The young nurse was about to leave when the doctor from earlier called her back, glaring at her with anger and shouting sharply.
“Are you a nurse in her department or in obstetrics? Why are you following her orders?”
The nurse stood there awkwardly, her feet seemingly nailed to the floor. “Dr. Garcia, I… I just thought it would help the patient deliver faster.”
“I’m her doctor, I make the decisions!” Dr. Garcia growled irritably. “Dr. Sylvia, I need you to leave!”
“I may not be an obstetrician, but she is my aunt. I can’t ignore her,” Sylvia said firmly, then turned to the nurse. “Call the hospital administration for me. I need to request access to the obstetrics department. It was my mistake to overstep.”
The nurse quickly made the call, as Sylvia’s sterile gloves made it inconvenient for her to use a phone.
Once connected, Sylvia immediately requested the necessary permissions.
The administration did not make things difficult for her.
After all, she was the face of the comprehensive hospital.
Everyone knew her surgical skills were top-notch.
Moreover, it was reasonable for her to accompany her aunt during childbirth.
Who doesn’t have a few relatives or friends?
Upon hearing the administration approve Sylvia’s request to assist in the delivery, Dr. Garcia’s expression turned sour.
The Garcia family had always been subservient to the Hogan family, essentially acting as Lucille’s lackeys.
Thus, Dr. Garcia was aligned with Sabrina within the hospital.
She had been secretly pleased when Mollie from the Hipps family ended up under her care for childbirth, planning to make Mollie’s experience as difficult as possible.
Ideally, she hoped for complications like a stillbirth or fetal distress.
She hadn’t expected Sylvia to leave Queena’s surgery and come directly to obstetrics.
Wasn’t she supposed to be assisting Dr. Jakobe with Queena’s surgery?
Dr. Garcia gritted her teeth in frustration but had no choice but to follow Sylvia’s instructions.
The preparations for a water birth were quickly completed.
Sylvia helped Mollie into the warm pool. Mollie was in too much pain to speak, clutching her swollen belly and nearly convulsing from the contractions.
The contractions came almost every minute, bringing tears to her eyes as she tightly grasped Sylvia’s hand. “Sylvia! Sylvia!”
It seemed only Sylvia could give her strength.
“Auntie, I’m here. Is the water temperature okay?” Sylvia tested the water with her hand. “Follow the midwife’s rhythm and don’t waste your energy.”
The warm water enveloped Mollie’s body, easing her pain slightly.
Her anxiety also began to diminish.
Soaking in warm water helps calm and relax both body and mind. The stress hormones that raise blood pressure and prolong labor decrease due to the reduced pain.
The buoyancy of the water relaxed her muscles, allowing more strength for uterine contractions.
This could speed up labor and shorten delivery time.
Additionally, being in water allowed more freedom than a delivery bed, enabling different positions to help relax the pelvis.
This facilitated a smoother delivery for the baby.
Water births also tend to be shorter, reducing harm to the mother and the risk of oxygen deprivation for the baby.
Following the midwife’s guidance, Mollie cooperated as best she could.
Time passed-half an hour, then nearly an hour.
“Auntie, push harder! The baby’s head is visible!”
Sylvia’s excited voice spurred Mollie on to keep pushing.
“The baby is born! The baby is born!”
As soon as the baby’s body emerged in the water, Sylvia immediately lifted the baby out.
Meanwhile, the midwife and Dr. Garcia began cleaning up the blood and fluids from Mollie’s body.
Because water births allow for more relaxation, there were no tears or need for an episiotomy, avoiding painful stitches afterward.
Mollie was in good physical condition. After being cleaned up and helped out of the water by Sylvia, she walked out of the delivery room.
The newborn’s loud cries filled the air.
Clare saw Sylvia supporting Mollie and walked over excitedly with the baby in his arms. “Honey, it’s a boy.”
He couldn’t help but kiss Mollie’s cheek. “Thank you, you did great.”
“Let’s talk in the ward,” Sylvia smiled. “The baby is healthy and all tests are normal.”
