Chapter 154

Chapter 154

In the middle of the day, Ye Qing was still seeing patients at the health station when she got the news. She grabbed her medical kit and dashed out without a moment's delay. The other girls followed closely behind, leaving the remaining patients waiting for their turn.

Fortunately, Ye Qing had already briefed Wu Yongbing about this. The commune members knew that the sows at the neighboring farm were due to give birth earlier than those in Kaoshan Tun. At that moment, a special vehicle from the farm arrived to pick them up, and the reason was obvious.

As Ye Qing and her group ran off, Wu Yongbing immediately arrived at the health station to calm the commune members who were waiting for treatment. After explaining and reassuring them that those who didn’t get treated today could still use their consultation numbers next time, although some patients couldn’t help but mutter complaints, they had no choice but to go home and wait for their next chance to see the doctor.

By the time Ye Qing and her team rushed to the pig farm, there were already dozens of people standing by. Even the observation team sent by the county and the military were all present. Zhao Yuliang was pacing back and forth like a man on edge.

This was the first time Ye Qing was using artificial insemination as part of her scientific breeding plan. Both the farm staff and the data collection team were on edge, knowing the sows had started giving birth.

As soon as Ye Qing arrived, Zhao Yuliang rushed over, visibly nervous.

"Xiao Ye, these sows, they should be okay, right?"

Ye Qing could tell how panicked Zhao Yuliang was by the layers of sweat on his forehead.

However, Ye Qing had been checking on the sows frequently and had strictly monitored the data during their pregnancy. So, now that the sows were giving birth, she wasn’t in a hurry. She smiled and reassured him.

"Don’t worry, everything is under control. Just follow my instructions, and nothing will go wrong!"

In fact, Ye Qing had been waiting for the news of the first sow giving birth.

She had already predicted the delivery time of these sows. Since the number of piglets in the sows was relatively high, the delivery might be a few days earlier than normal. Ye Qing's prediction was correct. The first sow’s water broke after 110 days of pregnancy, a week earlier than expected.

However, this did not affect the development of the piglets in the sow’s body. A few days ago, Ye Qing had used her wood element abilities to confirm that the piglets were developing well and that the placenta had reached maturity, fully meeting the delivery standards.

So, at that moment, Ye Qing was actually the calmest person at the pig farm.

Without too much small talk with Zhao Yuliang, she jumped straight into the pigpen and approached the sow that was already lying in the straw. She gently comforted the sow while reaching out to check the dilation of the birth canal.

The sow was already very familiar with Ye Qing’s scent, so her approach did not cause any anxiety. However, perhaps because the number of piglets in the sow’s belly was a bit excessive, even though the water had broken, the delivery was still somewhat difficult.

Fortunately, Ye Qing had anticipated this. Seeing that the sow might run out of energy, she immediately took out some acupuncture needles and inserted them into several acupuncture points on the sow’s body.

Within ten minutes, the sow’s birth canal dilated fully, and the piglets, still wrapped in their fetal membranes, began to emerge one by one. Ye Qing tore off the fetal membranes while signaling the apprentice girls to help.

"Clean them up and check the piglets' health condition. Report any abnormalities immediately."

The newborn piglets, their bodies a soft pink, hadn’t yet opened their eyes but were already letting out high-pitched squeaks. Placed in a soft straw pile, all the little meatballs huddled together, looking quite cute.

From the moment the sow became pregnant to now, watching the piglets being born, Zhao Yuliang felt a mix of excitement, awe, and a bittersweet sense of accomplishment. He stared intently at Ye Qing’s every move, not daring to blink for fear of missing this momentous occasion.

Perhaps because of Ye Qing’s use of the acupuncture needles, the sow’s delivery went smoothly, significantly shortening the delivery time. Normally, a sow’s delivery could take at least four to five hours, sometimes even an entire day. But this time, the sow gave birth in less than an hour.

After checking the birth canal thoroughly to ensure no more piglets were inside, Ye Qing looked up and confirmed to Zhao Yuliang.

"All the piglets from the first litter are here. The sow’s postpartum condition is good, and there are no issues for now. If the placenta detaches smoothly within half an hour, you can start preparing to feed her to replenish her energy."

