夫胎元之形,不可不知。儿在母腹胞衣之中,惟水涵儿形,团身胞内,男头向左,女头向右
,两手抱耳,两膝抵颔,胞外血护。儿之脐带连胞系母左肾,即命门也,名紫河车蒂。正产者,
即犹果熟自落;半产者,因气血两虚,犹树木无力,花果脱落,触损胎堕者,即此喻也。至若房
室放纵,蒂断肾伤,及未当产而强收,致损母子,犹摘生果而枝折也。
乡居无稳婆处,皆当自产。先以浴盆内置草,扶产妇坐于上,背后令人抱之,候时至则儿自
然出矣 。无收早,过时坏儿之咎。古书催生之药,必待临盆坐草始服,此正合古意。稳婆之设,
亦无不可,但全藉为主宰,反致迟速之愆。盖儿产时,至十月足,腹中痛阵,儿如梦觉,转头向
下,母腹渐收,儿能拆,胞自出,头对产门,随水而下;产妇用力一逼,儿胞齐落,惟令稳婆接
取,此最宜之法也。世多不明此
理,产妇初觉腹痛,即唤稳婆。或彼有富贵家欲产,行止仓忙,但云取汤试之,诒谓产门已开,
几乎闷坏,即令产妇坐上圊桶,产妇无知,用力努挣,儿如未觉,随力乱出,横生逆产,由此故
耳。或稳婆手入掐断其蒂而强收之,致产妇痛苦万状,重则伤命,轻则卧病累月。岂若自然生者
,无大痛苦,数日即安,动作如故。上帝好生,本不伤人,人之矫拂者,自取之耳。
胎儿的形态,是不可不知道的。婴儿在母亲腹中的胞衣之内,只有羊水滋养着胎儿的身体,身体蜷缩在胞内,男婴头朝左,女婴头朝右,双手抱耳,双膝抵住下巴,胞外有血液保护。婴儿的脐带连接胞衣并系于母亲的左肾,也就是命门,这个部位被称为紫河车蒂(胎盘蒂)。正常分娩,就像果实成熟后自然脱落;小产,是因为气血两虚,就像树木无力支撑,花果脱落,触碰损伤导致胎堕,就是这个比喻。至于房事放纵,导致蒂断肾伤,以及未到预产期而强行催产,致使母子受损,就像采摘未成熟的果实而导致树枝折断一样。
居住在乡间没有稳婆(接生婆)的地方,都应当自行生产。先在浴盆内放置草垫,扶产妇坐于上面,背后让人抱住支撑,等到时辰到了,婴儿自然会出来。不要过早干预,以免有过时导致胎儿损坏的过错。古书中提到的催生药物,必须等到临盆坐草时才服用,这正符合古人的本意。设置稳婆也是可以的,但如果完全依赖稳婆作为主宰,反而会导致分娩快慢失当的过失。大概婴儿出生时,到十月足月,腹部阵痛,婴儿如同从梦中醒来,转头向下,母亲腹部逐渐收缩,婴儿能够伸展,胞衣自然排出,头部对准产门,随着羊水而下;产妇用力一逼,婴儿和胞衣一起落下,只让稳婆接取,这是最适宜的方法。世间很多人不明白这个道理,产妇刚觉得腹痛,就呼唤稳婆。或者那些富贵人家要生产,行动仓促匆忙,只是说取水来试一下,谎称产门已开,几乎导致产妇闷坏,就让产妇坐上马桶,产妇无知,用力努挣,婴儿如果还未苏醒,就会随着力量乱出,造成横生逆产,都是因为这个缘故。或者稳婆手入掐断其蒂而强收之,致产妇痛苦万状,重则伤命,轻则卧病累月。岂若自然生者,无大痛苦,数日即安,动作如故。上帝好生,本不伤人,人之矫拂者,自取之耳。
The form of the fetal origin (fetus) must not be unknown. Within the mother's womb and the amniotic sac, the fetus is nourished solely by amniotic fluid, curled up inside the sac. The male fetus faces left, the female fetus faces right; their hands hold their ears, and their knees touch their chins, with blood protecting the exterior of the sac. The infant's umbilical cord connects to the placenta and ties to the mother's left kidney, which is also the Mingmen (Gate of Life), named the "Zi He Che Di" (Placental Pedicle). Normal delivery is like a ripe fruit falling naturally; spontaneous abortion occurs due to deficiency of both Qi and Blood, akin to a tree lacking strength, causing flowers and fruits to fall off or be damaged upon contact. Regarding excessive sexual activity, which severs the pedicle and injures the Kidney, or forcing delivery before the proper time, thereby harming both mother and child, it is like picking unripe fruit and breaking the branch.
In rural areas where midwives are unavailable, self-delivery should be practiced. First, place straw in a bathtub, support the parturient woman to sit on it, and have someone hold her from behind. When the time arrives, the infant will emerge naturally. Do not intervene too early, lest you incur blame for damaging the infant by delaying until it is too late. Medicines for promoting labor mentioned in ancient texts should only be taken when labor actually begins and the woman sits on the straw, which aligns with ancient intent. The establishment of midwives is acceptable, but relying entirely on them as the master controller can lead to errors in the speed of delivery. Generally, when the infant is born at full term (ten months), abdominal pain occurs in waves. The infant awakens like from a dream, turns its head downward, and the mother's abdomen gradually contracts. The infant can stretch, the amniotic sac exits naturally, the head aligns with the birth canal, and descends with the amniotic fluid. With one push from the mother, both the infant and the sac drop out together; having a midwife simply receive them is the most suitable method. Many people in the world do not understand this principle. As soon as the parturient feels abdominal pain, she summons a midwife. Or, in wealthy families preparing for childbirth, due to hurried movements, they merely say "fetch water to test," falsely claiming the cervix is open, nearly causing the woman to faint. They then make the woman sit on a toilet bucket. Ignorant of the process, the woman strains forcefully. If the infant has not yet "awakened," it may exit chaotically with the force, resulting in malpresentation or breech birth, all due to this cause. Or if a midwife inserts her hand to sever the pedicle and forcibly extract the infant, causing the parturient extreme pain, severe cases may result in death, while mild cases lead to bedridden illness for months. How much better is natural birth, without great pain, recovering in a few days, and resuming normal activities. Heaven loves life and does not intend to harm humans; those who act against nature bring these consequences upon themselves.