Midwife of new life

Another woman, He Rong, who lost her husband and child, had a tumor in her womb that the doctors agreed would not inhibit reproduction, but she miscarried twice after remarrying.

"She would constantly call me, imagining potential complications," Wang says. "Once, she phoned at 1 am to ask if the baby could fuse with the tumor or develop inside it. After she stopped worrying, she gave birth to a daughter in 2011."

Zhao Tairong, 43, says Wang helped her have her son, now 3, after losing her 15-year-old boy in the quake.

"I wept all day every day because I didn't know how to spend my life without a child," Zhao says. "Wang convened a meeting of all mothers who lost children and encouraged us to give birth again. She made me realize I didn't need to die childless."

But her anxiety initially prevented pregnancy, Zhao says.

"Wang helped me relax, and, naturally, I got pregnant."

Zhao says her son Xie Mingfei died just as he was overcoming behavioral problems.

"He left us with precious memories and wondering who he would have become."

Her new son, Xie Mingyang, brings her great joy.

"I slipped on a wet hospital floor last year," she says. "Since I told him I couldn't carry him that day, he has always insisted on walking on his own. He's a good kid. He understands others' feelings."

Deng Xiu, who lost her 17-year-old daughter Wu Xiaolin when the school collapsed, says her 2-and-a-half-year-old son Wu Xiaoping also does not ask to be carried.

Wang also helped Deng alleviate anxiety to get pregnant again.

"I still can't think of my girl without crying," the mother says, choking up.

"She was so sweet. We were extremely close."

Deng says she is thankful for her new son.

Wang has not only helped the new children like Wu Xiaoping come into the world but also has remained part of their lives. Policy dictates Wang and her colleagues must visit the new children once a year until they are 3 to assess their health.

Until last year, Wang and her colleagues visited every woman's home during the Spring Festival or on anniversaries of the earthquake.

The doctor still keeps close contact with many of the mothers and children past 3 and has become the ganma, something like a godmother, to several of the kids.

"This job is worthwhile. It's not just a career - it's a calling. I've worked in this town for a long time. These women need me," Wang says.