In past years Athena's kiddings have been very scary, difficult, and she is the one doe that I did not want to miss. However, as time would have it, Athena's due date was the same day as Academic Decathlon State, which my team qualified for. I am captain and my mother and coach were pretty animate that I go. There was more planning made for this kidding than any of others this year put together. Not only did we have a friend over to goat sit, we had no less than three emergency lines for her, baby cameras everywhere so Athena could be moderated while my friend was inside, and everything was lined out to run perfectly with me being gone.
Dispite all this, Athena was starting to look close on the 8th, while she wasn't due til the 12th. We set up a cot and asked my friend to come a day early. I slept out in the barn with Athena the 8th. I still had school the next day and almost the moment the last bell rang, I was talking with my goat-sitter and trying to get a ride home early. I left Athena three times that evening and sat up with her as she proceeded to not kid. I did homework, surfed the net, listened to a ridiculous amount of music and complained to her for not giving birth. At one AM on the 10th, my mom came out and sent me to bed. I had a midterm later that day and I wouldn't be able to take the day off school.
I don't remember falling asleep, but my phone woke me up at 4AM, Athena had finally decided to kid
The timing now was perfect, almost five minutes after I got to the barn the first kid was out, it was a lovely brown buckling and started crying almost before I had the slime off him. Athena started pushing again, I passed off the kid to Mom in time to locate both feet and a nose. The second boy was also brown and not quite as lively as his brother, but he started to perk up within the following hour. Athena was in better shape after this kidding than she ever has in the past. No signs of milk fever or even much fatigue. She was up and happy to help us clean off her kids, her milk coming in well.
After all the stress and waiting, the kidding it's self had taken all of maybe ten minutes and there was a textbook perfect kidding. Both boys nose-and-toes, both breathing well and healthy, and one momma happen to have lightened her load.
Dispite all this, Athena was starting to look close on the 8th, while she wasn't due til the 12th. We set up a cot and asked my friend to come a day early. I slept out in the barn with Athena the 8th. I still had school the next day and almost the moment the last bell rang, I was talking with my goat-sitter and trying to get a ride home early. I left Athena three times that evening and sat up with her as she proceeded to not kid. I did homework, surfed the net, listened to a ridiculous amount of music and complained to her for not giving birth. At one AM on the 10th, my mom came out and sent me to bed. I had a midterm later that day and I wouldn't be able to take the day off school.
I don't remember falling asleep, but my phone woke me up at 4AM, Athena had finally decided to kid
The timing now was perfect, almost five minutes after I got to the barn the first kid was out, it was a lovely brown buckling and started crying almost before I had the slime off him. Athena started pushing again, I passed off the kid to Mom in time to locate both feet and a nose. The second boy was also brown and not quite as lively as his brother, but he started to perk up within the following hour. Athena was in better shape after this kidding than she ever has in the past. No signs of milk fever or even much fatigue. She was up and happy to help us clean off her kids, her milk coming in well.
After all the stress and waiting, the kidding it's self had taken all of maybe ten minutes and there was a textbook perfect kidding. Both boys nose-and-toes, both breathing well and healthy, and one momma happen to have lightened her load.