Chapter 530, Lecture 6: The Postpartum Period (Confinement)
Whether Song Zhenzhu truly gave up "pursuing" Xu Jingzhen after being instructed by Madam Song is a question only Song Zhenzhu herself knows the answer to.
Meanwhile, Li San Niang was at the Women's Assistance Association, waiting for the midwives from the midwifery school to come and attend class.
The midwifery school, which had been postponed many times, finally resumed classes after a long hiatus.
Standing at the head of the table, looking down at the young women below, their eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge and their faces brimming with vitality, Li San Niang felt an immense surge of strength within her.
She believes that everything she is doing now will one day unleash tremendous power!
"Gentlemen, it's been a long time since we last met, and I've missed you all very much."
"First of all, I apologize to everyone," Li San Niang solemnly bowed to the crowd below the stage. Apart from the older women like Li's mother, the dozen or so people below the stage were somewhat taken aback.
"Mr. Li, she actually apologized to us?"
As Jin Zhenbao watched Li San Niang bow and pay her respects from below the stage, he couldn't help but ask himself this question.
"Due to personal reasons, it has been a long time since I last gave a lesson to you all, which is my fault."
Hereby, I assure you all that from now on, I will do my best to fulfill the agreement I made before you entered the school, which is to teach four lessons within a month.
Yu Xueniang was deeply moved. She felt that she had learned another lesson today: to have the courage to admit mistakes, to sincerely apologize, and then to try her best to make amends.
"Alright, without further ado, let's review what I covered last time..."
(Chapter 475 plot)
"Good, it seems you have all grasped what I have said very well. I am very pleased that you have such a high degree of self-discipline."
Last time we talked about production; this time, let's talk about what happens after production.
Seeing the puzzled look on Sun, the midwife, Li San Niang raised her hand and pointed in the air, "Does Sun, the midwife, have any questions?"
Just speak freely. There are no outsiders here, and whatever the issue, only the dozen or so of us inside will know.
Faced with Li San Niang's words and the gazes of the crowd who were all looking in her direction after hearing what Li San Niang had said, the midwife Sun felt a little embarrassed and wanted to say frankly, "No problem."
But when faced with Li San Niang's next words and her encouraging gaze, the midwife glanced at her granddaughter, Sun Chun Lan, and saw that Sun Chun Lan also had an encouraging expression on her face. Only then did the midwife calm down.
Midwife Sun stood up, cupped her hands in greeting to Li San Niang, and said, "Doctor Li, I do have a question."
What Dr. Li just said was about the woman's postpartum period, which I assume refers to the confinement period after childbirth.
Li San Niang nodded slightly, but did not say anything, only watching Sun the Midwife approach.
"Since it's something that happens after the baby is born, it has nothing to do with us midwives."
"We midwives only handle childbirth; what happens before and after the birth is no longer our concern."
After Sun, the midwife, finished speaking, the women below the platform, such as Yao Qingqing and Wang Yulian, who had been midwives for several years, all nodded in agreement.
"Yes, our midwives don't just take care of the birthing process; they don't care about what happens afterward."
"Isn't that all a doctor's job?"
"I've never heard of a midwife taking care of what happens after the baby is born."
Not to mention they also have to take care of things during the postpartum period.
The younger ones, Jin Zhenbao, Yu Xuelian, and Sun Chunlan, didn't say anything. Even the few people who were close to Li San Niang and were sitting on Li's mother's side didn't say much.
Li San Niang did not prohibit the discussion among the crowd. Instead, she gave the women in the audience time to discuss it to their hearts' content.
After waiting a while, Li San Niang clapped her hands together a few times to attract the attention of the other women before slowly speaking: "What Midwife Sun said is indeed true."
In the past, midwives only took care of the birthing process, and at most, they would keep an eye on things for a few hours afterward.
The postpartum confinement period is outside the scope of the midwife's duties.
Li San Niang smiled and said to the women below the stage, "But!"
The midwives I want to train are naturally different from those of the past.
I want you to provide assistance to pregnant and postpartum women in the future, from the onset of pregnancy to delivery and postpartum, helping them through these special periods in their lives, so that they and their children can be healthy and safe.
This is the kind of midwife I want to train!
So today, let's talk about the things related to postpartum care for women.
As soon as Li San Niang finished speaking, Sun the midwife thought about it and agreed, "Yes, the reason I came to Li San Niang to become her apprentice was because of her skills that were different from other midwives."
Since Madam Li says midwives should learn this, then let's learn it.
Thus, everyone's attention returned to Li San Niang, who stood on the platform and began to speak clearly and at a measured pace.
"Although most women only need a little over a month to recover after childbirth, in practice it is best to extend this period by about ten days."
After going through pregnancy and childbirth, the woman's body had already exhausted too much of the life force of the child in her womb, and it would take a long time to recover.
Therefore, first of all, you need to clarify one concept.
This period of rest for postpartum women should last at least forty-two days and at most fifty-six days to allow their physical functions to recover sufficiently.
A single month of confinement, or a mere thirty days, is far from enough.
If a woman gives birth to twins, or suffers greatly during childbirth, she will need to undergo a double postpartum period, which can easily last sixty days.
Li's mother raised her hand from below the stage, and Li San Niang directly gestured for her to speak.
"If it's a wealthy family, and the mother stays in confinement for the forty-two days you mentioned, then that's fine."
But how could the poor possibly make it?
If she can sit for a month, it's already a sign of the mother-in-law's kindness and good treatment of her daughter-in-law.
What you're saying is actually very difficult to put into practice.
Li San Niang nodded, agreeing to the question her mother had raised.
Sitting next to Li's mother, Li's eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law couldn't help but recall their postpartum confinement period at the Li family home.
"When I gave birth to Xiao Wu last time, I suffered terribly. My third aunt had to make an episiotomy to give birth to Xiao Wu."
That time, my mother made me complete a full sixty-day double confinement period, and didn't let me do any work whatsoever.
Sister-in-law Li's first two births went smoothly, and her mother allowed her to complete a full month of postpartum confinement. For the next two weeks, she was only allowed to help with chores like serving tea and water, and was not allowed to touch water or exert herself. In fact, it was more than forty days before she was allowed to resume managing household affairs.
Sister-in-law Li stroked her belly, wondering if this pregnancy would be as smooth as the previous two.
“Midwife Li is absolutely right.” Li San Niang winked at Li’s mother, and instead of calling her “Mother,” she addressed her as “Midwife Li.”
"I also know that in poor families, everyone is an important laborer, and there is a lot of work to be done at home."
It's already considered good if a family can allow a new mother to rest for a month.
So, here's something I'd like to say to you all.
If you graduate smoothly from my school in the future and go out to deliver babies, when you encounter poor mothers, you must tell them that they should have completed at least thirty days of postpartum confinement.
If the family is well-off, then tell them that they must stay for at least forty-two days.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should analyze each specific problem individually.
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