Chapter 304: 298 Pregnant Woman Difficult Labor_2 Upon seeing it was Zhao Bin, the village doctor of Zojiwa Village, Du Heng picked up the call.
. Just as he answered, an anxious shout came from Zhao Bin on the mobile phone, "Dean Du, thereās a woman in childbirth having difficult labor! Hurry and come!"
Du Heng was shocked, his chopsticks halting in his hand. He quickly said, "Hurry and find a car to take her to the hospital! Why do you still have time to call me?"
Zhao Bin on the other end sounded like he was about to cry. "I canāt find a car! No one is willing to take a woman in childbirth; theyāre all afraid sheāll die in their car."
"What about your car? Are you scared too?" Du Heng grew anxious, his voice instantly becoming urgent and his pitch rising.
Du Hengās sudden high pitch startled everyone getting their meals in the canteen, causing them all to stop their chopsticks and turn to look at him.
Hearing Du Hengās displeasure, Zhao Bin hurriedly explained, "My father drove my mom to my uncleās house this morning. I was just called over. Dean Du, please hurry, the woman in childbirth is running out of time!"
"Donāt hang up. Wait," Du Heng shouted, then quickly turned to Yu Haiting beside him. "Dr. Yu, thereās a woman in Zojiwa Village having difficult labor."
Yu Haiting immediately dropped his chopsticks and ran outside. He was in such a hurry that as he stood up, he pushed the table, sending the lunchbox and chopsticks on its edge crashing to the floor with a CLANG and a CLATTER, making the canteen even quieter.
At the same time, the driver who had come to get his meal also abandoned his food and followed them out.
Du Heng couldnāt be bothered to eat anymore. He walked straight out, picked up the phone that hadnāt been disconnected, and was about to ask Zhao Bin for more information when Wei Wen, Wei Kaidaās sister, ran over. "Young... Dean Du, Iāll go too. I used to be a nurse in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of JZU. I have experience."
Without hesitating, Du Heng said, "Letās go together."
When he tried the call again at this moment, he found it had been disconnected. Du Heng immediately redialed, but no one answered.
Hearing no answer, Du Heng stopped dialing and jogged over to the ambulance.
By now, Yu Haiting and Wang Lili were also carrying items out of the new building, with Huo Yinhua following behind them.
Huo Yinhua stepped forward self-assuredly. "Dean, let me go. I have experience delivering babies."
Yu Haiting also chimed in from the side, "Dean, let Dr. Huo and me go. You stay and hold the fort."
Du Hengās mind raced. He had received Gynecology and Pediatrics Expertise training. Though he had never used it, he was very confident. Yu Haiting, despite being a general practitioner, primarily specialized in internal medicine and had no experience with difficult labor or delivering babies. And with Huo Yinhua involved, Du Heng felt even less confident in them. "Dr. Yu, you stay here. Iāll go with Dr. Huo. Wang Lili and Wei Wen will come too. Hurry, get in the car."
Yu Haiting reached out a hand, but seeing Du Heng already in the car, he could only dejectedly let it drop.
Although Du Heng was an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, his medical skills had won Yu Haitingās admiration.
Then, a piercing WAIL sounded, and the ambulance shot out of the Health Clinicās backyard like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Zojiwa Village wasnāt far from the Health Clinic, just a ten-minute drive. However, Zojiwa Village itself was composed of several smaller natural villages, and Zhao Bin hadnāt specified which village or house. Du Heng had no choice but to call Zhao Binās number again.
This time, however, the call connected after just two rings.
Du Heng hurriedly asked, "What happened? Why didnāt you answer the phone?"
"The woman in childbirth was having contractions, so I went to check on her."
"Weāre already on our way. Give us the detailed address, quickly."
"Itās the second house to the left of my clinic, the one with the large green iron gate."
Du Heng quickly relayed the address to the driver, then asked Zhao Bin, "How is the woman in childbirth now?"
"Weak, very weak."
"How many fingers dilated is her cervix, and for how long has it been?"
"Eight fingers. I heard itās been over four hours."
"Eight fingers? If itās eight fingers, why hasnāt she given birth?"
"According to the midwife who just ran off, the fetusās position is wrong."
Du Heng felt a surge of anxiety. A malpositioned fetus isnāt the biggest problem; worst case, she can have a cesarean section at the hospital. But prolonged labor... that could be fatal for both mother and child! Even if the delivery is ultimately successful, if it takes too long, the fetus could suffer oxygen deprivation, leading to brain damage, and the mother would also be harmed. This family would be in serious trouble then. Du Heng was exceptionally annoyed. "What on earth is going on?" he demanded. "Didnāt the woman in childbirth go to the hospital for prenatal examinations? Didnāt she know her due date? Or the fetal position? And where did that midwife appear from? Why wasnāt the woman sent to the hospital immediately?"
Zhao Bin sounded agitated and equally annoyed. "The woman in childbirth did have a prenatal examination; her due date is the day after tomorrow. She knew and planned to go to the hospital this afternoon to await labor. However, she only had one four-dimensional color doppler ultrasound and skipped all subsequent check-ups.
"This morning, she slipped while fetching water from the well, and her water broke. Her mother-in-law said they tried to find a car to take her, but couldnāt. So, they had no choice but to call an old midwife from the neighboring village. I heard that midwife delivered the husband of the woman in childbirth.
"The midwife came but couldnāt help, and as more time passed, even the private cars they found didnāt dare to take her, truly afraid both would die in the car. Just now, the midwife got scared too and ran off. It was only then that her mother-in-law remembered to call me. As soon as I saw the situation, I called you immediately."
"If you couldnāt find a car, why didnāt you call 120? Donāt people know that?"
"They panicked; calling 120 didnāt even cross their minds. Besides, people in the village often donāt have the awareness to call 120. When something happens, they usually find their own car and rush straight to the hospital."