Early Arrivals

As I'm writing this, I'm keeping watch on one of the nannies who looks like she may be going into labor.

Little Sister, Too had triplets last Sunday -- according to my calculation five days early -- am so glad it happened while I was still here.  (Conference in Portland from Tuesday to Friday.)  One little one didn't make it so I had to make a quick trip up the hill to the "burying tree."  (Just hoping this will be my only trip up there this birthing season.)  Another baby was having trouble getting to the teat for the critical colostrum, as they need it within about an hour and I had watched for about 45-50 minutes, hoping.  Decided to intervene.  Let's see, two hands  -- hold mother still, hold baby near teat -- no; let go mother, hold baby near teat and try to stuff teat into mouth -- nope;  okay, two hands, two legs -- hold mother with legs, hold baby, try to maneuver teat into baby's mouth . . . on to plan B.

Grabbed a bottle and a large syringe and decided to milk the mother who, happily, cooperated with me.  Bottle didn't work -- refused to suck on it.  First syringe didn't work -- too large.  Three increasingly smaller syringes didn't work -- refused to swallow anything from the foreign objects being jammed into its mouth.

After getting colostrum all over the wee one and myself (including my iPhone that had dropped out of my pocket in the midst of this battle of wits), I decided that I would just have to keep my fingers crossed and turn things back over to Mother Nature . . . she did good!

I buried the placenta and the other unidentified slimy and bloody bits of whatever so that nothing would alert the neighborhood fox or other local predators to the vulnerable little ones around.  Needless to say, I was very happy when I got back home to see that they both had made it and were looking good.

     Aren't they cute!  I love that they are colored like Patch. Wondering if I'll end up with all black/white/grey babies this year.

False alarm -- no birthing for now.