Willow had her babies on Wednesday--a doeling and a buckling. They are so sweet, and what a miracle birth is. I can't say I had any part in it at all, she delivered SO fast. I didn't even really know she is in hard labor, despite the fact that I was watching during late morning into the early afternoon when they were born. I noticed that morning that her udder had grown about 50% larger than it was the days previous, so I knew it was quite possible that it was going to happen that day. I checked on her often and noticed that there were telltale signs of discharge, her getting up and down (trying to get comfortable), her scratching out a place to lay down, soft and consistent "talking". I talked to a friend on the phone to see what else I ought to expect, and she told me to just check on her every 15 mins or so. Since I had just checked on her about 10 mins before, I waited another 5 mins and went outdoors to check---the babies were already born! I missed the birth completely, but I'm so happy to say that Willow---who was my "spark plug" that I wasn't really sure the type of mama she would be---was cleaning her babies up and nuzzling them sweetly and chittering to them. Thankfully another friend showed up pretty much as my daughter and I were watching, and she was able to tell us what to do next, and answer my questions. We got the babies familiar with where the food is within the first half hour, and another time or two within the next few hours, and all was well. They look great--two teats each, beautiful markings.
This is our little boy, my daughter is calling him Pugsley.
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I hope we are so lucky! :D
And congrats to your new mama too, Deborah!
I have to say that for this first-timer, it was really nice to be able to get used to some of the birthing routine with no issues or need to intervene at all. I think I'll be much more comfortable next year! :)
Congratulations! Good job, Mama! We had a similar birth last week because our monitor wasn't working properly, so I walked into the barn to find two dry kids snuggled up with mama an hour and a half after my husband had last checked and saw no signs of labor. He's only been helping with the goats for four years since our daughters left home, so I really shouldn't trust his judgment so much. We were still not very good at figuring out early signs of labor at that point. It does give me an interesting perspective though, living with someone who is essentially "new" to goats. For the first ten years out here, he just helped with fencing and housing projects and making cheese.
Thanks Myra and Julieanne!
These little ones are strong and already running about--it's such a marvel to see how quickly they develop! I love their markings, they look so much like their mom and dad both. So much fun!
Wow, it's so nice to hear a story about everything going well and smoothly. They are gorgeous babies, they look to be good-sized and strong. Congratulations, and good job Willow!