Chapter 475, Lecture 5: Abnormal Childbirth (Dystocia)
After missing a midwifery class last time because Li San Niang was busy with her own affairs, she prepared according to the invitation she had sent out earlier during this day off, and got up early today.
Li San Niang warmed up in the yard with Li Erlang and Xiao Sanlang, ran a few laps, and then lifted the stone weights for a while, working up a light sweat.
"Alright, stop practicing."
"Hurry up, wash your hands and come have breakfast."
Sister-in-law Li's words were quite effective. Li San Niang and the others washed their hands and faces, sat down and waited for a while to cool off before eating meat buns with their homemade pickled vegetables.
After breakfast, those who were on duty went to their duties, and those who were in school went to school. For example, Li San Niang took the homework she had collected the previous day and went to the school next door.
Before 9:00 AM, all the students from the midwifery school had arrived.
"It's been over twenty weeks since we last met, and I've missed you all terribly. I wonder if you've missed me too?"
Li San Niang started off with such a heartfelt outpouring. The Li family members sitting below the stage were already used to Li San Niang's eccentric behavior, but the outsiders who were not very familiar with Li San Niang were really surprised. They did not expect that Li San Niang was such an interesting person.
"Haha, haha," Li Sanniang laughed as she looked around the room before winking at the women below the platform and saying, "Seeing your surprised expressions, it wasn't in vain that I played this trick."
However, I must say, I really miss you all. Time flies, so we should cherish every day we meet.
I'm treating you to lunch today at that restaurant on this street. You're not allowed to refuse!
Alright, let's go over what we covered last time. (Chapter 444, Lecture 4: Normal Pregnancy and Normal Delivery.)
After enlivening the classroom atmosphere and reducing the awkwardness between herself and the women, Li San Niang began her formal lecture.
The young women in the audience, who were initially a bit reserved, especially the younger ones like Yu Xueniang, Jin Zhenbao, and Sun Chunlan, who were around ten years old, had become lively and eagerly looked at Li Sanniang, hoping to be asked questions.
In a quarter of an hour, Li San Niang led everyone in reviewing the content of the previous lecture, and then began to talk about the main event of this class.
"This is how it is for a normal woman to give birth. But in unusual cases, a midwife is needed to handle abnormal births."
There are four main points related to childbirth. The first is the force of labor, which is the force that pushes the fetus and placenta out of the uterus.
The second is the birth canal, which is divided into the bony birth canal and the soft birth canal. The bony birth canal is the mother's pelvis.
Li San Niang took out a jujube tree branch, pointed to the picture that had already been hung up, and then patted her anterior superior iliac spine to signal everyone to come and see.
"And this soft birth canal, as you can see in the picture, is like this."
The third aspect is abnormal fetal position.
In a normal fetus, the head descends into the pelvis first, while any other pattern where the head does not emerge first is abnormal.
If a baby's legs come out first, its buttocks first, or its shoulders first, this can lead to a difficult birth.
The last aspect, the psychological aspect, mostly affects first-time mothers. Because it's their first time giving birth, the time from the onset of pain to delivery is longer, they sleep less, are very tired, and don't eat to replenish their energy. They also experience fear due to the pain, which in turn causes physical reactions, leading to dystocia (difficult labor).
Midwives like Li's mother, Sun the midwife, and Yao Qingqing, who already had extensive experience in childbirth, all felt enlightened after listening to Li San Niang's explanation of these four aspects.
They all thought that Li San Niang's summary was absolutely brilliant!
What makes knowledge so fascinating is that it summarizes practical experience in a way that is easy to understand and teach.
Midwives like Li's mother and Sun, who have been delivering babies for decades, are more experienced than Li San Niang in practice.
However, what makes them inferior to Li Sanniang is that they don't know how to summarize, how to turn their experience into knowledge, or how to pass on that knowledge to more people so that it can be used, passed on, and improved.
Li San Niang paused for a moment, giving the crowd some time to process the four points she had just mentioned.
"Among these abnormal births, the most common dystocia is when the mother is too weak to give birth. In this case, external assistance is needed to help the mother give birth to the child safely."
Looking at everyone listening attentively below the stage, even Li San Niang noticed that people like Li's mother and the midwife, who had decades of experience in midwifery, were listening intently without blinking. Li San Niang nodded inwardly, quite satisfied with their seriousness.
"In such situations, we must help the mother give birth promptly; otherwise, prolonged labor could have unpredictable consequences for both the fetus and the mother."
I'll give you a general overview first. After I've covered everything, when it's time for practice, I'll take each of you to experience childbirth. I'm sure that by then, with more experience, you'll gain a deeper understanding and grasp of these concepts.
At this moment, Li San Niang saw Jin Zhenbao raise her hand enthusiastically, so she smiled and nodded to her. Jin Zhenbao then lowered her hand, stood up, and looked at Li San Niang with youthful vigor, asking, "Sir, when can we go and practice delivering babies with you?"
After Jin Zhenbao finished speaking, Li Sanniang noticed that many women below the stage had turned their gazes to her. Their eyes seemed to say, "I want to practice, I want to go and deliver babies as soon as possible, and see what childbirth is really like."
Even Yao Qingqing, who was a midwife herself, looked at Li San Niang with hopeful eyes, wondering if the lectures were as good as the practical ones.
"If you progress quickly, I estimate that a year will be enough."
When the time comes, I can take you to deliver babies in batches, explaining all the different situations to you in detail. After a few visits, which should take about half a year, you should be able to handle most situations.
At that time, I will organize an exam. Those who pass the written test and the practical test will receive a certificate of recognition from my midwifery school. After that, you can go out and take on jobs as midwives, claiming that you came from my school.
Moreover, if someone is exceptionally talented, they can stay at the school as a teacher.
If the opportunity arises, I can also recommend you to join the Medical Alliance or even the Imperial Medical Bureau; that's all acceptable.
So, the key is that you all need to work hard and study diligently with me during this period.
Li San Niang, who was good at making grand promises, described the prospects of being a midwife, being a good midwife, and making the midwifery business incredibly promising. Even Li's mother in the audience was somewhat excited, let alone the young women.
The women in the audience all had a gleam in their eyes, putting all their effort into digesting everything Li San Niang said.
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