Mollie, still weak, managed a tired smile as she glanced at the baby in Clare’s arms. “That’s good. As long as he’s healthy.”
The baby, with a rosy face, slept peacefully in his father’s arms with closed eyes.
He looked adorable. She felt a surge of emotion-this was her baby.
She was a mother now!
Being a new mother felt truly different.
Once in the ward, she lay down on the bed while Sylvia explained postnatal care. “I’ve arranged a full postpartum recovery package for you. It’s important for women to take care of their bodies after childbirth.”
“Thank you, Sylvia. You’re so thoughtful,” Mollie said emotionally, holding Sylvia’s hand. “If it weren’t for you, my delivery would have been much harder.”
Given Dr. Garcia’s attitude, who knows what else might have happened?
Sylvia smiled and made sure everything was settled. “Women are vulnerable after giving birth. Your milk might not come in right away; if the baby gets hungry, he can have some formula first. Auntie, we will hire a professional maternity nurse for you at home. It’s more comfortable than a postpartum care center.”
“A maternity nurse…” Mollie had considered hiring one but planned to discuss it with Queena later, thinking there was still time.
She hadn’t expected an early delivery.
“Yes, I’ll arrange it with Uncle Clare. We’ll hire experienced nurses-one for the baby and one for you. What do you think?” Sylvia asked Clare.
Clare, clueless about such matters, nodded quickly. “Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”
After arranging everything, Sylvia left the ward and headed straight to Queena’s operating room.
She hurried into the elevator and ran towards the operating room as soon as she got out when a nurse called out to her. “Dr. Sylvia, your grandmother’s surgery is over and it was very successful.”
Sylvia stopped in her tracks. “Where is she? In ICU?”
“Yes, she was just moved there about twenty minutes ago,” the nurse nodded. “You can rest assured.”
Patients are observed in ICU for twenty-four hours post-surgery before being moved to a regular ward if they pass the critical period.
Sylvia exhaled deeply.
If her grandmother woke up knowing the baby was safely born, she would be very happy.
She decided to visit Dr. Jakobe’s office next. Dr. Jakobe was eating his meal wearily after a tiring surgery.
Seeing Sylvia startled him so much he nearly choked on his food.
It wasn’t surprising-Sylvia’s exceptional skills at such a young age commanded respect from everyone around her.
“Dr. Sylvia, the surgery went very well.”
“I already heard from the nurse,” Sylvia said, glancing at his meal. “Go ahead and eat; don’t mind me.”
She took out several gift cards from her pocket and placed them on Dr. Jakobe’s desk. “These are for you.”
Dr. Jakobe nearly choked again in shock and quickly gulped down some water before looking at her nervously. “Dr. Sylvia, we’re colleagues. I can’t accept these.”
“They’re just some gift cards; they’re not worth much,” Sylvia said as she turned to leave.
Dr. Jakobe wanted to chase after her but hesitated due to the busy corridor full of people and potential gossip about their interaction.
He eventually gave up and looked down at the gift cards’ value-each worth $100, 000!
Five cards totaling $500, 000!
Those who constantly fawned over Sabrina never received such benefits from her!
Dr. Jakobe felt an immediate kinship with Sylvia!
From now on, he vowed to take excellent care of Queena until she was discharged!
In Middle Evroya, Sierra sat despondently in a child’s room surrounded by Alex’s photos, toys, and books-everything reminded her of her son.
She closed her eyes in sorrow-where was her son now?
Was he safe or in danger?
She couldn’t bear to think about it; it made her head throb painfully.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
She wiped away her tears and softly said, “Come in.”
Jaden entered and handed her some information he had found. “Two men from that gang were spotted near a kindergarten recently; I’ve focused our search on them.”
“Really?” Sierra looked at him in shock as he handed over photos of two men who looked rough and suspicious-clearly not good people.
There were also records of their recent activities near kindergartens’ nursery classes.
“If it’s them, we need to find their hideout quickly to locate your son,” Jaden said as he sat beside Sierra. He was a rough man with little experience comforting others.