The Babies Are Coming, The Babies Are Coming

It is soon approaching our favorite, most stress-filled, most exhilarating time of year, dear reader: baby season! The babies are coming sooner rather than later. The calendar is marked, baby watch has begun, and we are anticipating the first birth of the season this week. It's an exciting time, and our favorite time on the farm. 

Baby Boo is the first on the schedule to deliver. Of all the girls, Fauna, aka Twin, seems like a clown car. Our girl is HUGE. I hope she has three or four babies in there and not two big babies. Four tinies are better than two giants. She has us most concerned at the moment. Everyone besides Baby looks like they are expecting. Several of the girls are doing their "I am so over being pregnant" breathing. They lie in the clean bedding and make gentle grunting noises. If you are a frequent reader, you know I face baby season with a mixture of rapture and trepidation. I wish my girls could produce milk without having to go through labor. However, that is not how nature works. 

Every morning, I walk the fields with my bestie, Buster, and pray the girls remain safe through their pregnancies, deliveries, and motherhood. I pray the babies are safe, strong, and healthy, and I pray that the weather remains warm and gentle. I really hope we don't experience another cold snap. Labor and delivery are difficult enough without freezing temperatures. I believe, dear reader, the girls have a death wish and love to see me stress. If it does turn cold, I know everyone is going to try to die all at once. That, dear reader, is simply how it goes. 

I am prepping the baby birthing kit. We have clean towels, medicines, supplements, and extra precautionary items on hand. The aftercare for the mama goats is in place. We have calcium gluconate to treat milk fever. The propylene glycol is ready if anyone goes into ketosis. We have Red Cell to treat anemia, Power Drench for a boost of vitamins and minerals, all the ingredients to make Down Goat Soup, and electrolytes for immediately after delivery. 

For the babies, we have baby bottles on hand in case we have to bottle-feed. We also have warming mats and a tubing kit in case anyone is too weak to drink on their own. I am making a cayenne tincture to rub on their gums to stimulate breathing and blood flow. Drenches for both adults and kids are ready in case we need to administer supplements or medicine. 

We have antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain medication on hand if needed. I think our bases are covered. However, if you are a frequent reader, you know every season throws us a new curveball. At this point, dear reader, I have our trusted vet on speed dial, send a warning to our friend Jenna, who went to school for animal medicine, that the babies are coming, and I try to be as prepared as possible. Each year, we do our very best, but inevitably, we end up losing one or two little ones. If the cold stays away, everyone has a much better chance at survival. 

I know I ask every year, but if you are so inclined, please send out some good thoughts, prayers, good ju-ju, whatever you believe in, for a safe, healthy, and easy kidding season. Be ready to be photo-bombed with cuteness overload on social media. The babies are coming, the babies are coming!

On this springtime Thursday, stay safe, be smart, send out some good vibes for my beloved goats and their new babies, and keep washing your hands...delivering baby goats is messy work, but oh-so-rewarding.

**Also, all orders placed before midnight tonight will be entered into a drawing to name our beautiful spotted baby girl. Dear reader, even her little ears are spotted. She's adorable.