Nurturing life is the most beautiful gift that God has given to husband and wife. For ordinary us, getting married and having children is a very common thing in life. However, life is always not as good as it should be, and some couples may not be able to have children of their own for various reasons.
When the ancients encountered the inability to have children, they often went to the temple to pray for the blessing of the Bodhisattva, and the folk also had the custom of tying dolls in the temple. With the development and advancement of medicine, there is now a technique that brings hope to couples who are unable to conceive naturally, and that is IVF.
In the late 60s of the last century, a couple named Zuo Changlin and Zheng Guizhen began their journey of seeking children. They are all from the countryside, Zuo Changlin is a farmer, and Zheng Guizhen is a rural private teacher.
Their union was praised by the villagers as "a marriage like a cowherd and a weaver girl". Despite the fact that they are not wealthy, they share a common goal - to have a child.
So, they began to look for ways to make this wish come true. Eventually, they became the parents of the first IVF in China, bringing new hope to infertile families in China.
In those days, many young people, like others, began to dream of a better future after marriage. Although the family planning policy has been implemented, the two are still eager to have one"Okay"Words, a boy and a girl, this is the complete image of the family in their hearts.
Day after day, time flies, and Zheng Guizhen is still not pregnant. This made the families of both sides anxious, and they quietly asked if the two were doing well. This young couple seems a little shy about their family's concern, but their relationship is very good, and it can even be said that they are typical of raising eyebrows, Qin Se and Ming.
Despite their anxiety, they patiently explained to their relatives and friends that the chance of pregnancy was like a drop of water on a cliff into a glass of water below the cliff, and the probability was extremely low. After all, there are still many chances of getting pregnant.
After a while, there was still no movement, and Zheng Guizhen began to suspect that it might be bad luck. Although she didn't believe it, she and her husband went to the relevant temple to ask for a child according to the advice of the local elders.
As described in the ancient play, the two prayed earnestly to the gods to give them a child as soon as possible.
In Zheng Guizhen's hometown, the village became lively as people her age got married and had children. On her way to and from work, she often sees several early-born children toddlers, and the swaying appearance makes her feel both cute and envious.
Finally, she couldn't sit still, she silently pulled her husband and went to the county to see a doctor, hoping to find out the reason why the two had not been able to get pregnant. A few days later, the report came out, which stated: Zheng Guizhen was unable to have children due to bilateral fallopian tube blockage.
This is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for them, which will completely knock them to the bottom. Both of them love their children dearly, but it seems that God is always against them. By the standards of the time, the two of them might never have had children of their own.
Zheng Guizhen and her husband fell into pain because they couldn't have children, Zheng Guizhen filed for divorce from her husband, and hoped that her husband could find someone who could have children, Zuo Changlin resolutely disagreed, saying that he would find a solution with his wife.
Looking at her husband's attitude, Zheng Guizhen was moved and guilty.
Zheng Guizhen deeply felt that her illness had left her husband childless for many years, but she was glad that her husband never gave up. Husbands and wives work together to face difficulties together. In order to find the best way, they sought medical advice everywhere, tried acupuncture and moxibustion, looked for home remedies, and traveled through mountains and rivers to seek medical treatment.
In the past few years, they have visited half of China's hospitals and clinics, but there is still no hope of having children.
In May 1987, they learned that the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University was conducting an infertility experiment, and although the progress of the experiment was not yet known, they decided to go to Beijing to try it.
In front of the gate of the reproductive department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University, they met Professor Zhang Lizhu. Seeing this couple from Gansu, Professor Zhang Lizhu understood their mood very well at this time.
She knew that there were countless people who had sought medical treatment here, and when they spoke to them, she could feel the sparkle in their eyes. This light represents hope, hope for a successful conception, and hope for a child to come.
Some people came to this department with great expectations, and finally some people successfully conceived a child, full of joy; And some people, despite their best efforts, still fail to do so and leave with regrets.
Here, Professor Zhang Lizhu witnesses the ups and downs of life every day, and she tastes the various states of life here. On this day, the couple approached Professor Zhang Lizhu and heard that the hospital was conducting an experiment on infertility, and they decided to give it a try.
This experiment is now known as IVF technology. In 1978, the world's first test-tube baby was successfully born in a hospital in London, England, and human medicine entered a new era.
The emergence of IVF technology has attracted the attention of the whole world, and countries hope to master this advanced medical science.
