53 – Linda’s Birth Crisis
My head spun.
Why isn’t the baby coming down?
“Get a hold of yourself!”
Grandma Bianca scolded me with a frown!
I snapped back to reality.
Even at this hour, Linda was experiencing intense pain.
I must not lose focus.
“Phew! I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, regaining my composure.
Get it together, Kim Cheolsu!
This is not just your problem.
It’s a matter of life and death for the baby and the mother!
I closed my eyes tightly, then slowly inserted my fingers into Linda’s vagina.
I can feel the baby’s head.
Let’s assess the situation.
The baby is still stuck and not coming out.
The contractions aren’t that strong in the vagina; rather, it feels weak?
The baby lacks the strength to come out!
“Linda, you have to push!”
“Ugh! My lower abdomen, it’s too painful…!”
“Oh no…! Linda, first, focus on your breathing. Inhale deeply, then exhale.”
“Hu… Hu… Hoo~~ Hoo~~”
Linda struggled with her breathing.
It’s truly the climax now!
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Following my breathing guidance, Linda continued to breathe, exerting all her strength while sweating profusely.
For the baby to be born!
Cotton closed her eyes, holding Linda’s left hand, praying.
Miss Catherine was in a frenzy, her pulse racing relentlessly!
Grandma Bianca skillfully applied pressure from top to bottom on the belly, inducing Linda’s labor.
“Linda, you need to push harder. Your strength is lacking right now!”
“Ughh.. Ugh! Y-yes.. Ugh!!”
Trembling, Linda exerted her strength.
I checked the condition of the fetus by occasionally palpating inside Linda’s vagina.
It was evident that the baby’s head had passed through the pelvis to some extent, but there was no further progress.
It was as if… it was stuck in the birth canal!
“Oh.”
It was an issue with the perineum.
The baby’s head was stuck at the perineum!
I swiftly identified the problem.
In such a situation, modern medicine would cut the perineum.
Commonly known as an episiotomy.
It’s a procedure performed by most pregnant women in Korea to help the baby be born more easily.
“Let’s make a small incision in the perineum.”
“…? What are you talking about, young man?”
“If we continue like this, the baby won’t be born properly.”
The baby’s head is stuck in the perineum.
An episiotomy involves cutting the perineum to widen it!
Surely, it would aid in the baby’s delivery.
However, Grandma Bianca expressed hesitation, as she had never heard of this method before!
It was a common surgery in Korea, but not during this era.
“Oh… I’ve never heard of such a birthing method.”
“But Grandma Bianca, you know. Right now, the baby’s head is stuck in the perineum. Linda’s labor is weak. To facilitate the baby’s birth, we need to widen the perineum by performing an episiotomy!”
“…The theory is sound, indeed.”
To ensure the baby’s smooth delivery, widen the perineum!
Grandma Bianca slowly nodded her head in agreement after hearing my detailed explanation.
I also asked Cotton and Linda about the surgery, but they were too preoccupied to respond properly.
I looked at Miss Catherine and nodded.
“I will perform the incision.”
To help the baby come out more easily!
Following my instructions, Miss Catherine applied Kim Chul-soo’s special ointment to Linda’s perineum.
I carefully positioned the perineum with medical scissors.
An episiotomy is relatively simple.
With medical scissors, a single cut and it’s done!
I made a small incision between Linda’s perineum and anus.
Due to the lower abdominal pain, Linda didn’t feel much pain from the incision.
Blood splattered.
Blood splattered from the severed part and soon stopped.
The perineotomy was complete.
“Linda! Give me strength again. Strength!”
“Ughhh!!”
Linda gave her strength once again!
Between the widened labia, the baby’s head began to appear!
“Take a breath. Give me strength again!”
“Ughh… Ughh!!”
The baby’s head completely emerged.
Grandma Bianca skillfully caught the baby with a clean cloth.
At the moment when the biggest hurdle, the baby’s head, came out.
The baby’s whole body slid out from Linda’s labia and saw the light of the world!
The perineotomy was successful!
“Waaah! Waaah!”
The baby cried out loudly!
Finally, Grandma Bianca smiled with kindness and held the baby, saying,
“Linda, you did great. It’s a beautiful baby girl. She’s born healthy.”
“Ughh… Ughh… My… my baby…”
Grandma Bianca showed Linda the baby and gestured to me!
Cut the umbilical cord.
I nodded and cut the umbilical cord, then wrapped the placenta that came out with it in a clean white cloth!
While Linda was meeting her baby.
“Catherine, please clean up.”
“Okay..!”
Catherine tidied up the placenta and umbilical cord.
I took a deep breath and gathered my last bit of focus!
