New arrivals at EcoReality!
Priya's ligaments were fully relaxed yesterday, so we knew it would be in the next 24 hours. We went to bed with the window open, so we could monitor any strange noises.
Around 1 AM, Priya began bellowing at the top of her lungs. We didn't think she was due until Wednesday, so we thought she was trying to tell us that Shakti, due today, was ready.
We went out and spent a couple hours with them. Shakti was panting, and appeared to be having occasional contractions, and Priya kept screaming. We cleaned up a corner of the shed for them, and went back to bed around 3AM, although it was hard to ignore her constant crying so we could get back to sleep.
In the morning, she was still crying and acting restless. We continued cleaning out the shed, until Jan noticed Priya in the back yard, apparently with afterbirth hanging out of her.
"BRING TOWELS!" Jan yelled, and everyone came running in time to see the second birth, captured here on film.
Then we got busy with other stuff, periodically checking in on the new mom and the soon-to-be mom. In the middle of chipping up a bunch of wood, Carol came running out, yelling, "It's happening! There's a nose sticking out!"
Shortly thereafter, Shakti delivered a buckling, but then she strained and strained, and a head came out. Uh oh. You're supposed to see the feet first. "Go get some hot soapy water!" Jan yelled, "I'm going in!"
It required a gentle push back on the head, then reaching in beside the kid, feeling for legs: got one, gently pull it out, go back in for the other, and pull it out, then pull on both together while Shakti pushed. Another fine buckling!
But Shakti was still going. She was very tired, and although the third kid was "feet forward" as it was supposed to, the amnionic sac broke, which means the kid was no longer on mom's life support, so Jan gently pulled on the feet while Shakti pushed as best she could. This time, a beautiful doeling with a star on its forehead!
Both dams and all five kids seem to be doing fine, and like the rest of us, seem exhausted, and will probably sleep well tonight!
