Chapter 719: Breastfeeding (1/2)

Madam Liu was stunned when she received the news. She hadn’t expected that her youngest daughter would give birth prematurely without any warning. In the countryside, there was a very low survival rate for premature babies. This was her daughter’s first child, so things must not go wrong ah!

When she saw her young maternal grandson, her heart completely relaxed. Her young grandson wasn’t small, and he was just slightly thinner than a full-term baby. The situation wasn’t too bad. It was much better than when her daughter was just born.

Her two daughters were twins. Her eldest daughter was alright. She was somewhat small, but she had a strong cry. Her younger daughter, on the other hand, was not much bigger than her father’s palm. She cried softly, like a little cat. Even the midwife said that she wouldn’t be able to survive to adulthood!

When her youngest daughter was a child, she was indeed brought up on medicine. Fortunately, her health gradually recovered. It was often said that ‘one who escaped from a great disaster was blessed with great fortune afterwards’. Wasn’t this true for her youngest daughter? Not only did she gain such a big family business with her own abilities, but she also married Imperial Prince Xu. Even her maiden family was blessed thanks to her.

To be reborn in her daughter’s belly, her young grandson must also be one who was blessed. However, what was wrong with this child? They had been taking turns to hold him for a long time. During that period, he had woken up and opened his eyes to look at them, but he didn’t cry at all. Earlier, she had deliberately poked his chin. Although the little fellow showed an annoyed expression, he still didn’t cry. This didn’t seem right ah…

Just as she was thinking about this, the little fellow wrinkled up his face and grunted twice. Seeing this, Princess Consort Jing hastily said, “Is he hungry? Where’s the wet nurse? Quickly come feed my dear little grandson.”

Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang were stunned for a moment, and then they looked at each other. Princess Consort Jing saw this and asked, “It can’t be that you guys didn’t hire a wet nurse, right? Just look at these two kids. How can there not be elders around to look after you guys? Senior Servant Li, what did I send you over for? The young imperial prince and young princess consort are inexperienced, but how can you not know about these matters?”

“In reply to Your Highness, the young princess consort said that those who have been nursing for more than half a year have little nutrition in the breast milk. Therefore, we selected two wet nurses. One hasn’t given birth yet, while the other still has ten or so days until she’s done with her one-month post-natal confinement…” Senior Servant Li felt wronged.

The young princess consort was famous for her medical skills in the capital, so her words must be right. But, who would have thought that the young princess consort would give birth two months ahead of schedule? This proved that saying, ‘plans could never keep up with the changes’.

Seeing that her in-law was anxious, Madam Liu hastily comforted, “When a child is just born, he needs to discharge meconium first. I reckon that the child doesn’t seem to be hungry. Let’s first check if he has defecated.”

With that, she skillfully unwrapped the swaddled cloth and pulled out his diaper. Sure enough, it was stained with dark green feces. Madam Liu cleaned her young maternal grandson’s butt with warm water, and then put on a clean diaper. The little fellow felt comfortable now. He opened his gleaming black eyes and stared fixedly at his maternal grandmother. He kicked his legs and appeared very clever.

A group of granny-aged women were fawning over him. However, they encountered slight difficulty when they were rewrapping the swaddling cloth. The little fellow had experienced the taste of freedom, so he no longer wanted to be tied up and unable to move. He worked hard to kick his two little legs, which weren’t considered very strong. Madam Liu wrapped up her little grandson again with much difficulty.

When her eldest grandson was born, Princess Consort Jing was unable to take care of the child even for a day due to her health. She hadn’t touched an infant in over twenty years, so despite being worried, she couldn’t help with anything. Seeing that her little grandson’s face was wrinkled up with a displeased expression after being wrapped up again, Princess Consort Jing tapped his little forehead and lovingly said, “You, this naughty little fellow, made your maternal grandmother so tired. So disobedient!”

The little fellow stared at her without blinking, and then…blew a bubble at her. Princess Consort Jing liked it so much that she laughed for half a day.

Princess Consort Jing took the baby and under Madam Liu’s guidance, she gently patted him to sleep. She suddenly thought of her grandson’s source of food and instructed, “Oh right, Senior Servant Li, check the servants of the two estates to see if there are any with children born within the past two to three months. Find one who is neat and nimble and has an upright character. We can let my little grandson go hungry.”

Yu Xiaocao touched her swollen chest and said in a low voice, “Lady Mother, actually, I can feed the child myself. I heard that the first mouthful of milk is the most nutritious and good for the child’s health…”

Princess Consort Jing had always treated her youngest daughter-in-law like her own daughter. She looked at somewhat haggard Xiaocao and said hesitantly, “Isn’t it very tiring to take care of the child yourself? Wouldn’t that affect your recuperation during your post-natal confinement?”

“It won’t. Look, the little guy is so well behaved. He doesn’t cry and throw tantrums. Moreover, I’m just nursing him. Isn’t Meixiang and Senior Servant Li usually here to help me? How could it be tiring?” Yu Xiaocao strived for rights to take care of her own children. She felt uncomfortable with the thought of her child growing up being nursed by other people.

“It’s often said that a child would be closer to the person who nursed him. In-law, you should just let her try.” In the countryside, which family didn’t raise their children themselves? At that time, they had to care for their children, as well as do the housework. Didn’t all married women go through the same experience? When her eldest grandson was born, it was also her eldest daughter-in-law who took care of him while she helped on the side. They raised him into a fair and plump child, and he was very close to his maternal grandmother and mother!