Since I performed a perineotomy, I had to suture it.
Perineotomy is performed after the baby is completely delivered.
I disinfected Linda’s perineum with divine power and sutured the perineotomy incision.
Now, it’s time for the somewhat familiar task of suturing the skin!
Finally, the suturing was complete.
After Grandma Bianca skillfully cleaned the baby and placed her in a warm place.
The childbirth was finally over.
Cotton smiled at the tired Linda and the baby in her arms!
* * * *
The childbirth, which felt like a war, had ended.
There were so many places to take care of, so it was quite chaotic.
Even so, the newborn baby was sleeping soundly and peacefully.
When I checked the baby’s health, there were no abnormalities.
When I checked Linda’s uterus, vagina, and perineum after childbirth, there were signs of gradual recovery.
Abnormal bleeding should be dealt with.
There was only a necessary amount of uterine bleeding.
This is normal.
Since I performed the episiotomy, I put an ice pack on Linda’s perineum to prevent swelling.
…Honestly, we were short on medication and IV fluids.
It seems like I didn’t properly care for Linda like a modern pregnant woman.
But still, she had a safe delivery!
Linda lay on the bed, expressing her gratitude in a calm manner.
“Thank you so much, Cheolsu. Thanks to you, I was able to have a beautiful baby.”
Due to the pain, Linda spoke with a slightly subdued voice.
Both the child and Linda being safe, the sense of accomplishment is indescribable.
Is it the joy that comes from the suffering?
“Uhuhu… Thank you. Linda, you’ve been through a lot. Congratulations on the safe delivery.”
“Yes..!”
Linda smiled kindly.
Is it my imagination?
It feels like my mother’s smile.
Perhaps childbirth brought significant changes to Linda’s life.
After confirming Linda’s condition once again, I received Cotton’s thanks.
Cotton took my hand and shook it up and down.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude, Cheolsu!”
“Huhu, it’s all done because it ended well. Please take good care of the child from now on.”
“I was really worried, honestly..!”
Cotton felt anxious.
Anxiety about the possibility of losing either his wife or child during childbirth.
Breaking through that anxiety, the world bestowed blessings upon Cotton!
Blessings of both the mother and the child being healthy.
Still, I must have been somewhat helpful, right?
I pierced through the delay in Linda’s delivery with the episiotomy.
Cotton kept holding my hand, seemingly relieved, and cried and laughed continuously.
“That child is blessed.”
When parents are sincere towards their child like that.
It seems that Cotton and Linda will raise the child well.
Of course, we’ll need to consistently manage the health of the fetus and Linda in the future.
For now, Linda has agreed to receive care from me and Grandma Bianca until she recovers her health at home.
Steady care is necessary until the mother’s health stabilizes after childbirth.
In Korea, this is mostly taken care of at postpartum care centers.
But since we don’t have one at Roland Viscount’s, it’s me and Grandma Bianca who will take care of it!
Grandma Bianca subtly showed her approval of me.
“Kim Cheolsu, I think you’ll do well with your presence.”
“Haha, it’s still lacking.”
“Lacking? Thanks to you, Linda’s childbirth went smoothly. It was really difficult when the fetus didn’t come out.”
“Hehe.. I think I did well.”
“It was revolutionary! A very outstanding surgery.”
It feels good to be recognized by Bianca, who has a long career.
Indeed, it seems that people live by being recognized.
* * * *
The news of Linda’s successful childbirth spread like wildfire in the Roland Viscount’s domain!
It is not uncommon for either the mother or the baby to die during childbirth.
This childbirth, where both the mother and the baby survived, was truly accepted as a blessing from God.
The villagers gathered around Cotton’s house, praying like clouds!
“Oh.. It’s the help of the gods.”
“Congratulations, Linda. Cotton!”
“A very cute and healthy baby girl!”
The villagers celebrated!
To ensure the well-being of the mother and the newborn, the villagers did not enter Cotton’s house.
But the villagers congratulated Linda from near the stone wall.
Linda can walk now.
Walking is good for her health within 4 to 8 hours after childbirth.
Linda, holding the newborn in her arms, caught the attention of the villagers as she walked, and then looked down at the baby with Cotton.
A happy sight of three families.
It feels like looking at a beautiful family photo.
Miss Catherine also looked happily at the two.
Miss Catherine no longer worries about childbirth.
It seems that the happiness after childbirth is greater than the pain of childbirth.
It’s all over!
I hope Cotton and Linda’s baby will recover well in the future.
As an aside, only after doing this, I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.
I haven’t slept well since before Linda’s childbirth.
I was so tired after the tension was released right after the successful childbirth.
Still, helping with the childbirth was a great experience!