By Leigh Ballard
May 1-day 1: This is the day the veterinarian gave as predicted due date. Nah, no way, she’s not even close. Besides it’s not 340 days yet. Dutifully checked last thing before bed.
May 2, 3, 4: Ditto. Dutifully checking, going to bed late and getting up early. Rump muscles are supposed to be getting loose. They are definitely loose compared to a month ago.
May 5-day 5: Now at 340 days. Gave vet a heads up that we are starting baby watch tonight. Friend gleefully reported to me that she told vet I was going to be a complete ninny about the whole thing. Hey! Was that a dig?
May 6-day 6: Didn’t ask gleeful friend for any advice today. Mare is dragging around like some kind of broken-down arthritic. Baby must be on a nerve or something. Ankles look a little swollen, must be getting close.
May 7-day 7: Checking regularly at night, every three hours or so. Whoa! Mare down, slight bout of false labor/colic? Called gleeful friend for advice, thought it was labor. Mare stopped, false alarm. Nothing happened. Some milk squeezing out while lying down.
May 8-day 8: Changing feeding schedule to less volume, more often. She’s packing it in! I’ll hang out on a cot tonight in case last night’s events are fair warning. It’s time to wrap her tail, too. Friend said her mare foaled within three days of seeing first signs of milk.
May 9-day 9: Cot idea was short-lived. Mare greets me eagerly for food. Predict-a-Foal test kit arrived. Now I can stop getting up all night. How am I supposed to get any milk out of there? Teats all fat and sucked up. Tail wrap off, again.
May 10-day 10: I can’t get up under there without putting my head in place to get kicked. Ha! Tricked the big ole mare! Got some milk in my hand and ran it in the test cup. Test says 48 hours or test again in 2-3 days. Relaxed watch for a night or two. Mare constantly hungry, or maybe just glad to see someone. Re-wrapped tail.
May 11-day 11: Belly scratching is good. Mare says, “Where’s my belly butter!?” Checking every three hours at night. Mare acts like she’s starving. Lots of lying down, gassy, and deep breathing long sighs. I think she’s squashing her insides.
May 12-day 12: Time to test again. Hey! Watch it! Don’t you dare kick me! She says “Squeezing my girls? We’re having none of that!” I say, “Without stocks or a twitch I’m not either!” 48 hours is up; checking every two hours at night now. Mare still starving every time I look. Otherwise, nothing new besides little milk crystals.
May 13- day 13: Going to a party, be back by 10. Sure she won’t do anything before then. Husband calls. Says she looks like she’s ready to do something. Rush home. Oh Pa-leese! Nothing. Checking every two hours. Don’t want to miss anything. Getting kind of tired, with my full daytime schedule and all.
May 14-day 14: So much for that 48 hour thing. Still trying to trick her into getting some milk. Eek, a little wax thing. She’s waxing! That means birth is near! Start checking every two hours during night exactly when alarm clock goes off, no procrastination. Her butt muscles are like jelly now.
May 15-day 15: Wax yesterday was actually a minute particle compared to today. That means birth is near! Checking every two hours at night. I hate the alarm clock.
May 15-day 15 later: Mare stares vacantly into space, stands in front of fan. Lot’s of yawning. Don’t be trying to convince me you’re more tired than I am! Milk still dripping, more frequently now. That means birth is near! Decide it’s going to be tonight. Friend with delivery experience comes over to hang out and help. We have pizza and beverages, nothing happens. Friend gets tired and goes home at midnight. Check every 2 hours. Mare placidly munching. Nothing happens. I consider ignoring the alarm clock.
May 16-day 16: Wax is now replaced with drops of milk, dripping every now and then. That means birth is near! Still checking every two hours at night. I sure hate the alarm clock, and I might even hate the mare. Mare still munching hay.
May 16-day 16 later: Mare still dripping milk, yawning, munching. Check on her all day, can’t get anything done. If not at dusk, then it has to be tonight, she can’t keep losing all this milk. Friend agrees to come back again tonight. At 5:30 p.m. son comes out of house and confesses to bike wreck earlier in afternoon. Says arm hurts, bad, probably needs to go to the emergency room. Are you kidding me?
Helpful friend comes over to babysit mare while I waste four hours in the ER to get a sling. Check in at 10:30 and get a whispered report that she (the mare) is getting started and friend is cleaning stall one last time. Pull in driveway at 11 p.m. Throw some leftover pizza from last night in microwave for “injury boy,” give him his pain pill and rush outside. 11:05 p.m. mare goes down and starts delivery.
First foot coming out. Yay! Oh no! Foot upside down, that’s bad! Helpful friend says no, look. If the mare was standing up the hoof would be pointing down, It’s just your upside-down perspective. Oh. My bad.Then, after much grunting, there it is! Finally, finally, finally! It’s a bee--utiful baby girl!
