A typical day for a nurse midwife (7)

With the introduction of the two-child policy, hospitals in major Chinese cities in 2016, the Year of the Monkey, will usher in a new baby boom. March 8 was International Women's Day—a good occasion to take a closer look at a maternity hospital in Shijiazhuan, the capital of northern China's Heibei province, to understand the daily work of nurse midwives.

Coming from northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, 27-year-old Hou Mengru is a midwife at the hospital. Although Hou is unmarried and has not yet given birth herself, She has successfully helped to deliver nearly 1,000 newborns. 

Typically, an experienced midwife plays a role no less important than that of a gynecologist. Due to clinical practice and observation, midwives understand every stage of labor and are able to cope with various situations. They become familiar with every expression and response of the expectant mothers, and can even be called their "guardians."

During the long and hard process of natural childbirth, midwives accompany their patients throughout the whole ordeal. They help to ease the pain and offer encouragement.

Although the work is hard, every midwife seems very happy when speaking about the job. "Here we get to embrace new life every day!" said the head nurse, Li Xia.