Two Birthing Stories

Good Morning:

Here is another picture of the Tea Party - all the food. And one of the tables.

I am so excited today..... I have to tell you the news..... we are getting a vacuum sealer this week. This will mean that we won't have to go 12 miles one way to vacuum our cheese anymore. It will be another time free zone for me. My parents are buying it for our dairy. It will be here this week.

Thanks MOM and DAD

Well we have had 14 babies in 4 days. Three of them being triplets and two being twins and one single. I want to tell you the birth of the first triplets: The mom went into labor about 7:00 Friday night the 13th and had the first baby by 8:20 a little buck. I was busy in the creamery and didn't go and check her out - but the word from the girls was"they thought she was done". We had put her in a pen with her new son. So I went to bed at 9pm. Heather and Jamie and CJ got here about 10:30pm. At about midnight David came and woke me up and informed me that new mom was still pushing. I knew it was going to cold and I had to get dressed. I grabbed the dish soap and two towels and put on my boots and coat. Sure enough she was down and was pushing. I checked her and saw nothing being born. So I poured soap all over my hand and went in for a feel. Sure enough there was a butt and no legs. I had to work my hand in and around the butt to find the legs. I managed to get one leg pulled up but the other leg I found seemed to tight to pull it into position. I figured that the baby was probably dead so I gently pulled it out and layed it on the ground. David said, "it moved!". I was surprised to find it alive after three hours. I cleaned its face off and put it in front of mom. She cleaned it up right away. David looked at the goat and said you think three might be another one in there? So I lifted her stomach and felt yes there was another kids in there. I again thought this one would be dead too. This one was easy as I went in and just pulled it out. It was alive. So I cleaned its face off and layed it in front of the mom. Everyone was happy and I could go back to bed - It was about 1:15 and I needed to be up at 4:30 to package cheese for David and get him on the road to Market. Needless to say I was tired.

So Sat. came and I did make the 4:30 wake up and got the cheese packaged and labled for David. And made it to market in good time. I stayed up and got the house and kitchen picked up. The girls got up at 7:00 and went out and finished chores and found another doe had had babies. Sat. morning the girls went up to the barn to check and sure enough there was another set of triplets, 2 does and buck. We got her and her kids into a pen. So the last birth I want to tell you about is the yearling doe and her single birth. This was Sat. evening the 14th. She started labor about 4:30 - when we went up to do chores she was laying on the ground pushing and crying and pushing and crying. She was throwing her head back and then standing up and laying down. When we checked her, she was just starting to push the sack out. My daughter and grandson were out there comforting this doe. I made the girls start thier chores while Heather kept tabs on the progress. CJ wanted to come help me hay and drive the tractor - so we left Heather midwifing. I got done haying and still the water bag was about 1/2 way out. As my daugther and grandson watched the water bubble popped and wooshed water on the ground. Then you could see two feet. I told my daughter everything was going well. I left again to help water all the goats. About 20 min later this doe was at the same place.... not a good sign. The average birth should take about 45 min. total. Anyway that is my time line for when I need to go in and help or at least check. So I got my hand all soapy and went in to feel how the progress was going. Two feet and yes there was the nose.... things are they way they are suppose to be - so we put her in a pen and left her. Maybe she doesn't like company while giving birth. We all went into the house and set the timer for 1/2 hour to go check on her again. Half hour went by and I went up and checked. I called on my cell phone to the house to send the girls up we were going to have to deliver this one. I soaped up again and went in to feel.... things were in position, but the head was really big. So I stretched the opening and gently pulled on the legs which came out pretty easy. But the head was alittle tight. I worked at stretching her and pulling with each contraction. This baby took about another 30 min. to deliver. It was a huge head and good sized kid. The end it all turned out great.

Jamie and David went to Market on Sun. David did so well by himself on Sat. at market we thought sending both guys on Sunday that they would also do great. They did great, but David still made more on Sat. . Heather and CJ hung out with us girls. Heather and I went over to Black Sheep Creamery to vacuum up some more cheese Sunday night, cause David and Jamie had sold alot of our aged cheese and our marinated feta cheese. We left at about 9pm after David and Jamie got home and we had a good count of the cheese. I had to cut up another round of N.W. Comfort. This only gives us one more round of N.W. Comfort and two rounds of Black Jewels left. Heather and I got home about 10:30pm. Jamie and David were tired after such a busy day at market. We all sat up and watched the news and then to bed. We also have a baby goat in the house now too. One of the first triplets wasn't doing so good - so we brought him in the house and gave him some colostrum and a teaspoon of Nutra drench (vit. packed liquid). Put it in a clothes basket with he heating pad. As of this afternoon he is standing and eating good and its time to move him outside under a heat lamp.

On Monday when we went out to do chores we found another mom with triplets. Two bucks and a doe. So we have seven does and 14 kids. I'll wait for one more doe to kid then we'll start up the milking parlor. Monday was pretty uneventful after the weekend. Ali went to market with David and Danyel and I stayed home. We are working on getting everything ready for our first big tour on Wed. I just got the count of people coming - 39 children and 11 adults. Its a homeschool group from Federal Way WA. Anyway no more babies on Monday. And this morning there were no new babies either. I hope one goes today so we can start making cheese. Sun. David sold out of all my Pepper Rosa and I only have about 15 pieces of Fresh Feta and we are all sold out of Grande Rosa. I am going to mail a package of cheese off to my mom today, chevres and Marinated Feta. David and I will go over to Black Sheep Creamery and vacuum up some Chevres for my mom and then stop by the post office and get it going.

David went and got hay this morning and the Amanda (a friend of my older daughters) brought her three boar goats (mom and two kids) to stay here for awhile while she works in Rainier WA training horses. And Danyel and Ali are also going to a neighbors to wash thier truck for them. Danyel and Ali are also doing dog watch for another neighbor.

Well I think I'v wrote enough today. And David and I need to go to town and get the new baby pen set up with the heat lamp.

Have a Great Day.