May 1-day 1: This is the day the veterinarian gave as predicted due date. Nah, no way, she’s not even close. Besides it’s not 340 days yet. Dutifully checked last thing before bed.
May 2, 3, 4: Ditto. Dutifully checking, going to bed late and getting up early. Rump muscles are supposed to be getting loose. They are definitely loose compared to a month ago.
May 5-day 5: Now at 340 days. Gave vet a heads up that we are starting baby watch tonight. Friend gleefully reported to me that she told vet I was going to be a complete ninny about the whole thing. Hey! Was that a dig?
May 6-day 6: Didn’t ask gleeful friend for any advice today. Mare is dragging around like some kind of broken-down arthritic. Baby must be on a nerve or something. Ankles look a little swollen, must be getting close.
May 7-day 7: Checking regularly at night, every three hours or so. Whoa! Mare down, slight bout of false labor/colic? Called gleeful friend for advice, thought it was labor. Mare stopped, false alarm. Nothing happened. Some milk squeezing out while lying down.
May 8-day 8: Changing feeding schedule to less volume, more often. She’s packing it in! I’ll hang out on a cot tonight in case last night’s events are fair warning. It’s time to wrap her tail, too. Friend said her mare foaled within three days of seeing first signs of milk.
May 9-day 9: Cot idea was short-lived. Mare greets me eagerly for food. Predict-a-Foal test kit arrived. Now I can stop getting up all night. How am I supposed to get any milk out of there? Teats all fat and sucked up. Tail wrap off, again.
May 10-day 10: I can’t get up under there without putting my head in place to get kicked. Ha! Tricked the big ole mare! Got some milk in my hand and ran it in the test cup. Test says 48 hours or test again in 2-3 days. Relaxed watch for a night or two. Mare constantly hungry, or maybe just glad to see someone. Re-wrapped tail.
May 11-day 11: Belly scratching is good. Mare says, “Where’s my belly butter!?” Checking every three hours at night. Mare acts like she’s starving. Lots of lying down, gassy, and deep breathing long sighs. I think she’s squashing her insides.
May 12-day 12: Time to test again. Hey! Watch it! Don’t you dare kick me! She says “Squeezing my girls? We’re having none of that!” I say, “Without stocks or a twitch I’m not either!” 48 hours is up; checking every two hours at night now. Mare still starving every time I look. Otherwise, nothing new besides little milk crystals.
May 13- day 13: Going to a party, be back by 10. Sure she won’t do anything before then. Husband calls. Says she looks like she’s ready to do something. Rush home. Oh Pa-leese! Nothing. Checking every two hours. Don’t want to miss anything. Getting kind of tired, with my full daytime schedule and all.
May 14-day 14: So much for that 48 hour thing. Still trying to trick her into getting some milk. Eek, a little wax thing. She’s waxing! That means birth is near! Start checking every two hours during night exactly when alarm clock goes off, no procrastination. Her butt muscles are like jelly now.
May 15-day 15: Wax yesterday was actually a minute particle compared to today. That means birth is near! Checking every two hours at night. I hate the alarm clock.
May 15-day 15 later: Mare stares vacantly into space, stands in front of fan. Lot’s of yawning. Don’t be trying to convince me you’re more tired than I am! Milk still dripping, more frequently now. That means birth is near! Decide it’s going to be tonight. Friend with delivery experience comes over to hang out and help. We have pizza and beverages, nothing happens. Friend gets tired and goes home at midnight. Check every 2 hours. Mare placidly munching. Nothing happens. I consider ignoring the alarm clock.
May 16-day 16: Wax is now replaced with drops of milk, dripping every now and then. That means birth is near! Still checking every two hours at night. I sure hate the alarm clock, and I might even hate the mare. Mare still munching hay.
May 16-day 16 later: Mare still dripping milk, yawning, munching. Check on her all day, can’t get anything done. If not at dusk, then it has to be tonight, she can’t keep losing all this milk. Friend agrees to come back again tonight. At 5:30 p.m. son comes out of house and confesses to bike wreck earlier in afternoon. Says arm hurts, bad, probably needs to go to the emergency room. Are you kidding me?
Helpful friend comes over to babysit mare while I waste four hours in the ER to get a sling. Check in at 10:30 and get a whispered report that she (the mare) is getting started and friend is cleaning stall one last time. Pull in driveway at 11 p.m. Throw some leftover pizza from last night in microwave for “injury boy,” give him his pain pill and rush outside. 11:05 p.m. mare goes down and starts delivery.
First foot coming out. Yay! Oh no! Foot upside down, that’s bad! Helpful friend says no, look. If the mare was standing up the hoof would be pointing down, It’s just your upside-down perspective. Oh. My bad.Then, after much grunting, there it is! Finally, finally, finally! It’s a bee--utiful baby girl!
