Chapter 9 - Giving Birth

"Midwife! Midwife! Come quick! I think my wife is giving birth!" Wei Bai roared to call for the only experienced midwife in the clan.

"I think my water just broke." I dazedly muttered.

"...Should I be worried?"Wei Bai hesitatingly asked.

"I think it should be okay, the midwife is on the way already. The baby is coming, but not that soon. I don't feel any pain. Yet." I assured.

"I....I really should've learned some healing techniques. Even if rudimentary compared to yours, it would've been still of use here..... I feel so useless now.." Wei Bai reproached himself.

"...Just stay by my side. And don't let go of my hands. No matter what. Okay?"

"...Okay. I'll never let go."

"I'm here! Can you see the baby?!" The midwife hurriedly asked as she rushed over.

"Not yet, I don't see anything yet. or maybe I just don't know what to look for. At least, I see no semblance of a head anywhere." Wei Bai helpfully replied.

"....Okay, the baby hasn't come yet. Did you clear your bladder and bowels?" The midwife questioned.

"I think so.... I made sure to go to the toilet beforehand, and I haven't eaten or drank anything yet." I replied.

"Good, then we won't have a messy birth to deal with, which is always nice." The midwife chuckled.

"Just relax, go at your own pace. Trust your instincts, but when I tell you to stop, immediately stop contracting, okay? If you don't, things might get complicated, so don't let the pain dull your senses too much. Keep your chin to your chest, and breathe well, in tune to your contractions. Just follow the rhythm, inhale when you contract, exhale when you relax." The midwife reminded.

"Got it." I replied.

*fuuuuu* *haaaaa* *fuuuuu* *haaaaa*

*fuuuuu* *haaaaa* *fuuuuu* *haaaaa*

-!

"She's here. I can feel it, she's facing the entrance now. It's starting to ache now." I informed.

"What? How long since the contractions started?" The midwife asked.

"Not too long. Shortly after her contractions started, I called for you." Wei Bai helpfully replied.

"...Barely in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn..." The midwife murmured.

"Is something wrong? Is it bad?" I hurriedly questioned.

"No. It's just fast. Very fast. Normally it takes about half the time it takes to reach sunrise after nightfall. Sometimes it's even from dusk till dawn since contractions started then only would I have to step in." The midwife explained.

"Is it bad?" Wei Bai anxiously repeated.

"I don't know, it's my first time handling a birth so fast. The other couple had her water broke yesterday night and contractions since this morning. Giving birth is different from mother to mother. It's hard to tell whether it's good or bad. At least, I will pay more attention over here, since that side is going smoothly albeit a little slowly.." The midwife assured as she pointed at the silhouette of the couple on the other side of the room separated by a curtain.

"Midwife, come quick! The baby's almost out!" The couple on the other side shouted.

"I will go check for a bit. Take your time, okay?" The midwife said as she walked past the curtain.

"Okay, we'll keep you posted." I assured.

"Unnnnggghhh... Haaa....Haaa...Haa." I panted.

"Are you okay?" Wei Bai worriedly asked.

"It's okay. Not as bad as I thought it would be. There's a sharp ache from my abdomen to my hips, like a lot of rubber hammers are knocking my bones in sync. It doesn't feel any worse than having to reattach my torn legs myself." I compared.

"Hnnnnnnngggguuuhh.....Fuuuuuuuu....Haaaaaa.."

"I can see her head now. It's coming out quick smoothly, I think. At least, it looks that way to me." Wei Bai mentioned.

"Okay! I'll be there soon, I'm almost done here!" The midwife shouted.

"The head is halfway out already, please come over more quickly." Wei Bai pleaded.

"So fast? Well. I guess it's to be expected of someone at the peak of Qi cultivation realm. Huuuuu. Okay. Husband, help your wife handle the baby, she's very tired now, especially since she's not a cultivator, she will have to undergo confinement."

"Is the baby okay?! Why isn't it crying?! Is it a male?! Is my wife okay?! Say something, anything!" The husband at the other side anxiously cried out as he accepted the baby from the midwife.

"NGAAAAH~! NNGAAAAH!" The baby wailed.

"Hu...huhu. The baby... got shocked to the.... point of crying by you.... husband." A weak voice whispered so lightly I could barely hear it myself as a cultivator.

"Hnnnngggggg...AAAAAAHHHHH!!!" I screamed.

"It's out." Wei Bai gaspingly whispered.

I could see my daughter a little in the midwife's hands.

"Why... isn't my ..baby crying?" I exhaustedly muttered out loud.

As I said that, the midwife raised her hand aiming towards my baby daughter's rear. But then.....

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~!*

"Ah, looks like she's crying now! A late bloomer huh?" The midwife delightedly cried out while halting her hand before my daughter's tender looking rear.

"So, this is my daughter?" Wei Bai asked in a deep and calm voice.

Fufufu, it means he's crazy excited. The more excited he is, the calmer he gets. Except in bed. I explicitly told him not to hold back on me at all and show me his excitement after all.

"Let me see my baby, okay?" I pleaded.

"Here, quite the heavy one she is. She would grow up big and strong." The midwife happily commented while handing my baby over to Wei Bai's large hands.

"Look, An Xin, our daughter looks just like you!" The baritone voice calmly sounded out while gently placing our daughter in between my breasts.

"Let me see, let me see!" I energetically and happily cried out.

I gently turned my daughter's body facing towards me with a happy smile on my face.

"You're right! The resemblance is there!" I excitedly shouted.

"What are we going to name her?" Wei Bai asked.

"Hmmm. She definitely is going to be beautiful, no doubt about that. Let's name her Hui Yan. Hui meaning wise, and Yan meaning beautiful. I hope she grows up to be wise and beautiful!" I fervently wished as I gave my daughter her name.

The midwife, as I cuddled with my daughter, pushed on the top of my abdomen, forcing the placenta out. She then clipped the umbilical cord at to places near the baby, and handed Wei Bai a scissors.

*Snip!*

"Huuu.. I admit, it was a little nerve-racking to cut the cord myself." Wei Bai mumbled to himself.

The midwife then gathered the cut umbilical cord and placenta, cleaned up the area near my little sister, gently wiped away most of the vernix on the baby's skin gently with a towel, and kept all her things.

"Okay, I'm done cleaning up already, you can carry her back to your chambers now, she needs her rest. I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow." The midwife shooed us away while carrying her tools away.

"Hold her tight now, An Xin." Wei Bai reminded while gently carrying us up in a princess carry.

"Okay, Wei Bai.." I softly whispered while blushing.

Kyaaaa~! He's going to princess carry me all the way~?

As a shy, silly grin was plastered on my face, I snuggled closer to Yan Yan and wrapped my clothes around her tighter, not wanting her to catch a cold from the cold spring breeze.