I have had an absolutely exhausting, yet exciting day. My mare Miss Jetaway was due to give birth sometime very soon.... The good fortune of actually getting there this morning just as she began to go into labor was unbelievable. I didn't want to miss the actual birth. We were not expecting it during the day like this. Indeed, she ate a big breakfast this morning and was running and bucking in the field. My groom suspected she was having false labor earlier, and fortunately the vet was on her way out anyway to check on her milk production.
The surprising thing was that as I brought her in, her water broke. I had never seen this before, but I had this weird feeling that what I was seeing was not just simple urination. I looked under her at her udder, and sure enough, a waxy substance was being secreted from the teats, which is the colostrum, an anti-body rich first milk that was dripping out and forming this little waxy mound. I started shaking like a leaf!
As I brought her down from the field, she was a bit nervous. I led her to the stall, and as she went in, a sort of balloon extruded from under her tail. Holy moly, she was having the baby right then and there! I frantically called Daryl, and he said, "Congrats, but what are you calling me for, get on the phone with the vet!"
The vet was on her way, and was so pleased with the timing. She said it NEVER happens like this, and she was very excited. Jet paced her stall, and as she turned I saw two feet sticking out, still encased in the placenta and sac. It was fortunate the vet arrived soon afterwards... the baby was presenting twisted around, legs and head upside down. The vet scrubbed, and then reoriented the baby for birth.
As the head came out and crested, we had a bit of a scare, as the baby was unresponsive to some physical stimuli. Fortunately for us, as the shoulders came through, and in response to the vet smacking her face a bit, the baby's eyes fluttered open and the nostrils flared as she took a breath. Wow.
The rest of the process was very quick. Jet lay on her side and within twenty minutes had the baby out, save for the last part of her legs. We let mom and filly rest, and they curiously sniffed on another... Finally Jet stood up, and the rest of the baby fell out, along with the placenta, fully intact. I had to remove the rest of the sac from the baby, gather up the placenta, afterbirth, etc. and throw it into a bucket for later examination. It was huge! Kinda disgusting too.
The next step was to monitor the baby every ten minutes. I imprinted the baby, cradling its head, talking to it, and touching it as it was being born, and shortly afterwards. She runs not only to her mommy but also to me, which is a good thing. After she was born and laid there resting, I had to touch her all over, in order to acquaint her with what she will put up with the rest of her life... handling her ears, her feet, her tail, her mouth.
About 90 minutes after being born, she started struggling to get up. I had to resist the urge to help her... the act of trying to learn to stand is something they have to do with their own for proper development. She finally got up, shakily. oriented herself. Jet, a first time mommy was stellar. She gently guided the baby to her udder, and the baby began nursing.
Through the course of the day I had to monitor them both. Baby's first poop was an important one. There is a substance that builds up during gestation in their digestive tract that has to be expelled. An enema helped that. Then eight hours later a vet had to come out to give an antibody test, to ensure that immunity had been passed from mare to foal.
In the meanwhile I worked on a new maternity stall, and will be breaking my back this weekend to finish it.
Here are the photos:
NewbornWe are all very relieved, very happy... I had eyes as big as saucers during the whole, thing, tears coming down my face, but just so excited and pleased. She's a healthy and beautiful baby. She got her daddy's head and neck, and she's got the back-end of a champion jumper. She is going to be very very tall.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(762 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
