Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 108 Discharge

“But I heard my mom say that childbirth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. I wasn’t there for you when you were going through the most difficult time. That’s not fulfilling my responsibility, Jingyan. I’m really sorry.” He Zhijun was very well taught by his mother. She taught him things that he couldn’t understand.

“Even if you were here, what difference would it make? You'd still be waiting outside. Don't feel guilty. Just take on more of the childcare duties at home. That way, we can all get a break.” Jing Yan’s voice was gentle.

In that dream, after she gave birth, her husband was influenced by his mother and disliked that it was a daughter. He left the hospital after just one look. During the few days she was in the hospital, her third sister took care of her and the baby. Compared to that, she was already very fortunate in this life. One should be content.

Grandma came over and took the child: "By the way, when Jingyan returned to the ward, the nurse found two male doctors to help change the bed. One of the doctors said his surname was Qin and asked you to go see him when you came. He will write you a prescription, saying that boiling the medicine in water to soak your feet can help expel lochia. Do you know where to find that doctor?"

He Zhijun nodded: "He is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. He is in charge of Jingyan's prenatal check-ups. Grandma, I'll go there now. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy dinner when I get back. We don't need to cook for ourselves. We'll have to trouble Sister Wang with Jingyan's meals."

Sister Wang nodded with a smile: "There's still a lot of pig's trotter soup left from lunch. I'll take it to the hospital cafeteria later and ask them to cook some pig's trotter soup noodles for me. It's easy to digest. It's just that Jingyan still hasn't started producing milk. If it's convenient, could you ask the doctor if there's any way to help? The baby is drinking formula now."

He Zhijun nodded to indicate that he understood, and then went to find Dr. Qin. Dr. Qin was not an obstetrician and gynecologist and did not know much about it. The prescription to help expel lochia had already been written, and he gave it to He Zhijun when he came to find him: "Although I suggest that Comrade Zhang stay in the hospital for three days, if he can be protected from the wind, it is not a problem for him to be discharged in the next day or the day after tomorrow."

"Um, my wife doesn't have any breast milk right now. Dr. Qin, do you have any good solutions?" He Zhijun asked.

Dr. Qin's face turned slightly red. "Well, when you get home, you can use a hot towel to apply heat to your breasts. You can also buy some tongxin grass and cook it in the soup. It has a certain auxiliary effect. If all else fails, you can try to express the colostrum yourself."

After hearing this, both men's faces turned bright red, and He Zhijun stammered, "Um, the doctor, you tried it?"

After hesitating for a long time, Dr. Qin finally nodded with difficulty: "It's somewhat useful, but it's easy to get beaten up. My wife beat me up back then because she felt it hurt."

He Zhijun... "I was just asking casually, I didn't intend to hear such details."

No matter what, it was a solution. He Zhijun said goodbye and went to the pharmacy to buy seven doses of medicine, plus an extra half-pound of Tongxincao (a type of herb). He then carried the medicine bag back to the ward.

He placed the medicinal herbs on the empty bed: "Dr. Qin just said that although the hospital recommends a three-day stay, if we can ensure Jingyan doesn't get chilled, she can be discharged tomorrow. We have a heated kang bed at home, which will be warmer."

I'll call my dad later. If he can borrow the military jeep, we can get discharged early. If not, I'll go out again tomorrow to see if I can find another car. No matter what, Jingyan absolutely has to be kept well covered up.”

Grandma waved to him: "Alright, hurry up and go, or your dad will be off work. Don't delay things."

He Zhijun grabbed two lunchboxes and hurriedly left. He Jiaoxu was indeed preparing to leave work, so he was a little confused when he was stopped at the mailroom.

When I answered the phone and heard my youngest son panting as he said that his wife had given birth to a boy and he wanted to borrow his car to pick her up from the hospital, my mind went completely blank. I don't remember how I replied, except for one sentence: "Borrow a Jeep."

It was past get off work hours, so He Jiaoxu used his connections to go to the political commissar's house to ask for favors. The political commissar's family had a jeep, which was a private car. Seeing that it was rare for Regiment Commander He to ask for favors, and it was a happy occasion, he didn't refuse and readily handed over the car keys to him.

He Jiaoxu drove home happily, while Cui Hongru asked, somewhat puzzled, "Were you going on a business trip? Otherwise, why did you drive back?"

