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During labor, it is advisable to have two or three mature and quiet attendants. The number should not be large. All female relatives should be politely declined entry into the delivery room. In summer, it is especially inappropriate to have many people in the room, as the accumulation of heat can cause the mother to feel irritable and dizzy, which is quite harmful.

Actions and speech in the room should be light and quiet; excessive talking is discouraged. It is best for the mother to sleep peacefully.

The primary goal is to advise the mother to relax and remain calm, enduring pain while resting. One must strictly avoid showing alarm, whispering, sighing, or groaning, as these behaviors can cause anxiety, doubt, and disturbance, leading to complications.

The environment should remain quiet and normal. Do not make vows to deities or cry out to heaven and earth in front of the mother. Only one midwife (Wopo) should enter the room and sit quietly nearby, without causing chaos.

Food and drink should be given frequently but in small amounts. Clear soups made from chicken or duck organs are particularly beneficial.

In winter, a charcoal brazier should be placed in the room to ward off cold. In summer, well water should be stored to absorb heat.

Q: What is "false labor" (Shi Tong)?
A: When the fetus reaches seven or eight months, its limbs and senses are fully formed, and it begins to move. If there is heat in the maternal abdomen or if the mother's daily routine is irregular, the fetus may become restless and move vigorously, causing pain. This occurs in five out of ten pregnancies and is not unusual. One should maintain normal routines, ensuring stable eating and sleeping for one or two days, after which the pain will naturally subside. If the pain persists, one or two doses of fetal-calming herbs will stop it. Delivery may occur within a few days, a month, or even four months later. Many people do not know this and mistakenly believe labor has begun. They keep the mother sitting or standing all day, preventing her from lying down, or they massage her waist and belly, pull on her, or use drugs to force delivery. This results in the mother facing near-death experiences and nine out of ten infants dying. Such tragedies are often caused by insufficient fetal nourishment and incomplete Qi and Blood, akin to cracking an eggshell to extract a chick or tearing a cocoon to free a pupa—survival is unlikely. People often blame infant care difficulties without investigating the root causes. Additionally, one must be aware of abdominal pain caused by cold invasion or food stagnation.

Q: How can one distinguish false labor?
A: Observe the pattern of pain. Contractions that become progressively tighter indicate true labor. Contractions that alternate between slow and fast, or are irregular, are false labor.

Q: How to differentiate abdominal pain from food stagnation versus cold invasion?
A: Pain from food stagnation is centered around the umbilicus, worsens with pressure, and may present with a hard mass beside the navel. Cold-induced pain is usually below the umbilicus, characterized by a continuous, dull ache that does not fluctuate significantly and provides slight relief with warmth.

Q: Is false labor common?
A: Very common. This is evidenced by the high incidence of difficult deliveries today.

Q: If mistaking false labor for true labor is harmful, what about mistaking true labor for false labor and missing the timing? Is that not harmful?
A: There is no harm. If the time is right, the fetus will emerge naturally. Even if delayed, the birth will simply occur in the underwear or on the bed. There is no major danger, which is why such repeated caution is necessary.