Early Labor: When do I go out to the barn??!!

Hello!

I have 2nd-time mama that was bred on Dec 10th & 14th. She kidded with twins last year at her original farm with no issues. So she's either almost on Day 142 or Day 138 (obviously I hope it's the former if she's actually in early labor). She is my first and only doe due to kid, as I "kidded" myself this past fall with my 2nd child and missed the breeding window for my other 2 ladies (from the same breeder) who would have been 1st fresheners this year.

Anyway, I've been watching every video, reading every forum post, re-reading every goat book I own, & read "Just Kidding" cover-to-cover today. Still, I'm not sure I'm detecting the signs that will tell me when to head out to the kidding stall. I have mama on Goat TV right now, and she's in the classic lying down position with one hind leg out, a lot of tail flagging, one little squeak while rump went up in the air. Her belly has lowered, udder pretty full, ligaments seem almost gone (I think??). She's alternating between sleeping with head on the straw and staring into space with head in a relaxed upright position. She changes position at times, leg more outward. She's been nesting a bit, and her appetite has decreased for certain things today. Also some increased interest in her own belly & hind end today.

I'm so close to the birthing experience myself that I'm afraid I'm "seeing things". Do I head out to the barn now, or wait for a more obvious sign of active labor? Also, if it was her 2nd breeding that "took", am I preparing for kid(s) that are very unlikely to make it? Kid(s) are very active in utero today.

Thanks in advance for any advice! I keep second guessing myself!

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Replies

  • You're welcome! 

  • Thank you, thank you!!! I totally crashed last night, and didn't load pics. We got tons of video, but all the pics are a bit haphazard, so I'll post one of the shorter videos + the birth story in the Birth Announcements thread!!

    WOO HOO! Babies & mama are all doing great this morning!!!

    Thank you, Julia and Deborah for holding my hand through this!! 

  • YAY! So happy for you that it all went well! Can't wait to read your birth story :)

  • Congratulations! As for the cord, I don't cut them at all. It's not a big deal if they're long. Mamas often shorten them, and they shrivel up and shorten on their own within 24 hours. But if you cut it that short and dipped in iodine, that works too.

  • TRIPLETS!!! 2 doelings & 1 buckling, born somewhere between 7:30 & 8:30 this evening!!! 

    Thank you, Julia for your encouragement!! Mama Maple was amazing. All of a sudden, she was just pushing! All babies are fluffy and have nursed a few times each. The only thing I think I messed up on was how long I cut the umbilical cords. They were all super long, so I thought I remembered a 1/2 inch.... think that was too short!!! I double iodine dipped. 

    I'm so tired I can't think, so birth story tomorrow. But pics in a sec!!!

  • Sounds like this is IT! Let us know how it goes... you're gonna do great!

  • UPDATE: Okay, now I'm looking everywhere to try to remember whether ligaments can go from gradually softening over a period of several days to disappearing completely between 9:00 this morning and 1:30 this afternoon. Is this possible? I swear that THIS TIME I can't feel them anymore, and Maple's udder is even fuller and tighter. GAAAAHHHH! 

  • This is so helpful, Deborah! I have been able to wrap fingers around the tail head for a week now, so that was confusing me. And yes, my husband and I keep comparing notes, haha. I also had my friend who grew up on a dairy farm feel, even though she mainly had cows. I keep trying to get differences of opinion. Maybe I'll ask my 5-year-old son to feel as well. :-) Sometimes kids are the best observers for sure. This morning I still felt cord-like things in the area, but this afternoon things feel almost completely smooth. 

    Yes, Maple is textbook when it comes to being alone. We anticipated much more fuss, but we did make sure she could still see the others both inside and outside, and she's also been asking to be in the kidding area at times. My snotty little herd queen seems to be in heat, and she's just not nice to be around when that's the case. Maple defends herself, but Faun keeps going for the belly. I may be worrying too much, of course, but belly butts were my cue to only offer supervised whole herd time now. 

    Definitely loving my little camera system. And thanks so much for the better picture of real vocalizing to be on the lookout for. I've been expecting her to go from 0-60 without warning for some reason, but hopefully she'll give me those clear signs.


    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

    The muscles back there get soft before the ligaments do. That is what confuses people. They feel these smooshy soft muscles and think the ligaments are gone. I've heard people say that the ligaments are gone because they can wrap their fingers around the tail head -- but that only means the muscles are soft. I've been able to wrap my fingers around the tail head even though the ligaments are still quite firm. If you have other family members with whom you can compare notes, that's helpful. My daughters figured it out about a year before I did. I'd come into the house and say that ligaments were gone, and they'd go out there and find them!

    When you lock up some goats by themselves, they get very upset and want you to stay with them. When you leave, they scream for you to come back. I guess they figure that if they can't have another goat for company, they at least want a human to stay with them. That's one really good reason to have a camera. You can see if they calm down after a little bit, once they realize you've gone "far" away. And even if they don't stop screaming, you can at least see that they are just standing there screaming, rather than laying down and pushing and screaming.

  • The muscles back there get soft before the ligaments do. That is what confuses people. They feel these smooshy soft muscles and think the ligaments are gone. I've heard people say that the ligaments are gone because they can wrap their fingers around the tail head -- but that only means the muscles are soft. I've been able to wrap my fingers around the tail head even though the ligaments are still quite firm. If you have other family members with whom you can compare notes, that's helpful. My daughters figured it out about a year before I did. I'd come into the house and say that ligaments were gone, and they'd go out there and find them!

    When you lock up some goats by themselves, they get very upset and want you to stay with them. When you leave, they scream for you to come back. I guess they figure that if they can't have another goat for company, they at least want a human to stay with them. That's one really good reason to have a camera. You can see if they calm down after a little bit, once they realize you've gone "far" away. And even if they don't stop screaming, you can at least see that they are just standing there screaming, rather than laying down and pushing and screaming.

  • So now I'm wondering... Are there sinewy muscles right under the tail ligaments that make feeling the ligaments confusing? I don't feel the clear pencils from hip bone to pin bone anymore, but I'm feeling more than one thinner cord-like thing in the same area. I'm determined to learn to read these ligaments! :-)

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