily digestible at the beginning. The steamed buns are too dry. If you're still not full, I'll make you a bowl of soup noodles," Grandma gently instructed.

Jingyan didn't argue. She decided to eat first. She felt like she was seeing stars. She hugged the big bowl of soup that Sister Wang had served her, took a sip, and felt a warm and comfortable feeling in her stomach.

After gnawing on a few pieces of pig's trotters and drinking a bowl of soup, Jingyan felt she was about 70-80% full and didn't ask for any more. She turned to look at the child in the next bed, who was still sleeping peacefully: "Has this child never woken up since birth?"

Sister Wang smiled and said, "Yes, he hasn't woken up. It's been almost six hours. He's passed his meconium and peed. No matter what we do, the baby hasn't woken up. He's so sleepy. But the doctor said it's a good thing. Babies develop their brains while they sleep, and he doesn't want us to force them to wake up."

Jingyan said, "Let me carry him to my bed. I'll feel more at ease sleeping next to him."

Sister Wang placed the baby next to Jingyan: "If you don't have breast milk yet, feed the baby two feedings of formula when he wakes up, and then breastfeed once your milk comes in."

Jingyan asked Sister Wang to check, and it turned out there was nothing there. Feeling quite sleepy, she lay down again to continue sleeping. With the child beside her this time, she felt more at ease. Just before drifting off to sleep, she vaguely asked, "Will Zhijun be able to come looking for us when he comes back? We don't want to worry if no one is home and he can't find us."

Grandma sat by her bedside and said gently, "Before we left, we told the neighbors to have Zhijun come to the hospital when he comes back. Although we didn't give him a specific room number, as long as he's not stupid, he'll be able to find it. We don't need to worry. You've had a hard time this time. Get some rest and recharge."

Jingyan drifted off to sleep to her grandmother's voice. Seeing her fall asleep almost instantly, her grandmother felt a pang of heartache: "This child has really suffered. Her husband isn't around. It's fortunate that she has such a cheerful personality. If it were any other woman, she might have been depressed. Sigh, Zhijun really found a good wife."

Sister Wang smiled and chimed in, "Indeed, Jingyan isn't delicate, and her child is healthy. That's a blessing."

When Jingyan woke up in the evening, she still didn't have any milk. At this time, the baby finally woke up and cried loudly, almost shaking the whole room. Sister Wang quickly made some formula. Jingyan sat up and looked at the diaper. "Hmm, no poop or pee. Looks like he's hungry."

The crying stopped abruptly when the pacifier was put in his mouth, but the gurgling swallowing sounds were quite loud. Sister Wang held the child in one arm and the bottle in the other, watching the child drink with gusto and smiling gently.

After the baby had eaten and drunk his fill, I held him and patted him gently for a while until he burped. Then I put him on the bed. The baby's eyes were already open, and his big black eyes were looking around. If you didn't know that newborns' eyesight is not very good, you would really think that he could see his surroundings.

She held her finger to the child's hand, and the little hand grabbed it tightly: "This child is really strong." The grandmother was delighted. Just as the three of them were playing with the child, the ward door was pushed open, and He Zhijun stood in the doorway, calling out tremblingly, "Wife."

All three looked towards the door. He Zhijun, wearing a military overcoat, stood at the door, looking excited. Grandma was the first to react, standing up and saying, "You've come back just in time. Your eldest son slept for almost a day, and he just finished eating, which is exactly the time for him to have fun, and you've already arrived. You must be in a hurry."

He Zhijun hurried to the bedside, first looking at Jing Yan. Seeing that she seemed to be in relatively good spirits, he then turned his gaze to the child: "Is this my son? When was he born?"

"It was 6:15 this morning. Jingyan went into labor in the middle of the night last night and struggled all night before finally giving birth. It was really not easy. And the baby was quite big, weighing 6 pounds and 8 ounces. If Jingyan hadn't been so large, it would have been really difficult for her to give birth," Grandma said casually from the side.

He Zhijun awkwardly picked up the child and looked at Jingyan with great emotion: "Wife, you've worked so hard. I didn't take good care of you when you were pregnant, and I wasn't there when you gave birth. I was useless when you needed me the most. I'm so sorry."

Jingyan looked at him and smiled gently: "You don't need to feel indebted. It's not that you didn't want to come back. You finally got into university, so we can't waste such a good opportunity. Besides, Grandma and Sister Wang are here, so I'm not alone."