In 1984, Professor Zhang Lizhu's team introduced related technologies and began to conduct experiments in Beijing. However, despite three years of extensive search for volunteers, few responders came.
For the public, IVF technology is still a strange and cutting-edge high-tech, and many people are skeptical about its maturity, and there are even rumors that IVF may not live past the age of 45.
Despite this, Professor Zhang's team bravely recruited several couples for the experiment, but the results failed without exception. However, they did not give up, but reviewed each case in detail, learned from the lessons, and looked forward to the success of the next experiment.
However, there are very few couples willing to participate in the experiment.
Mr. and Mrs. Cheng immediately reported their health to Professor Zhang Lizhu, and after listening to their story, Professor Zhang realized that the couple were ideal test subjects.
However, as a doctor, she reminds them that IVF experiments are extremely risky and have not yet been successful. When the couple heard the news, they fell into deep thought.
They came with the last glimmer of hope, but they didn't expect such an outcome. Zuo Changlin learned that the experiment might have an impact on pregnant women, so he had the idea of giving up, and the safety of his wife always came first in his heart.
Zheng Guizhen knew that she was 38 years old, which is an advanced age for a pregnant woman, and this was her last attempt to conceive and give birth. She wants to take her last chance, at any cost, even if it means risking her life.
After a long discussion, the couple shared their concerns with each other. Zheng Guizhen comforted her husband that even if she failed this time, it would be okay, because if she succeeded, it would be a huge breakthrough.
Although this experiment may have an impact on the pregnant woman's body, Zheng Guizhen is still willing to take the risk.
After the consent of both husband and wife, Professor Zhang Lizhu's team decided to try IVF technology on them. On June 24, 1987, Zheng Guizhen became the first woman to undergo IVF blastocyst transfer.
Zuo Changlin waited anxiously outside the operating room for the results of the experiment. After some time, the good news came that IVF had been successfully implanted in Zheng Guizhen's body, and she needed to rest and wait for further news.
Two weeks later, lab tests showed that Ms. Zheng was pregnant. Hearing the news, the couple was very excited. In order to pray for his wife to give birth to a child smoothly, Zuo Changlin deliberately went to the Lama Temple in Beijing, which is said to be the most miraculous temple, and he knelt down in front of the Bodhisattva for a long time, praying again and again, hoping that both men and women could be born safely.
When Zuo Changlin learned that the fetal heart was beating when his wife's B ultrasound examination was performed, he was so excited that he couldn't speak, as if time had stopped. At that time, his wife, Zheng Guizhen, was 38 years old, and in order to prevent premature birth or other potential problems, the hospital opened a special care unit for her, requiring her to stay still, not to move around freely or do strenuous exercise, and to maintain emotional stability.
In the months that followed, all the medical staff, like Mr. and Mrs. Cheng, were nervous and ready to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. Thankfully, everything went well. At 8:56 a.m. on March 10, 1988, a baby girl was born in the hospital, and the whole hospital was jubilant.
When a new life is born, the meaning is far-reaching. She is not only the successful conception of China's first IVF, but also a major breakthrough in the field of assisted reproductive technology in China.
Since the birth of the world's first IVF in the United Kingdom in 1978, Chinese medical workers have continued to explore and innovate, and finally achieved this great achievement. For every family, the arrival of a child is a dream, and their wish finally comes true at this moment.
Just now, when Professor Zhang Lizhu carefully held the baby in his hand and slowly took it out, everyone held their breath. When the baby's cry echoed in the delivery room, Zuo Changlin shed tears excitedly, which were tears of joy and moving.
Zuo Changlin felt a great responsibility and decided to spend his life protecting the health and happiness of his wife and children. The child weighed seven pounds and eight taels at birth, with a length of 52 centimeters, and was one of the newborns.
Zuo Changlin took the child and came to his wife, and they had already chosen a name for the child. According to the customs of Gansu, the child has two names, one follows the mother's surname Zheng, called Zheng Mengzhu, which means sprout and pearl in the palm.
The other name is "Yonglong", which represents praying for the fulfillment of wishes in the Lama Temple, and "dragon" symbolizes the lunar year of the dragon in 1988.
Zuo Changlin clasped the hands of Professor Zhang and the medical staff, and his gratitude was overflowing. In the past more than 260 days and nights, the selfless dedication of medical staff has ensured the safe birth of the child.
However, Cheng's growth still touches the hearts of Professor Zhang and her team. As the first case of IVF in China, their study needs to be tracked and recorded for a long time to improve the experimental data.
