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(Article 14)

1. During childbirth, one should select an elderly, steady, and skilled midwife, along with one or two women of pure and cautious character to provide support. All idle personnel, any incoming women, and persons wearing mourning clothes or carrying impure energies should be strictly excluded in advance to prevent them from offending the fetal qi, which could lead to difficult labor. After delivery, if external pathogenic factors invade the infant, it is also likely to cause harm.

2. When the pregnancy term is full, divination or consulting spirits should not be conducted. Charlatans and shamans often deceive and frighten people for profit, falsely claiming ominous or unfavorable omens. How can this compare to praying to deities to protect the mother? Hearing such words only induces worry, suspicion, and fear. Worry causes qi stagnation; qi stagnation leads to sluggish and unsmooth flow, inevitably resulting in dystocia. If such taboos are violated, it is advisable to take Dasheng San (Reaching Life Powder) to smooth the qi. When abdominal pain is first felt, one should not immediately assume birth is imminent. Suspecting witchcraft theories and panicking too early can cause chaos in the household, leading to difficult labor.

3. Suddenly experiencing abdominal pain near the due date, which comes and goes, lasting one or two days or three to five days, with amniotic fluid having arrived but the pain not being frequent, is called "Nong Tai" (Playing Fetus), indicating it is not true labor. Another condition occurs a month before the due date, where sudden abdominal pain feels like impending birth, yet no birth occurs, called "Shi Yue" (Testing Month), which is also not true labor. In cases of abdominal pain, regardless of whether amniotic fluid has ruptured, there is no need for concern; one should simply relax and wait for the right time. If it is truly time for birth, the pain will become intense and unceasing, the fetus may shift position downwards, the lower back will feel heavy and distended, there will be a sensation of protrusion in the anus, amniotic fluid will drip down, and the baby will be born. This is normal delivery, which happens at its own appointed time, similar to a melon falling when ripe or a fruit dropping when mature.

4. When abdominal pain is first felt but the lower back does not hurt significantly, labor has not yet begun. One should endure patiently and move around; if unable to walk, one may stand leaning on objects, walking when able and resting when necessary.

5. At the moment of impending delivery, if the mother suffers severe pain and refuses to stretch her body, remaining rigid, sleeping curled up, the fetal yuan (vitality/position) rotates and seeks the birth canal but gets blocked. Repeatedly doing so exhausts the fetus's strength, decisively leading to dystocia.

6. When slight pain is first felt, one should sit or lie down as desired, and make an effort to eat and drink, to avoid weakness during labor.

7. When feeling close to delivery, one must conserve energy and nourish oneself, avoiding excessive straining. If the fetus's body is turning and one forces it prematurely, it may cause the fetus to deviate into a transverse or breech position. One must wait until the fetus reaches the cervix/vagina entrance before applying force to push the baby out. This is the correct timing for exertion. If the time is not right, forcing labor is futile.

8. If one feels mental restlessness or oppression during labor, one spoonful of white honey mixed with hot water can be taken.

9. Before delivery, if feeling irritable thirst and wanting to drink, rice water or mung bean soup is best.

10. If the laboring mother feels hungry, she should eat thick, soft white porridge. She should not be allowed to become hungry or thirsty, as this depletes qi and strength. Hard rice, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and other hard-to-digest foods should be avoided. If labor is too exhausting due to lack of strength, combined with spleen deficiency failing to digest food, postpartum food stagnation may occur.

11. If taking talismans or methods for inducing labor after delivery, they should be taken with warm wine or warm water, never cold water. Since blood coagulates when exposed to cold, blood coagulation causes fetal stagnation and difficulty, potentially leading to dystocia.

12. The laboring mother should not wash her hair near the due date to avoid transverse presentation or breech birth.

13. If the membranes have not ruptured before labor begins, one should simply stay calm and wait. If the membranes rupture and labor does not proceed within one or two hours, emergency administration of labor-inducing medicines is required. Amniotic fluid is the water within the uterus that nourishes the fetus. Once the membranes tear, the fluid flows out, and the fetus descends with it, facilitating easy delivery. However, if the fetal vitality is weak and rotation is slow, once the fluid is exhausted, foul blood may block the cervical opening, leaving the fetus with no passage, thus causing dystocia. It is advisable to use formulas such as Cuisheng Dan (Labor-Inducing Pill), Huashi San (Talcum Powder Dispersion), or Yimu Wan (Motherwort Pill) to expel lochia and lubricate the uterus, making delivery easier.

14. During labor, there should be no noise or panic in the delivery room. Doors and windows should be closed, and one should await birth in silence.