The Quack Lady - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 55

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‘I’m certain. It’s a breech presentation.’

Breech presentation refers to a situation where the baby’s head, which should be facing toward the cervix, is facing upward instead.

I immediately disinfected my hands and inserted them directly into the cervical opening.

Then I positioned myself at the lower abdomen and tried to determine the child’s position.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Perhaps because of my serious expression, the Duchess who had climbed onto the bed asked.

I withdrew my examining hand and spoke.

“The baby is in breech presentation.”

“Breech presentation?”

“Yes. The baby’s head is not facing downward.”

“What does that mean…?”

The Duchess tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

‘Should I really tell her about this?’

What if she asks me how I know about the dangers of breech presentation?

But the mother’s life was at stake to just pretend I didn’t know.

Most importantly, the baby’s life too.

After hesitating for a moment, I told her the truth.

“From what I can tell, the baby’s head that should have descended isn’t in position. Given that the kicking is in the lower abdomen area, there’s a high possibility the legs will come out first.”

“Is that… dangerous?”

Actually, in my previous life, it wouldn’t be dangerous.

We could save the baby through cesarean section in less than 30 minutes.

“If the baby comes out legs first, the legs could be bent or fractured. In severe cases, there could be placental abruption…”

“What…?”

Perhaps because of my expression, the Duchess was becoming agitated.

“Speak slowly and tell me what you mean!”

The Duchess, who had been holding her breath until now, also pressed me urgently.

I explained calmly.

“There are two legs. Naturally, the child isn’t stretching both legs toward the cervix in the womb.”

“Which means…”

“During delivery, if one leg comes out first, there’s a high chance the other leg will be bent.”

“A leg could be bent? What do you mean…?”

The Duchess trailed off in shock.

But a doctor isn’t someone who only says pleasant things.

I listed the problems that could occur during delivery as calmly as possible.

“Most importantly, if we force delivery while in breech presentation, the mother could die from excessive bleeding.”

Placental abruption* was one of the ultra-emergency conditions in obstetrics.

A situation where excessive bleeding occurs as the placenta comes out before the baby.

Serious enough to push aside scheduled surgeries and rush in.

“So this delivery… it can’t proceed in this state.”

That’s when it happened.

“Quickly, bring Methyla! Right now!”

At the Duchess’s thunderous cry, the servants hurriedly moved.

* * *

Not long after, the door burst open.

The midwife who appeared knelt down with a pale face.

“My lady! I am wronged. The baby is just playing well in the womb and there are no problems at all!”

At the flood of protests that poured out as if she had been waiting, no one could add another word.

“Moreover, the baby’s head and legs can change positions in the womb! There’s no need to worry too much!”

“No. The possibility of change is very low.”

“What?”

This was a matter of life and death. There was no room for compromise.

“The feet are already descended enough to be felt. It means progress is happening bit by bit.”

As soon as I finished speaking, her sharp gaze turned toward me.

She immediately got up and shouted at me.

“What do you know to be running your mouth! I’ve been a midwife for 30 years! There’s no need to listen to what a little brat like you says…!”

“Did all the children survive during those 30 years?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if not a single child died during the delivery process.”

I was displeased that the midwife spoke so lightly of life.

Most of all, using her experience as leverage while not cherishing the life before her eyes…

‘I need to deal with her properly.’

I spoke to her defiantly.

“As a midwife, you know better. That it’s extremely rare for a baby to change position once delivery has progressed.”

Usually, when reaching full term, people say the belly drops or sags.

This is the child also preparing to meet the outside world.

Naturally, since the interior becomes narrower toward the bottom, the position doesn’t change as it reaches full term.

“…That’s!”

The midwife seemed at a loss for words and trailed off.

“Drag her out immediately!”

The Duchess shouted with all her might. Tears were already welling up in her eyes.

“M-my lady! That’s not it…!”

Knights who appeared like lightning restrained her.

Then, the Duchess raised one hand toward the knights as if telling them to stop for a moment.

“I can’t believe everything that child says. But…”

“…”

“If the baby is upside down, if it’s such a dangerous situation, you could have told me…”

“That was! For your sake…!”

Methyla, who had been speaking up to that point, clamped her mouth shut.

In the end, she had admitted that the baby was upside down.

The Duchess closed her eyes tightly.

Tears overflowed from her closed eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

“M-my lady, I’m… I’m sorry…”

Methyla apologized as if possessed by something, but those words couldn’t continue.

Because she was roughly dragged away by the knights.

* * *

The place swept by the commotion was filled only with the Duchess’s lonely sobbing.

“Really… is there no way?”

Those were the words she uttered after sobbing for a long while.

I moved my lips.

Then I spoke to her very carefully.

“There is one. But it’s not easy. We’d have to perform surgery that involves cutting into the body.”

“What…?”

At the mention of surgery, the room became greatly agitated.

‘That’s understandable.’

Most regrettably, surgery in this place wasn’t done in a proper manner.

It was just used for amputation or when considering death.

It was an extremely drastic method that only commoners underwent.

The Duchess spoke urgently.

“How can you suggest such a barbaric method!”

“It’s not barbaric. Currently, the only way is for us to surgically remove the baby from the womb before the baby comes out naturally.”

“Remove… the baby?”

They frowned as if I was talking complete nonsense.

Cesarean section.

It was a very common surgical procedure in modern times, but not here.

So I understood this cold reaction. Most nobles shuddered at the thought of putting a blade to the body.

However, I had no intention of backing down.

Since I had examined her, I also had a duty to tell her all the facts.

“Yes. If we want to save both the mother and child.”

“You can save both?”

The Duchess asked incredulously.

“The problem is that various medications are needed to perform that surgery.”

But in this place where everything had to be developed from scratch, it wasn’t an easy choice.

I explained the overall process of the surgery to them.

Roughly the contents of making an abdominal incision, removing the child, suturing, and then recovery.

“Then if we have the medications, the child can live?”

“Brien!”

Mother was strong.

She asked without a moment’s hesitation, and I nodded slightly.

In contrast, the Duchess’s expression was crumbling as she looked at her.

“But Mother, you know how I came to have this child.”

“…”

“If the child is fine, then I’m fine. So…”

“Absolutely not! Even if I die, that absolutely cannot happen!”

She urgently commanded the servants with labored breathing, seeming very anxious.

“There must be another way! Contact the Imperial Physicians immediately, inform them of this, and tell them to find a solution!”

“Yes, understood.”

“You must find it by any means necessary! The Duchess’s life depends on it!”

The servants immediately moved at her command.

Everything became a mess in an instant.

* * *

After returning to my room, I flopped down on the bed and muttered.

“Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

With even Eruten gone to pick up the children, there wasn’t even anyone to consult with.

It was then, as I was groaning with frustration.

“Rtemeia. Are you inside?”

I jumped up from my seat at the composed voice from outside the door.

“Huh? Young Baron Demian?”

Outside the door were Young Baron Demian and Lord Rudel together.

“Rtemeia. We agreed to be friends, didn’t we.”

My nonexistent ears felt like they were showing. I quickly forced an awkward smile because of my drooping ears.

“Anyway, I have something to talk about. Can I come in?”

Since the room was a bit messy, I cleaned up roughly before inviting him in.

He said things like ‘So Rtemeia is staying here’ as he leaned back on the sofa.

“…?”

However, Demian just sat there staring blankly at me without saying anything.

Thanks to that, we had to stare at each other with question marks floating above our heads for quite a while.

And the person who finally ended this situation was none other than Lord Rudel.

“…It seems the Young Baron was worried upon hearing that it was Lady Rtemeia who diagnosed the Duchess’s condition.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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