I Am A Nervous Wreck - So Talk to Me Please!

Good to hear that Madam Joy is doing well. Have a cup of tea and relax.

I've always wondered how female animals feel about being in a family way?

aloha, seglass

That's a good question Sglass. Miss Joy is very protective of her two year old but as far as the foal she is carrying, I don't see anything different about her than any other horse. I am hoping there will be a baby in the morning but I am not gonna get crazy excited until I see it.

Ahhhh, I see. I'm so hoping a baby will be there in the morning so it might need the blanky!

It's morning here.

Can hardly wait to find out what morning brought for you.

It brought Zip! No baby yet. She still has milk dripping though. If she doesn't have it by Monday morning I'm gonna have another vet come out here and see if I can get some kind of indication when she might actually give birth. This up and down excitement is really draining! I told her this morning, "What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be having that baby!" I, of course, got a blank stare.

I'm going to PM cowdoc and see if he can tell me if there is one thing specifically that happens before she is gonna foal.

Okay, I swear this horse is doing this on purpose just to drive me nuts. I was up almost all night and kept checking on her. She just goes on like nothing is happening or supposed to be. She didn't have any milk dripping this morning or all day. So, I haven't the foggiest! I think I'm just gonna stop expecting something to happen and when that baby pops out I'll let you know. I'm kind of driving myself nuts about this and I am probably doing the same to y'all. Cowdoc basically said all I can do is wait.

Still nothing?? Tell her to hurry up!

Still nothing! I am so frustrated with it all. The vet is coming to check her Wednesday. I worry because she was neglected and I'm worried that it might have some kind of effect on her. She seems just fine. It's driving me nuts!

As I said before, (and I dont know whether its a universal thing), But when livestock are within a few days of dropping foals, calves, lambs, kids (etc). The mother begins to develop a hollow spot in the abdomen just at the area of the back legs. This means that the "package" is moving into the birth canal and is presenting itself for delivery.

Thisll teach you to buy a horse thats pre bred. We always like to be in control of the gestation period so we can live normal lives especially towards the end of the gstation period.

Do you have a bottle of iodine ready and a place for the mare to go for delivery?

WQe used to keep some Apaloosas for a family and theyd breed the mares every so often. Whenever the foals were due, there would be a party in our barn and we never had any problems with the foaling. (Lambs, on the other hand, we always have lamb delivery problems, lambs that are tisted around or have breech delivery, or ewes who wouldnt "mother up" immediately.

Horses are usually good about this , just watch her hooves when she goes down to deliver.

Boy, youve been on pins and needles for over 2 months now. I hope youre learning a lot from this experience.

I've got the iodine ready. Yes, I have learned I will never buy another horse that is pregnant unless I know when it was bred! LOL. I haven't seen anymore milk dripping and I don't see that hollow point yet. The vet said it could be anytime and that Little Miss Joy is in very good health and he doesn't seem to think the neglect she went through is going to have any negative effect. I am trying so hard now to just not get so excited and accept that the baby will be here when it's supposed to be here.

No baby yet?

No ma'am. I had the vet out today. He gave Miss Joy a thorough going over and said she is healthy and, in his opinion, it could be anytime for the foal. He said she appears to be pretty much at her full gestation period. He says, "All we can do now is wait." Trust me, that is not something I wanted to hear. I'm resigned to not getting excited until I see a little one running around in that pasture.

This waiting thing is exhausssssssssting!

Now, Miss Arella Mae, make sure the camera batteries are good and charged up for when the foal arrives.

AS I recall, weve never had a horse drop a foal until the sun went down. Weve always delivered foals at night. I dont know if thats a common thing brought on by their development as a species in a predator infested plains , or just laziness.

Well be looking in cause I think its about damn time now. Remember to not get kicked if whe struggles. BTW, Youve GOTTA get the mom down, its waay easier on them both, and you dont have a baby dropping from 10 hands high.

Waiting! Anyone got knitting, or parcheesi or something?

LOL I'm playing Poppit and popping balloons inanely.

I read that most foals are born between midnight and 5 am.

That little stinker put a scare into me today. I was laying on the couch taking a nap and all of a sudden heard her squealing out there. I jumped up and ran out the door and looked over at the pasture. Mac, Little Miss Joy, and Lulu were standing there (picture them tapping their feet) and staring at me. It was ten minutes to five. I feed them at five. She is definitely getting to be more demanding.

For crying out loud, woman. Don't tell us about the labor pains; just show us the baby.

You know me. I've always got knitting or some kind of goofy craft thing going on. Making Bedouin dance masks these days - I could use some help with the beading.

Believe me, no one is more anxious to see that baby than I am. I probably wouldn't be so on pins and needles if she wasn't a rescue horse. I worry about any bad effects that the neglect might have had on her and her baby. The vet says she is healthy and all now but I don't know how pregnant she was when she was being neglected. I am sorry if I am driving all of you crazy with this.

I'm not great at sewing ehBeth, but I'd be willing to try the beading!

In God's time Arella Mae.