This was truly unexpected. It was their first time broadcasting the competition live, and they were already faced with such an emergency.
“Are you… alright?” the host asked anxiously.
The pregnant woman, drenched in sweat, replied, “I think I’m about to give birth!”
“Birth?!” The host panicked. As a man, he had never encountered such a situation before. Childbirth was completely beyond his expertise! He quickly shouted, “Doctors, what should we do? Please come take a look!”
The attending doctors immediately gathered around.
“Dr.Smith.” The host didn’t even know why he called for Sophia specifically, but her composed demeanor in the face of emergencies made her seem particularly reliable. “And other doctors, please assess the situation. Is the pregnant woman in serious danger?”
The production team had already called an ambulance, but it would take time to arrive.
Sophia stepped forward, parting the crowd and taking the pregnant woman’s pulse. Then, she calmly asked, “Is this your third pregnancy?”
The woman was stunned. “Yes.”
The crowd erupted in amazement. She could tell how many pregnancies the woman had just by taking her pulse?
The woman was also surprised. She had indeed given birth twice before. This was her third pregnancy, and she had assumed that, having gone through childbirth twice, there wouldn’t be any major complications. That’s why she had come to watch the competition. But unexpectedly, she suddenly felt intense contractions—she was about to give birth.
Sophia’s brows furrowed slightly. Third pregnancies often progressed very quickly; in some cases, women didn’t even make it to the hospital before giving birth. She had once known someone whose mother gave birth to her on the roadside—hence, the child was named “Layne,” meaning “born on the road.”
Sophia checked the woman’s pulse again, covered her, and observed her condition before concluding:
“It’s happening soon. But your baby is in a breech position, with its feet downward.”
The pregnant woman’s face turned pale. “Breech position? Will… will that be a problem, doctor?”
In a hospital setting, doctors could monitor fetal positioning and take the necessary precautions. If the position didn’t correct itself, they would opt for a C-section. However, given how fast this labor was progressing, Sophia estimated that the baby might be born before the ambulance arrived. If the baby remained in a breech position, it could lead to complications. It was crucial to reposition the baby.
The assembled TCM doctors whispered among themselves. Traditional Medicine did have methods for correcting fetal positions, but most of them were unwilling to take the risk. This was a live broadcast—if they failed, it would not only damage the reputation of TCM but also ruin their own careers. Many of them had entered the competition purely to promote their herbal medicine businesses; they had no intention of gambling their reputations on a high-risk procedure.
But before anyone could step forward, Sophia calmly knelt on one knee and said:
“Don’t panic. It’s just a breech position.”
The crowd swallowed nervously. Just a breech position? How could she be so nonchalant? Even those who weren’t doctors had seen enough TV shows to know that a breech birth was extremely dangerous. Was she implying that it wasn’t a big deal for TCM?
“Dr.Smith, do you have a solution?” Dr . White asked hesitantly.
At that moment, Aaron Mateo, the esteemed national physician, stepped forward to examine the pregnant woman. After a quick assessment, he asked, “Sophia, do you know the massage technique for repositioning a breech fetus?”
Sophia nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. You’ll perform the massage while I monitor the fetal position. Together, we’ll correct it.”
“Understood!”
Who was Aaron Mateo? He was a nationally recognized physician, known for his kindness and philanthropy. He frequently appeared on television giving free medical lectures and had an outstanding reputation. With him overseeing the procedure, everyone felt reassured.
However, doubts remained about Sophia. Could she really do it?
Sophia ignored the skeptical gazes. She wrapped a shawl around the woman’s feet and began pressing on specific points on her soles. The audience was stunned—wasn’t she supposed to be massaging the belly? Why was she pressing the feet?
Sensing the confusion, the host asked, “Dr.Smith, can you explain why you’re focusing on the feet?”
Sweat beaded on Sophia’s forehead as she continued massaging. She explained:
“I’m stimulating the acupoint. This point is located along the bladder meridian, which regulates energy and blood flow. In TCM, a breech position is caused by insufficient energy and blood, meaning that the body’s meridians are too weak to keep the baby in place. By stimulating this acupoint, I can activate the bladder meridian, which helps reposition the baby. However, the acupoint works slowly, so I am also stimulating the kidney meridian to send signals to the uterus, encouraging it to correct the baby’s position.
“From the outside, it looks like I’m only massaging her feet, but every movement serves a specific purpose.”
The audience was dumbfounded.
Could just massaging the feet really correct a breech position? Wasn’t that too miraculous?
Then again… they had never been pregnant, so they had no way of testing this theory.
Sophia ignored the murmurs and focused on her work. This baby was in a difficult position—if the mother were taken to a hospital, the doctors would likely opt for a C-section. But surgery always carries risks, and it would be much better for the mother and baby if she could give birth naturally. That’s why Sophia was determined to reposition the fetus.