"No, this car belongs to the political commissar. Zhijun just called to say that Jingyan gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy today and wanted me to borrow a jeep to pick her up from the hospital tomorrow. He was worried that Jingyan and the baby might get chilled, so I went and borrowed the car first. Do you want to come with me tomorrow?" He Jiaoxu asked cheerfully.

Of course Cui Hongru went. She packed her things overnight, gave away one of her own thermos flasks, and checked her own milk powder coupons. If she didn't have enough, she went to exchange with her neighbors. Before long, the whole military compound knew that Regiment Commander He's youngest daughter-in-law had given birth to a boy.

The next morning, the couple drove to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought everything they thought would be helpful for postpartum recovery, such as malted milk powder, canned yellow peaches, and brown sugar. After filling the trunk to the brim, they headed to Haishi.

They arrived at the city hospital around noon. After asking around, they finally found Jingyan's ward. At that moment, Jingyan was drinking the old hen soup that Sister Wang had made that morning, while He Zhijun was gnawing on a white pig's trotter, his mouth greasy as he looked at his parents as they entered. "Dad, Mom, you're here so early?"

Cui Hongru ignored him and went straight to Jingyan's bedside. Looking at the chicken soup in Jingyan's bowl, she nodded with satisfaction: "You've suffered. Eat more good food to replenish your strength. How are you? Is the baby fussy?"

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the swaddled baby beside her. The child, wrapped in a small blanket, was sleeping soundly, his chubby little face clean and white, no longer as rosy as when he was first born.

Jingyan smiled and said, "He doesn't cry. He only cries when he's hungry. However, my milk hasn't come in yet, so he can only drink formula." Speaking of this, Jingyan also seemed a little worried.

Her memories of her previous life are fading. She only remembers that she had plenty of breast milk back then, which her baby couldn't handle and often choked and passed out. But now her milk is not coming in, and she is very anxious.

Cui Hongru comforted you, saying, "This is your first child, so both childbirth and breastfeeding will be difficult. You just gave birth yesterday morning, so your milk supply isn't plentiful yet. If it's really not working, you can try formula."

Your dad and I brought two bags of formula and ten formula coupons this time. That should be enough for the baby for a while. We'll save them up and bring them over next month. Don't worry, our baby won't go hungry.

Jingyan was very touched; her in-laws were such generous and kind people. "Dad, Mom, haven't you eaten either? There's still half a pot of pig's trotter soup that Sister Wang made yesterday. Grandma doesn't like it, and Zhijun couldn't finish it either."

"If you don't mind, have some first. Later, Zhijun will take you to a state-run restaurant for dinner. You won't get to drink this chicken soup then; it has some kind of herb in it, which he says helps with milk production."

Cui Hongru patted her hand: "Don't worry about us. Eat more. Your dad and I will go and get you discharged first. Your dad borrowed a car and we can take you home."

He Jiaoxu came over and said, "There are too many of us to fit in one car. I'll take you, Mom, and Xiao Wang back first. Zhijun will stay here with you. Once you get home, heat up the house first. When I come back to pick up Jingyan and the others, the house will be warm by then."

Cui Hongru had no objections. Just then, her grandmother came in from outside, carrying a thermos: "You're here. Shall we get ready to process your discharge?"

He Jiaoxu explained the plan again, and his grandmother had no objections: "Okay, let's go back first. Take what we can back with us, and the less they take, the better."

The group packed their bags and put them in the car. Taking advantage of the time, Sister Wang went to the family who rented the stove to let them know that she wouldn't be coming back. She also brought back their last old hen.

They left, and the ward suddenly felt much emptier. "Finally, I'm being discharged. You don't know how restless I've been at night, afraid that the baby will get lost," Jingyan said as she put on her cotton-padded clothes.

He Zhijun squatted down to tie her shoelaces, somewhat curiously asking, "Lost a child? How could that be? Several of us were guarding the place last night; no one dared to come over."

“I know, it’s just an unconscious fear that keeps me awake. I can only fall back asleep after touching the baby. It will be fine once we get home. The kang (heated brick bed) is big, so I’m not afraid the baby will fall off the floor, and I’m not afraid of strangers coming. It’s just that I always feel uncomfortable and have a smell.”

Jingyan disliked this very much. She said that lochia could last for ten days or even longer, and now there were no sanitary napkins available, and the toilet paper was the kind that shed lint, which was really uncomfortable.

He Zhijun sat on the edge of the bed and put his arm around her: "This is a special time for you. Dr. Qin said that as long as you soak your feet in herbal medicine on time for these seven days, you'll recover quickly. When we get home, I'll buy some extra toilet paper and keep it at home. You can change it whenever you feel uncomfortable. We won't skimp on this."