"Try to cook the food soft and diluted, with rich nutritional content. It’s best to add one or two extra meals to the sow’s daily feeding schedule. After giving birth, a sow’s spleen and stomach are weak, and soft food is easier to absorb, which can also increase her milk production."

Zhao Yuliang immediately nodded and signaled the pig farm manager to arrange the sow’s postpartum meals.

Postpartum care for sows was also a big challenge. While waiting for the placenta to be expelled, Ye Qing took the opportunity to teach her apprentices about postpartum care. She covered everything from checking the number of placentas, assessing the sow’s milk supply, addressing inflammation, ensuring proper nutrition, and preventing diseases after delivery.

Although she was supposed to be giving a lesson to her apprentices, it wasn’t just the four apprentices under Ye Qing who were listening. Those standing around, anyone who was quick-witted and thought the knowledge might be useful, were scribbling notes. Even the researchers sent by the higher-ups to record data were busily writing away.

Seeing this, Ye Qing felt a stir in her heart.

Clearly, the domestic breeding industry was still in its infancy, with everyone feeling their way forward. Whether it was scientific pig breeding or postpartum care for sows, the farmers were still in the dark.

So, if her scientific breeding techniques were to be promoted, the knowledge of postpartum care for sows needed to be promoted as well. Otherwise, even if artificial insemination technology was adopted, problems with the sows could still arise without proper care measures.

Thinking of this, Ye Qing quietly reminded her female apprentices:

"When you get a chance, research the topic of postpartum care for sows. See what needs to be added or improved. If there's any missing information, let me know, and I'll get it from the county agricultural bureau. If necessary, I'll ask friends in Jicheng for help. Once it's all compiled, we can send it to the agricultural bureau to see if it can be published and distributed to the agricultural technology stations."

Meng Jia and the others were initially taken aback but quickly jotted down Ye Qing’s suggestion.

Less than half an hour later, the sow’s placenta was expelled smoothly, and Ye Qing felt relieved.

"When delivering a sow, it's crucial to ensure that the placenta is expelled. Only then is the delivery truly complete. If the placenta remains in the sow for too long, it can cause a uterine infection and even lead to complications. So, if necessary, the placenta must be removed manually."

As she explained, Ye Qing cleaned the sow's birth canal for the last time.

This was an essential and unneglectable part of delivering a sow, so Ye Qing emphasized it repeatedly.

The sow had given birth to 19 piglets, all of which were lively and healthy, giving the farm a great start.

The onlookers were incredibly excited, and as soon as Ye Qing finished the delivery and recorded the data, applause and cheers erupted outside the pigpen.

But it was premature to celebrate. While the first sow had delivered successfully, the others hadn’t shown any signs of labor yet.

Just waiting around like this wasn’t practical, and Ye Qing couldn’t afford to sit idle at the pig farm, waiting for the sows to deliver naturally. If she waited like that, it could drag on indefinitely.

After some thought, she decided it would be better to take preemptive action and induce labor in the pregnant sows.

Of course, the method of induction wouldn’t involve conventional means like using labor-inducing drugs. Instead, she would use her flying needles combined with wood element abilities to stimulate the sows. This method would be gentle on the sows and even beneficial. If Ye Qing hadn’t absorbed a lot of spiritual energy from the Wild Bee Valley in the mountains recently, she wouldn’t have dared to use her hard-earned wood element abilities.

So, Ye Qing discussed the plan with Zhao Yuliang and decided to induce labor in batches over the next five days, based on the maturity of the sows' placentas.

With eighty sows, she’d have to handle thirteen to fourteen deliveries each day. Even if each sow delivered as smoothly as the first one, finishing within an hour, handling thirteen to fourteen deliveries a day would still be a significant workload for Ye Qing.

Given her regular duties at the Kaoshan Village health station, Ye Qing didn’t want to drag things out, so she decided to use acupuncture to speed up the process.

Zhao Yuliang was fully convinced of Ye Qing’s expertise by now. When it came to livestock breeding, Ye Qing was the real authority. He had no objections to her plan, and in fact, hoped the sows would deliver as quickly as possible.