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Chapter 1485: Giving Birth is No Simple Matter

Joseph was instantly thrilled and wanted to pick his wife up and spin her around, but he suddenly checked himself. He carefully helped her sit on a nearby chair. "I am sorry! I was just so happy that I almost forgot. The first trimester is the most dangerous. Careful, we must be extremely careful."

Well, despite having lived two lives, this was his first time preparing to be a father, so it was inevitable that he would be all in a fluster.

To his surprise, after Alexandra sat down, she suddenly began to sob.

Joseph hurriedly and nervously put his arm around her shoulders, asking softly, "What is the matter? Relax, I am here. Everything will be fine." The Crown Princess wiped away a tear and choked out, "I... I have eaten double-yolk eggs twice recently, and I even had grilled eel last week. Oh, what am I going to do..."

"What?" Joseph stroked her back, comforting her. "Those are very nutritious foods. There is nothing wrong with eating them." Alexandra cried even harder. "It is all my fault. I should have been more careful..."

Joseph looked at Dr. Pinel with a questioning gaze.

The doctor hurried over and explained, "Your Highness, eating double-yolk eggs might lead to... well, polydactyly. And eel is said to cause deformities." Joseph rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Who came up with such nonsense?"

"Ah, these are traditional theories, Your Highness."

Joseph spoke to his wife in an incredibly certain tone. "My dear, I promise you, those foods are very healthy.

"Furthermore, there is a placental barrier between the mother and the fetus that blocks most bacteria and harmful substances.

"On the contrary, your nervousness will affect the child."

Alexandra was startled. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "I am not nervous. See? I am very relaxed."

She paused, still conflicted. "But, from Saint Petersburg to Paris, everyone says you cannot eat those things while pregnant." Joseph shook his head. "They used to say that horse dung and rat soup could cure smallpox. Yet for thousands of years, smallpox continued to ravage the world until the use of cowpox vaccination."

Alexandra blinked, suddenly remembering that of every ten major papers published by the French Royal Society of Medicine, at least three were co-authored by her husband.

So, if he was so certain, then there should be no problem.

In fact, if it were not for Joseph's own insistence, he probably would have been the first author on seven out of those ten papers.

Dr. Pinel's eyes lit up, and he pulled out a notebook to start recording. Everyone in the medical community knew that His Royal Highness the Prince Regent often brought about sensational new theories with just a few sentences. This might be his chance.

Joseph then asked about Alexandra's physical examination results. After learning that all her indicators were normal, he impatiently ordered the servants to return to Versailles immediately.

Under his command, even the steam railcar reduced its speed by a third.

In the carriage, Alexandra talked to Joseph about all the pregnancy precautions she knew, making him frown repeatedly.

Things like not eating rabbit meat, because it would cause the child to have a cleft lip.

Not eating figs, because it would lead to a difficult labor.

Not eating oysters, as it would cause the child to be underdeveloped.

Not eating pepper, as it would make the child ill-tempered.

Even touching a horse's reins was forbidden, as it would cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the neck.

And one had to remain silent on the night of a full moon to avoid the child being targeted by night demons...

Previously, Joseph had held French obstetric medicine in high regard, as France had begun training professional midwives on a large scale since the mid-18th century. There might not be a doctor in the rural villages, but there was always a midwife.

Even the world's first obstetric forceps had been invented by a French doctor more than a decade ago.

But looking at it now, most French obstetric theories were extremely unscientific.

He immediately began to worry about his wife's future delivery process.

He remembered that, in history, Alexandra had died during childbirth.

He had to do everything possible to prevent such a thing from happening!

At dusk, the Prince Regent's motorcade stopped at the Marble Court.

Versailles was as peaceful as ever. According to French tradition, a pregnancy would not be made public; usually, only immediate family members and, at most, a few close friends would know.

Even for the Crown Princess, people would only notice once she was further along.

Joseph had dinner with Alexandra first and then accompanied her for a half-hour walk in the garden. After settling her down to rest, he went to the drawing room. Jean-Louis Baudelocque, the Royal Midwife and chief obstetrician at the Paris Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the Prince Regent arrive, he hurriedly bowed.

Joseph gestured toward the sofa. "Please, sit down. I want to understand the current state of development in midwifery and delivery techniques."

Baudelocque was stunned. He had not expected the Prince Regent to call him so late in the evening to discuss this topic.

As France's finest obstetrician, he did not need much preparation and soon began to systematically introduce the current state of obstetrics in France. "Since the popularization of germ theory, obstetricians have proven that childbed fever is directly related to bacterial infection. Some other doctors and I have tried to reference surgical standards during delivery, such as having midwives strictly wash their hands and using phenol to disinfect the delivery instruments. This has significantly reduced the incidence of childbed fever."

Joseph nodded. "Your efforts in this area are very correct. In the future, you should also pay attention to the cleanliness of the mother's body and clothing; even the room should be kept as clean as possible."

Baudelocque took careful notes and continued:

"Another important measure is the nationwide promotion of improved forceps. The forceps I have modified fit the fetus's head better than the ones designed by Mr. Levret. Combined with the pelvimeter I invented, they can significantly increase the success rate of delivery and reduce injury to the infant. Oh, and there are position correction techniques, though only midwives in large cities have the facilities to be trained in this. As you know, it requires very expensive models for practice..."

The Royal Midwife spoke for more than an hour, and Joseph finally gained a general understanding of the current level of obstetric technology in France.

At least he did not have to worry about childbed fever, and there were some tools and theories for assistance.

He thought for a moment and asked, "If the mother experiences severe hemorrhaging, are there any means to respond?"

Baudelocque spread his hands. "In such a situation, one can only pray to God, Your Highness."

"What about wound infections or severe tearing of the birth canal?"

"Ah, similarly, one can only pray..."

"What about obstructed labor?"

Baudelocque finally looked up. "A Cesarean section can be performed for that, Your Highness."

Joseph was somewhat pleasantly surprised. "The technology for a Cesarean section already exists?"