Robin's kidding was stressful to say the least. Robin was due and she kidded on April 1st, five days late. We had never had late does until this year, so we were having a hard time not being panicked. April 1st happened to be in the middle of the week and I had not only an English essay to write, but a History speech, and a worksheet to do after I read the required chapters in the new book assigned in English. On the drive home, I had typed up my speech on my laptop, fully expecting to have to kid out a goat as soon as I was home. However, Robin was looking uncomfortable, had lost her mucus plug, and was clearly not going into labor. I milked my other girls and set up my laptop in the kidding shed and prepared to write my essay. Robin was content to sit there and chew her cud. Halfway through my essay, I was drawing a blank on what to write, so I started reading the section I needed to. Robin was standing and seemed to be positioning, although she had seemed to be positioning for the last five days, so I wasn't too worried. Eventually, my awesome dad bought me dinner and I ate it, while watching Robin wander her pen bordley. After a while, my mom came and sat with me and Robin, occasionally Robin would push, but nothing serious. We spent some time staring at her, then I went back and finished my homework. It was getting late and Robin seemed to be holding out for the coldest part of the night. We dozed. We waited. We talked. Robin didn't kid.
Finally, she seemed to be pushing seriously, but the two finger check was showing nothing. Everything was nice and loose and just at the tips of my fingers I could feel a kid bubble, but it slid back every time I tried to pop it or feel for a kid. After some discution, my mother and I agreed that I should push my hand further in and make sure that the kids were positioned correctly. I lubbed up and pushed my hand passed Robin's cervex. The bubble poped and I felt a hard thing. I say "thing" because it was not clear if it was a back end or a head. I also found one, so I figured the hard thing must be a head, but the top. I pushed the kid back and went searching for a chin or ear. The head was tucked up agianst the chest with the chin down, so the hard thing had been the kid's poll. I got the head right and felt was felt like an elbow. That didn't make any sence, I knew I had a head and a foot, there shouldn't be an elbow this far up, and this elbow was not attached to the hoof I had felt earlier. I was utterly confused. I was also getting rather nervous as the kid, had not moved yet. Usally when repositioning, the kid with shift itself a bit, and this kid hadn't. I was worried that I had a dead kid in front and maybe another kid trying to be born at the same time. However, I wasn't sure. Robin was making no progress in pushing the kid out and I was afraid to help pull, as I wasn't sure which leg belonged to the head in the birth canal. I pushed my hand further in, tring to follow the head back and find a shoulder, which would show me what leg to push back and what leg to pull. What I found was a lot of confution, I couldn't tell what body part I was feeling and I was getting extreamly uneasy about this. So, we called Kathrynn Hieneger. We had already called the day before to know wether a doe could deliver live kids five days after her due date (they can). I tried to describe what I had felt to Kathrynn, and the consensus was that I'd just have to push the kids back and try again until I could figure out what to do. While I was talking with Kathrynn, Robin started pushing hard, and feet were coming out. I gave Kathrynn a hasty good bye and went to help Robin. At this point, I still wasn't sure that the feet belonged to the head, but if Robin was pushing this hard, the kid must be in the right position to come out. Robin pushed, I pulled. A beautiful, huge, roan doeling came out and started coughing. Mom cleaned the girl off while I checked Robin for the other kid. The other kid didn't exist, there had only been one, this giant singleton girl.
I called Kathrynn back and thanked her, and apologized for bothering her. The best I can figure is the the doeling had had one leg under her, the foot I felt, and one over her head, the elbow I felt, and had repositioned when I pushed her back to call Kathrynn. I don't know for sure, but that is what I suspect happened. Both Robin and April, what we named the doeling, were healthy and were doing great.
Finally, she seemed to be pushing seriously, but the two finger check was showing nothing. Everything was nice and loose and just at the tips of my fingers I could feel a kid bubble, but it slid back every time I tried to pop it or feel for a kid. After some discution, my mother and I agreed that I should push my hand further in and make sure that the kids were positioned correctly. I lubbed up and pushed my hand passed Robin's cervex. The bubble poped and I felt a hard thing. I say "thing" because it was not clear if it was a back end or a head. I also found one, so I figured the hard thing must be a head, but the top. I pushed the kid back and went searching for a chin or ear. The head was tucked up agianst the chest with the chin down, so the hard thing had been the kid's poll. I got the head right and felt was felt like an elbow. That didn't make any sence, I knew I had a head and a foot, there shouldn't be an elbow this far up, and this elbow was not attached to the hoof I had felt earlier. I was utterly confused. I was also getting rather nervous as the kid, had not moved yet. Usally when repositioning, the kid with shift itself a bit, and this kid hadn't. I was worried that I had a dead kid in front and maybe another kid trying to be born at the same time. However, I wasn't sure. Robin was making no progress in pushing the kid out and I was afraid to help pull, as I wasn't sure which leg belonged to the head in the birth canal. I pushed my hand further in, tring to follow the head back and find a shoulder, which would show me what leg to push back and what leg to pull. What I found was a lot of confution, I couldn't tell what body part I was feeling and I was getting extreamly uneasy about this. So, we called Kathrynn Hieneger. We had already called the day before to know wether a doe could deliver live kids five days after her due date (they can). I tried to describe what I had felt to Kathrynn, and the consensus was that I'd just have to push the kids back and try again until I could figure out what to do. While I was talking with Kathrynn, Robin started pushing hard, and feet were coming out. I gave Kathrynn a hasty good bye and went to help Robin. At this point, I still wasn't sure that the feet belonged to the head, but if Robin was pushing this hard, the kid must be in the right position to come out. Robin pushed, I pulled. A beautiful, huge, roan doeling came out and started coughing. Mom cleaned the girl off while I checked Robin for the other kid. The other kid didn't exist, there had only been one, this giant singleton girl.
I called Kathrynn back and thanked her, and apologized for bothering her. The best I can figure is the the doeling had had one leg under her, the foot I felt, and one over her head, the elbow I felt, and had repositioned when I pushed her back to call Kathrynn. I don't know for sure, but that is what I suspect happened. Both Robin and April, what we named the doeling, were healthy and were doing great.