I wouldn't worry about 'prodding' her around right now if she's feeling grumpy, plus I have the feeling that you might be seeing a foal BEFORE you can get any strips to do a milk test! LOL!!
You obviously have not had time to get a 'foaling pack' together, so can I just suggest a couple of essentials. Have you got an iodine mix solution? You will need this to dip the end of the foals cord in as soon as the cord breaks, to help prevent any infections from the floor/ground getting into the open wound.
Next, some thin strong thread, preferably dipped into the above iodine mix to disinfect it, and a pair of scissors - if your girl gets up quickly after foaling or shows signs that she's about to and the foals cord doesn't break naturally, then you will need to cut it about 2-3" from the foals body and tie the end tightly with the thread to prevent any bleeding. This is one of the reasons why it is important for your mare to foal inside if at all possible - not too easy to catch a foal outside once it is up on its feet to get the cord 'dipped'.
Immediately after your girl foals (and you have cleared the bag from the foals head and had a quick sneaky peek at its sex!) try to ease the foal round a little way so the mare can sniff its nose and welcome it. Hopefully she will then stay laying down for a short while which will let all the extra blood transfer from her to the foal before the cord breaks. If you are lucky she will stay where she is for several minutes and not get up until the foal starts wriggling and trying to rise. This is usually when the cord breaks naturally and you can quickly dip it. Just watch the mare doesn't knock the foal with her feet as she gets up.
Once she's up and the foal looks ok, then remove yourself from her space in your barn and leave her to get to know her new baby. You can go and get her a warm mashy feed - soak some of what she's used to in hot water, if you have nothing else, and when it is cool enough, offer it to her. Also give her a good pile of hay - she will soon feel very hungry - and leave them both to it. Oh and by the way make sure you tie the mare's water bucket up high enough so the foal cant get its head in it - too many foals drown in ground level buckets when they are first 'blundering' around trying to stand up!! Anytime in the next 6 hours the foal will feed - hopefully with no trouble from your mare, but no need to worry about that now - and pass the mecomium (sp? -it's well past my bed time and the brain is getting fuzzy LOL!) so that is something to watch for too. Make sure you can hear or see the foal actually swallowing when it eventually latches on to a teat.
While you are sitting in your chair watching your girl, it might be a good idea to keep an old water bucket (empty) beside you and a pair of rubber gloves! You need to pick up the mares droppings throughout the night, especially the several very runny piles she will do as she goes into labour - there is no need for this little foal to be born on to a dirty bed, and it will be dirty by the time she has walked round and round through several piles of normal droppings plus the runny ones as she goes into labour. You need your new baby to be born on to a nice clean thick straw or hay bed.
Sorry I seem to have rambled again! Wishing you all the luck in the world - hope she foals tonight for you!
