She is tired, lying on her side, exhausted. The last few days have been hard, uncomfortable, and unsettled she has not felt like eating.

She spent most of her time searching, exactly what for she didn’t know.  Then today things changed. 

She had cramps, then spasms, then whole-body contractions. 

Now it is nearly over, one more push and her calf is delivered.  She lies still for a few moments while the calf takes its first, tenuous breaths.

A couple minutes later she is standing, cleaning her newborn, which is struggling to teach its uncoordinated legs to work.  In an hour the calf will be standing alongside her, drinking its fill of colostrum. 

Birth in cattle and goats usually follows this pattern, but in goats there is often a twin, and sometimes a triplet.

For pigs it is a longer affair, up to 15 siblings are routinely born and that can take time.  But the stages are the same,

Phase one is the cramps, the discomfort, the wandering, no appetite, and nesting. 

Phase two is the delivery, the contractions, the effort to push the newborn into the world. 

Phase three is the afterbirth being pushed out.

Vets and farmers often play midwife to animals. 

Difficult deliveries are not common, but are not unusual.

When and how we intervene depends on knowing the normal process, including how long each stage should last.

Phase two usually lasts 4 to 8 hours. 

Often, we won’t notice when it starts and only really become aware when it moves to phase two. 

This is not a lack of observation; it is just because the mothers do not always show much external behaviour that would alarm us.

Phase two begins with the amniotic sac becoming visible and rupturing, releasing the amniotic fluid. 

This is the “water breaking” so beloved of Hollywood directors. 

Great for setting up a scene.  In animals, phase two is usually 2-4 hours, longer for first time mothers. 

Contractions build in intensity; the offspring moves into the pelvis and pushed out.  Once the first of the litter is born the rest follow at regular intervals, 30 minutes to an hour apart.

Then phase three can happen right away, but the afterbirth is usually passed within an hour

The single best thing we can do to assist a normal birth is leave the mother alone.  Intervention causes anxiety.  No one needs anxiety less than a mother during labour.

But if things aren’t going right, intervention is needed.  The first clue something is wrong is time, the process is taking longer than normal.  The second clue is what we can see.  Unlike people, up to 30 per cent of animals are delivered backwards, with the head last out.  For a normal delivery we need three things: a head and two feet, or a tail and two feet.  Two out of three isbad, if any of these is missing the newborn will not be born.  This is when we must intervene.  We may even do a caesarian section.

Newborns have no immunity to diseases, they get immunity from colostrum, the milk produced in the first couple of days after birth, especially the first 12 hours of life.  Without colostrum, newborns are prone to infections.  Failure to get colostrum is another reason for us to help.

Birthing animals can be aggressive, and mothers are famous for protecting their offspring.  With animals this can be dangerous, so keep your distance and stay safe!

And remember if you live in Takuvaine we are up your way today for another desexing clinic. Please bring your dogs in.