We've also made a special swaddle blanket for the baby. Once your lochia has stopped, you can simply discard the blanket; we're not short of money, so don't worry.

Besides, I've been washing you every day at home these past few days, and you don't smell at all. I haven't even smelled anything. You're just overthinking it, that's why you think there's a smell. Don't worry about it.

Jing Yan smiled and nodded: "Yes, fortunately the wound healed quickly, it doesn't hurt anymore today, and I can wash myself from now on."

As the two were talking, the baby started to whimper. He Zhijun quickly checked the diaper, fetched water to wash the baby's bottom, dried it with a towel, and put on a new diaper.

This action doesn't resemble that of a novice dad at all. You wouldn't guess that this is the same person who was flustered changing his baby's diaper last night. It shows how quickly he learns.

Jingyan sat on the edge of the bed watching him busy himself, and felt that the scene was really too warm.

After cleaning the baby, He Zhijun took a basin of water to wash the diapers. Just as he returned to the ward, He Jiaoxu also came back. He Zhijun went to handle the discharge procedures, while He Jiaoxu packed up the remaining personal belongings in the ward. Jing Yan only needed to sit by the bed and watch the baby.

After putting everything in the trunk of the car, He Zhijun returned to pick up Jingyan. He Jiaoxu held the child, and He Zhijun put a military overcoat, a fur hat, gloves, and a scarf on Jingyan. A large mask covered her exposed face, leaving only her eyes visible.

Jingyan felt it was a bit exaggerated, but she still quietly accepted her husband's kindness. On the way from the ward to the car, everyone they met would look at Jingyan's outfit. Most of the men thought it was too exaggerated, while the women, well, were mostly envious.

Jing Yan sat in the back seat of the car, and He Zhijun also got in. He took the child from He Jiaoxu's arms, and the jeep sped along. When they arrived at their doorstep, Jing Yan carried the child straight into the house, placed the child on the already heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and began to take off her own clothes.

Cui Hongru stood by the door watching Jingyan take off her layers of clothing, and laughed so hard she hiccuped: "With what Jingyan is wearing, she wouldn't even get cold walking back, right? It must have been tough for her to sit in the car all the way here, wasn't she burning up from the heat?"

Jing Yan smiled and shook her head: "It's not too hot, it's quite warm, but I sweated a little."

"Oh dear, you have to be careful if you're sweating. Don't catch a cold. Take off your clothes and get on the kang (heated brick bed) to lie down. You're in postpartum confinement, so you should sleep whenever you want and get plenty of rest to rejuvenate." Cui Hongru stepped forward to help Jingyan onto the kang. Jingyan said helplessly, "Mom, I'm not that delicate. I can manage on my own."

Regardless of whether she could manage or not, Cui Hongru insisted on putting her on the kang (a heated brick bed). She only stopped when Jingyan was wearing only a cardigan and sweater. After Jingyan got into bed, she felt some swelling and pain in her breasts: "Mom, I feel a little swollen in my breasts. Does that mean I have milk?"

Ignoring everything else, Cui Hongru unwrapped the baby and picked him up, saying, "Try feeding him first. If you have milk, the baby will suckle a few times and it will come out."

Jingyan obediently took the baby. Even in his sleep, the baby instinctively opened his mouth to suckle when his lips touched the nipple, and soon enough, milk came out.

Jingyan's memory was indeed correct. She had plenty of breast milk, more than her son could finish. She herself was also very uncomfortable from the engorgement and could only express as much of the excess milk as possible. Only those who have experienced it firsthand can understand the pain.

He Jiaoxu and his wife only stayed here for one night before returning to Haishi. He Zhijun was also sent back to school by Jingyan on Sunday night. The family returned to peace. However, Jingyan had too much breast milk. Since she started having breast milk, Jingyan has never added tongxincao to her soups, but the amount is still very large.

Grandma was very anxious seeing Jingyan in so much pain. She would go to the neighbors to ask if there was any way to reduce the amount of breast milk, which made the other elderly people envious but helpless.

However, the fact that Jingyan had too much breast milk was already common knowledge among the neighbors. So, about a week after she returned home, an old woman came to her door with a woman carrying a little girl.

Grandma recognized this old lady; she used to be a well-off young lady from a wealthy family. However, her hair had turned completely white over the years, but she still retained her elegant demeanor.