Teensy Tiny Babies

Calpernias first baby, the easy one

Okay guys. Last night was bonkers.
I had checked Calpernia relatively obsessively for a couple of days. Ultimately I decided that I must have been way off in my lamb predictions and quit checking every couple hours with all the gear I may need for lambing. So last night around five I went out to chase a circling hawk away from my chickens. On my way in I figured I'd stop at the lambing pens and check my girls. THERE WAS A BABY. I was immediately relieved that lambing had gone well and stayed to make sure she got up to nurse. Then the second one started, the relief left me rapidly, I did not have my gloves, my bottle of colostrum in case she wouldn't let them nurse, I HAD NOTHING and Dylan wasn't home. At first I thought I could see the baby's nose. That was alarming, sheep are supposed to come out front feet first, then more of the legs appeared, I relaxed. Then the tail appeared, and I realized her sac hadn't broken I was petrified. I was frantically texting my farm friend during this. He tried to call, my phone froze up, I knew it was bad if he was calling and not just "loling" at my paranoia. I pulled the baby out, she was still in her sac so I had to break it, she had already done a kick when her head was still inside, but she wasn't breathing after I pulled the sac. So I opened her mouth and checked for any sac remnants, then blew on her nose. She started to "baa". Calps quickly got her all cleaned up, but the little baby wasn't getting up to suck. Shawn texts to say, you've got to get her suck, hold mama down if you have to. So hold Calps down I do. Its not an easy task at the best of times to hold a sheep down, let alone with one shaking hand while the other tries desperately to get a lamb to latch on. I was so terrified that the little nugget was going to die on me. Within a few hours everyone had settled in and the babies were happily sucking and doing their little clumsy walk.

The little one with the black ears is the one that I had to help get out, up and going. She's my little miracle baby.

Now if someone had said to me six months ago that this would be a thing that I would do in my life, I would have laughed and named at least one hundred other people more likely to assist in sheep birth than I. I'm a bit squeamish, or I used to be. I don't like to get dirty, and I especially don't like blood. Those and other things are present in significant ways during lambing. I got right up in it. There was blood, poop and who knows what else from my feet up into my hair. 

Though I had done some google research, and thought I would know what to do if things went wrong. In the moment however I forgot everything I thought I knew and was just winging it. Fortunately for all of us it turned out okay but hot damn guys, I'm not sure if my little heart will ever slow down. 

Scout is still awaiting the arrival of her babies. I'm hoping there'll only be one and no one needs assistance. Fingers crossed guys.

By the time yesterday was over I was so exhausted, I felt like I'd been run over by ten trucks. I thought it was solely from the adrenaline of it all. Now I think it may also be from Calpernia's endless attempts to kill me while I tried to get her baby on her. 

This little baby will always have a special place in my heart