Qi Zhenzhen felt a slight touch of emotion. After Da Qin Shi left, she said to the midwife, "No matter what danger arises, I hope you will tell me the truth. Whatever decision needs to be made, I want it to be my own."
Before she became pregnant, she couldn't understand mothers who would give up their lives for their children.
Throughout her pregnancy, the feeling of blood connection made her somewhat understand why women would make such choices at critical moments.
Motherhood, love.
The midwife examined Qi Zhenzhen. After her cervix dilated to ten fingers, the midwife instructed Qi Zhenzhen on how to push, "Madam, your strength should flow down along your spine, not just pushing with your instincts. Don't push like you're trying to defecate!"
Indeed, Qi Zhenzhen now felt a sensation like needing to defecate, a feeling of being blocked.
So, she instinctively pushed.
"Madam, no, no, pushing like this will not only fail to deliver the baby but will also cause harm to your body," the midwife said anxiously. "Here, push along with my hand."
The midwife reached under Qi Zhenzhen and gently guided her on how to push.
"Yes, yes, like this, follow my guidance," the midwife sighed with relief. "Childbirth naturally causes great harm to a woman's body. If the pushing is incorrect, it can lead to tearing, which is bad for the future. Therefore, during labor, we try to avoid it as much as possible."
Qi Zhenzhen was in so much pain that she couldn't respond to the midwife's words, only concentrating as much as possible to follow the midwife's instructions.
The pain she felt before was nothing compared to the pain now.
The current pain felt as if she were being repeatedly skinned and dismembered.
The sensation was difficult to describe in words.
In her previous life, she had heard that if pain was divided into twelve levels, then the pain of childbirth was thirteen.
Gu Si Nian, who had bought the items as quickly as possible, was now being held back outside.
"You going in will only make you anxious and won't help anything," Da Qin Shi said. "Zhenzhen also doesn't want you to see her in such a disheveled state!"
"Why is there no sound from inside? Books say that childbirth is extremely painful, and mothers will scream from the pain." Gu Si Nian looked worried. "Has something gone wrong!"
"Zhenzhen is strong. To avoid worrying us, she hasn't been shouting. Besides, shouting consumes energy. The lack of sound means she is conserving her strength. With enough stamina, labor will be smoother. The midwife and doctor are both inside. If anything were wrong, they wouldn't keep it from us," Da Qin Shi said. "This is Zhenzhen's first child. Even after her cervix is fully dilated, it will take some effort."
Gu Si Nian was as restless as an ant on a hot pan, wishing he could rush in.
"Don't distract Zhenzhen," Xiao Qin Shi also said.
Yun Shi clasped her hands together, chanting prayers incessantly, beseeching passing deities and immortals to bless Qi Zhenzhen with a smooth delivery.
"Madam Gu, keep pushing! This old woman has already felt the baby's head," the midwife said.
"The head is already showing!"
"Push, push harder!"
"Madam, push!"
After hearing the word "push" countless times, Qi Zhenzhen felt her body instinctively cooperating with the midwife's words. As for the pain, she could barely feel it anymore, or rather, her body had become numb from the pain.
"It's out, it's out." Accompanied by the midwife's joyous voice, Qi Zhenzhen felt a sudden emptiness in her body.
"This old woman will now cut the umbilical cord. Madam, keep pushing. The placenta hasn't come out yet. If you relax, it will retract, and you'll suffer again," the midwife said, deftly holding the baby by the legs and turning her upside down to expel any impurities from her mouth. "It's a very beautiful baby girl, with strong little arms and legs."
"Wah—" Gu Sui An, after a gentle spank on her bottom, let out a loud cry.