Chapter 462 Avoiding Difficult Childbirth
Although Mei Qingyun's decision to become a nun caused quite a stir, it was quickly overshadowed by other events.
With new topics of conversation, people would occasionally mention Mei Qingyun and her ex-husband who was beheaded for embezzlement and bribery. As for why she became a nun, no one went into further detail.
At this time, the winter hunt was about to begin. The emperor led his court officials on the winter hunt, and Gu Jingxi was one of the ministers accompanying him.
Meng Jinyao instructed the maid to prepare clothes and other necessities for Gu Jingxi for the next few days.
In fact, ministers of a certain rank could bring their families, but Meng Jinyao was pregnant and it was not advisable for her to travel, so she did not go with Gu Jingxi.
As they were going to bed that night, Gu Jingxi said to Yao with concern, "Take good care of yourself while I'm away. If anything happens, go to your mother."
Meng Jinyao replied, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. Besides, there are so many servants around, you don't need to worry about me." She looked up at Gu Jingxi, her eyes filled with concern, "But you, you should be careful when you're hunting. I heard you might encounter wild beasts."
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "If I were younger, I would participate in hunting to try and win a prize. Now that I'm older, I won't compete with young people for prizes. Let the young people participate in these kinds of activities."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao laughed and teased, "Didn't you say a few days ago that you were young and that people mistook you for someone in their twenties when you went out? How come you're saying you're not young anymore now?"
Gu Jingxi: "..."
After a moment of silence, he said, "I look young."
Meng Jinyao shifted her body and snuggled into his arms, saying, "It's better if you don't participate, so I don't have to worry about you getting hurt while hunting."
Gu Jingxi lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Don't worry, Yao, your husband will take good care of himself. It's late, let's go to sleep."
Meng Jinyao nodded in agreement: "Okay."
The next morning, Meng Jinyao saw Gu Jingxi off. After parting ways with Gu Jingxi, she went to chat with her two sisters-in-law. In the past, because of the age difference, she didn't have much to talk about with her two sisters-in-law. But now that she was pregnant and about to become a mother, they had more to talk about.
While talking about children, Zhang suddenly thought of her daughter Xuanyi. Xuanyi had gone to Zhang's house early in the morning and then went to her niece's parents' house to play. She hadn't returned yet. She sighed and said, "Children are more obedient when they are young. They have a lot of opinions when they grow up. Parents can't do anything about them."
Chen felt this deeply: "That's true. Our Xiuhong used to say he would get married after passing the imperial examination, then he said he would get married after entering officialdom, and now that he has entered officialdom, he says he's not in a hurry. As his mother, I can't do anything about it, so I can only go along with his wishes. The Marquis of Huai'an's twenty-fourth child recently turned one month old. At this rate, he won't be married by the time the Marquis of Huai'an's twenty-fifth child is born."
Meng Jinyao said, "Second sister-in-law, isn't that normal?"
Marquis Huai'an was a notorious good-for-nothing in the capital, incapable of both literary and martial arts. Besides indulging in eating, drinking, and merrymaking, he spent his time fathering children with different women. His twenty-fifth child was fast approaching. However, Marquis Huai'an was also a fortunate good-for-nothing. He could rely on his successful father in the first half of his life and on his successful son in the second half. Who wouldn't envy his father and son's excellence?
Zhang agreed, saying, "Perhaps one of the Marquis of Huai'an's concubines is already pregnant."
Madam Chen remained silent for a moment, then shook her head helplessly, not wanting to think about it anymore, and changed the subject: "Forget it, let's not talk about him. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Third sister-in-law, you are now more than five months pregnant, do you feel hungry more often?"
Meng Jinyao nodded in response: "I get hungry quite easily now."
Ms. Chen reminded him, "Then you must be careful. At this time, you should not eat too much at one meal, but eat smaller meals more frequently."
Zhang also said, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law, you need to pay attention to this. Not only should you eat smaller, more frequent meals and try to eat lighter foods, but you should also avoid sitting for long periods and move around more to avoid difficult childbirth."
After she finished speaking, she felt that what she said might be a bit harsh, so she added, "Third sister-in-law, please don't blame me for speaking harshly, I'm doing this for your own good. Besides, you can't eat too much tonic, otherwise you'll not only become fat yourself, but also make the baby fat. If the baby is too big to be born, there are many cases of this happening and both mother and child die. I'm not trying to scare you."
Meng Jinyao knew that Zhang had no ill intentions and was just trying to be kind, so she nodded gratefully: "Thank you for reminding me, sisters-in-law. I will be careful."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Chen added, "Eat less snacks too. They're too sweet. I loved sweets when I was young, and I can tell from personal experience that eating sweets can easily make you fat. Third sister-in-law, please be careful too."
Zhang said, "Speaking of this, I think of my neighbor from my mother's side. That young woman had a sweet tooth and ate it every day. Not only did she get fat, but she also got sick. I think it was called diabetes. No matter how much water she drank, she was still thirsty. She would drink a cup of water and then feel thirsty again soon after."
Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "You can get sick from eating sugar?"
Ms. Zhang nodded: "Eating too much will make you sick. I've heard that many people get this disease from eating sugar."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao suddenly felt that the snacks she had asked the maid to make that morning didn't taste as good anymore. She could not satisfy her appetite, but her health was the most important thing, and she should try to eat less sweets.
Zhang and Chen told Meng Jinyao many things she needed to pay attention to, and Meng Jinyao listened to them all. After lunch, she took a walk in the yard to prepare for her future childbirth and try to avoid a difficult delivery.
In cases of difficult childbirth, those who are lucky survive a perilous ordeal with their babies, while those who are unlucky lose both mother and child. If only one can be saved, the mother's life is sacrificed by performing a cesarean section to remove the baby, or the baby's life is sacrificed by using scissors, hooks, or other sharp instruments to dissect and pull the baby out.
Seeing that she appeared calm on the surface, Ningdong knew that she was afraid inside, so she comforted her, "Madam, don't worry too much. When you give birth, the Marquis's mansion will find you the best midwife. You will definitely be safe and sound."
Meng Jinyao paused and replied, "The more I learn, the more worried I become. So I'm taking precautions to avoid anything bad from happening. Moving around more before giving birth can not only prevent weight gain but also build up my strength so I won't be too weak during delivery."
Ningdong said, "Then this servant accompanies you for walks every day."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Okay."
Ningdong looked down at her mistress's belly, and a deep worry rose in her heart. On the day a woman gives birth, it is truly a case of "the child rushes to life, and the mother rushes to death." It is a journey through the gates of hell, but it is something that every woman must go through, unless she is infertile or does not marry. Otherwise, no one can avoid it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com