Zheng Mengzhu's growth rate is beyond ordinary people, she learned to call her parents in eight months, she can walk at the age of one and a half, and she can recite nursery rhymes at the age of two. Her parents were deeply gratified by this.
Zheng Mengzhu's physical fitness is very good, compared to children of the same age, she rarely gets sick, and she has never even experienced a cold. What is even more surprising is that by the age of two, she has already reached the weight and height of other children when they were three or four years old.
Zheng Mengzhu has a cheerful personality, lively and active, and is the pearl of her parents. Although her parents took very good care of her, in fact, this was the greatest love her parents had for her, and they hoped that this precious pearl given by God would be safe and sound.
The hospital has always maintained close contact with her family, and timely reported the data of Zheng Mengzhu's body and other aspects to improve her case report. As she grew older, Zheng Mengzhu became curious about her own background.
She is curious about the technology of IVF and wants to know how human life is born and grows. These questions have been sprouting in her mind all along.
When her teacher asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, Jung always answered "doctor." Because if it weren't for the doctors who implemented IVF techniques, she would not have come into this world at all.
Without the care and love of the doctors, she would not have been able to grow up healthily.
Zheng Mengzhu has the benevolence of a doctor and is determined to become a doctor and treat more people. She dreams of one day returning to her birthplace, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University, and working in the reproductive department there.
She hopes to meet the professor Zhang Lizhu who gave her life back then, and hopes to pass on her knowledge and skills. After years of hard work, Zheng Mengzhu was successfully admitted to Xi'an Xijing University and returned to her hometown of Beijing after graduation.
Today, she is a case manager at the Center for Reproductive Medicine of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University and is dedicated to her medical career.
On this land, she flipped through the medical records of her parents and witnessed her life from conception to birth. Although Professor Zhang Lizhu has retired, Zheng Mengzhu's gratitude to them has always been the same.
In her heart, this team has played a role in the reinvention of her birth. At the same time, she also realized that IVF technology has helped countless families in China, bringing new hope to those who are suffering from infertility.
However, despite this, there are still many challenges in the process of promoting this technology, the biggest of which comes from people's mindsets. Since the implementation of IVF technology in China, it has been controversial.
Some people think that this technology is interfering with the arrangement of nature and adding chaos to God; Others believe that in vitro fertilization embryos lack maternal nourishment at the beginning and may have an impact on the child's intellectual development and physical functions.
Zheng Mengzhu has always faced some doubts in the process of studying and growing. Although every step forward, some claims can be proved wrong, and even rumors have been debunked one by one.
However, some baseless remarks still left some doubts in the hearts of many people. For example, there was a saying that people born through IVF do not live to be 45 years old.
However, the world's first IVF turned 42 years old in 2020. So, what is the basis for such rhetoric? If we look at the problem from another point of view, IVF technology has only a few decades of history since its inception and has not yet experienced the life of a complete generation, so strictly speaking, this experiment is still ongoing.
Then, every step of the growth of the first batch of people born through IVF technology is actually creating a new history.
Zheng Mengzhu, China's first test-tube baby, her birth once caused a sensation in the entire medical community. She once dreamed of taking a big step forward in human society with her own small steps.
At the same time, she is also eager to play her part in the cause of human medicine, and at the same time, she is also looking forward to finding a like-minded partner to spend the rest of her life with. Zheng Mengzhu looks forward to the ordinary life of her husband and children, and hopes to have unswerving love like her parents.
In the next few years, she continued to make progress in her work, gradually became the backbone of related departments, and also gained a sweet and happy love emotionally. On April 15, 2019, a loud cry sounded in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University.
This is a baby boy weighing seven pounds and eight taels and measuring 52 centimeters long. The birth of this baby boy caused quite a stir in the medical community, because his mother was Zheng Mengzhu, the first test-tube baby in China.
Zheng Mengzhu, China's first test-tube baby, was awarded Lin'er, successfully breaking the rumor that "IVF is difficult to have children". Her son is not only the first "test-tube baby second-generation baby" delivered by test-tube babies in the history of our country, but also the world's first second-generation baby delivered by test-tube baby.
Although the child was delivered normally, Zheng Mengzhu can still feel the hardships and difficulties of her parents when they gave birth to her. Today, her son is two years old, lively, cute, and smart, like all children his age.
Zheng Mengzhu thanked IVF technology for giving her life, and hoped that her case would encourage more people to dispel their doubts and truly understand the power of this technology.