When we got home on Friday night, I was almost immediately worried when Sarah distanced herself from the other does when we fed. She was not interested in grain and her entire back end was loose and sagging to the point of being almost comical. Because night had fallen and Sarah was acting sensitive to bright light, I could not really tell if she had 'dropped'. Usually a doe will carry her kids pretty high up, so they look very fat. Before the does kid, they will 'drop' their babies and carry they lower so that their stomachs look saggy. I was convinced that Sarah was going to kid.
Our milking parlor was converted into a kidding pen, but I didn't want to move Sarah until she seemed to be serious. So, Sarah and I sat in the dark for about two and a half hours. My parents seemed to think that I had gone crazy and were convinced she was still 'positioning' her babies - does will sometimes spend up to 12 hours helping get their babies into the right position and ready to enter the birth canal. Sarah was two days early last year but, four days seemed to be a bit much. My parents brought me hot chocolate and sat with Sarah and I from time to time. Finally, we moved Sarah into the milking parlor/kidding pen and set up a bed for me on the milking stands, so I could sleep. Sarah was content to lay down and continue to look uncomfortable. Twice, she had little bouts of contractions but I didn't radio my mother until I wanted to check inside Sarah for kid parts.
Mom showed up and we sat and stared at Sarah. No more contractions. It seemed like she was determined to make a liar out of me. Mom and I traded off dozing until FINALLY I could feel a kid bubble. I popped it and then nothing. My mother and I were worried at this point maybe the kid just wasn't engaged in the birth canal or, maybe Sarah wasn't really pregnant and this was a cloud burst. It seemed like forever but, Sarah FINALLY pushed the kid into the birth canal. One foot. I pulled and Sarah pushed. I could feel a head. Then the head came out. More pulling. More pushing. We got a shoulders and the other front leg. The kid was out and not breathing. Mom cleaned his mouth and nose and started to swing him around. He coughed and it seemed that he had inhaled a bunch of birthing fluid. Sarah was baby talking and cleaning my hand for me, she was being really sweet in general.
The kid was a cute brown boy with a little splash on one side. He weighed 7.2 lb and once we got the slime out of his lungs he was very active. Sarah seemed to be done. I bounced her and couldn't tell. She started to pass her placenta. Mom took the little boy inside and fed him. I tried to go back to sleep but ended up staring at Sarah some more. Eventually, I went in and took a shower and went to bed. Mom stayed with Sarah until morning. It was a long night, all said and done, I got two hours of sleep.
The little boy is doing great and so is Sarah! :D
Our milking parlor was converted into a kidding pen, but I didn't want to move Sarah until she seemed to be serious. So, Sarah and I sat in the dark for about two and a half hours. My parents seemed to think that I had gone crazy and were convinced she was still 'positioning' her babies - does will sometimes spend up to 12 hours helping get their babies into the right position and ready to enter the birth canal. Sarah was two days early last year but, four days seemed to be a bit much. My parents brought me hot chocolate and sat with Sarah and I from time to time. Finally, we moved Sarah into the milking parlor/kidding pen and set up a bed for me on the milking stands, so I could sleep. Sarah was content to lay down and continue to look uncomfortable. Twice, she had little bouts of contractions but I didn't radio my mother until I wanted to check inside Sarah for kid parts.
Mom showed up and we sat and stared at Sarah. No more contractions. It seemed like she was determined to make a liar out of me. Mom and I traded off dozing until FINALLY I could feel a kid bubble. I popped it and then nothing. My mother and I were worried at this point maybe the kid just wasn't engaged in the birth canal or, maybe Sarah wasn't really pregnant and this was a cloud burst. It seemed like forever but, Sarah FINALLY pushed the kid into the birth canal. One foot. I pulled and Sarah pushed. I could feel a head. Then the head came out. More pulling. More pushing. We got a shoulders and the other front leg. The kid was out and not breathing. Mom cleaned his mouth and nose and started to swing him around. He coughed and it seemed that he had inhaled a bunch of birthing fluid. Sarah was baby talking and cleaning my hand for me, she was being really sweet in general.
The kid was a cute brown boy with a little splash on one side. He weighed 7.2 lb and once we got the slime out of his lungs he was very active. Sarah seemed to be done. I bounced her and couldn't tell. She started to pass her placenta. Mom took the little boy inside and fed him. I tried to go back to sleep but ended up staring at Sarah some more. Eventually, I went in and took a shower and went to bed. Mom stayed with Sarah until morning. It was a long night, all said and done, I got two hours of sleep.
The little boy is doing great and so is Sarah! :D