Niobe Foaling Thread IT'S A... FOALED DAY 320 6/9/14

Sounding like she's really getting ready to go, and we're very excited to see your announcement very soon! And I agree....KUDOS for staying with her and canceling your appointment! Not worth taking a risk at this stage!

 

[Tab]

Niobe today:

Niobe in labor 4 years ago

(She has a tail now; goats had chewed it!) She had the telltale signs. Engorged udder, diarrhea, little tail resistance, and had dropped. Now that she isn't a maiden I'm sure she could set up a lot quicker. On watch!

 

[Tab]

She had me up every 2 hours last night checking on her. Very huge and miserable with a now engorging udder and backside. Yawning and butt rubbing. I still think she might wait for Aiden's birthday on Tues! Tail swishy is the newest symptom. The rear-end engorgement has gone back down during the day. Last night she was very swollen and open, but the udder and teats remain heavy day and night. Still clear milk. Don't you love when mares do the whole progression wax and wane thing for days toward the end? Prodomal stages. Another reason why I have one foal at a time, it's exhausting

 

[AnnaC]

Please make sure you are sitting right beside her at nights from now on - checking every hour or two is just not enough to have the time to help if things should go wrong. From the sound of things, she isn't going to wait for that Birthday on Tuesday!

 

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Anna, I will certainly not leave her side if she appears to be impending. I stayed with her for awhile until I realized she's jerking my chain with prodomal labor. However, please realize I delivered her 12 years ago, after sleeping in the barn for several days with Tori. I've been there for every one of my deliveries, save one. Had I known that poor mare was exposed before I got her, well I wouldn't have gotten her, but I would have also been present for that delivery. I know my small numbers don't mean a lot when many deliver 10+ per season, (or so many others leave them to fend for themselves). but I have helped deliver many different types of animals and I am determined to be there. Rest easy, I'm sure my panic and adrenaline button is quite keen enough for both of us, plus a dozen more lol. I think the fact that I am prone to worry makes me determined to be there! NiNis is a beautiful mare, I delivered her before I gave birth to my own children. I saw her through her cheeky behavior and delivered her first foal 4 years ago. The vet is on speed dial and is notified. Plus, I have God on my side, and He's going to help me in this! I appreciate your concern and thoughtfulness and I am in line with your thoughts!

 

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PS I had an important discussion with a friend on ego recently. Ego and pride be darned because anything can happen when it comes to labor and delivery! Be determined to be there and IMO PRAY lots. I know that things can and do go wrong, so you are very right to be concerned. A lot of people don't realize the risks involved, so thank you, thank you, thank you for your concern!

 

[eagles ring farm]

Sending prayers for a safe foaling

 

[AnnaC]

Sorry if I jumped in a bit strong and misjudged you - I just get so worried about these precious mares at foaling time! Like you I hate the thought of our wonderful girls being 'just left to get on with it' when we all know how easily things can go wrong in a very few minutes.

Sending prayers and wishes for a smooth safe foaling.

 

So excited to hear your story AND your plans! We old Aunties get worried about these little mommas, and your writing just gave me a great relief. We think like you, and like you, we know the Lord will certainly be with you. We believe in prayer, too, and I know that He answers prayers! So, we're very excited for your pending birth. Being there makes all the difference. I know many deliver without problems, but you just never know when a problem will turn up, and will cause the loss of baby or momma. So, I'm greatly comforted that you know the importance of you being there!

And "numbers" mean nothing. Each birth is unique and important -- whether you only deliver one baby a year, or a whole "herd" of babies. To us Aunties, numbers don't matter, just getting each little one safely to the ground is all that matters!

So excited and praying for an uneventful foaling of a healthy little one!

 

[Tab]

Thank you so much for your concern, encouragement, and most importantly prayers! My horses are constantly teaching me, as well as the caring members of lil beginnings! May I continue to learn from you, and hopefully these gestational pictures will help someone. Niobe is waiting until the perfect moment -not yet. I think Anna's post was very helpful, it reminded me of the urgency of the matter. These reminders are important! It never pays to get lax.

Here's the way we're set up. Girlies have free access to my backyard. They get intervals of grass pasture in the day time but come into their dry-lot yard with free access to the barn at night. At around 11pm-1am I will give them each a flake of hay so that they are all in my backyard, easy to check on at night. I check her constantly during the day and I won't leave her day or night if she's acting/appearing questionable. At night all I have to do is turn on my deck light and watch her from my back deck. I usually go out and check backside and udder at this time. If she is appearing engorged I will put her in the broodmare stall and sit and watch her for awhile. If she's just interested in eating the bedding, then I will put her out in the yard again to eat her grass hay with her herdmates. Then I will check her throughout the night. I would love to have the camera on her that I once had, but this is almost better because I have to get out of bed, I have to shake off the sleepiness, and check her thoroughly before taking the risk to go back to bed. The set up is really nice, and keeping them up at night sometimes reverses their instinctive need for night-time private foaling.

One last thing, I have Rog, and Aiden, and Conor watching her, too. I have 3 sets of eyes on her during the day shift. I used to be on my own. Now I'm just on my own at night! This is the best!

 

[AnnaC]

Sounds as though you have all areas/times well covered! You just need to get one of yur daytime watchers to give you a hand through the night too to take some of the strain!

A friend of mine has just foaled a little mare who had great problems - experienced mare with no previous foaling difficulties. She produced only one leg, friend 'went in' to have a feel, no other leg or head. She could just feel a solid 'lump' blocking the way. Got mare up, called the vet - this was 7.30 am so vet already up and around - vet said to keep mare on her feet, but even with an extra helper they just couldn't keep te mare up, so they sat on her to keep her down and stop her rolling! Vet arrived in 10 minutes (same vets we use, they only do equines and run their own hospital), examined mare and reported the head tucked back and down and the other leg possibly back under the foal's body. Tried to get the foal back inside to release the head, but mare still contracting, so put mare out with strong sedation, lifted her hindquarters up on to a bale and tried again. Everytime the poor vet released the head it flipped back under again. Eventually she managed to keep it up and also reach in for the oher leg - dont ask me how as this was a very small mare! Of course the protective bag had already broken and no-one was holding any hope for the foal. Foal started to slide out but then locked at the hips! Pushed back and twisted sideways and at last she was out, the cord had broken and there was blood everywhere from the mare's part of it. The almost 'discarded' the foal lying quite still behind the mare until they saw a nostril flutter and after lots of rubbing/simulation and prayers the little filly was breathing like a trouper! The vet said that she might be a bit slow and woozy as she would have had a dose of the mare's sedation, but not this filly! A couple of minutes later she leapt up standing staight away and staring at everyone as if to say 'I'm here, who are you?'. The little mare also came round after a while, stood up, saw her baby and promptly 'said' - ah there you are, come here at once - then looking at all the helpers - what are you doing with my baby, get out of here before I eat you all!! Mother and miracle baby are doing fine!!

 

What an awesome story Anna, and such a GREAT SAVE!!! I hope that little one gets a VERY special name!!

 

[Tab]

That is a great story and scary, but what a really wonderful answer to prayer!

 

[Tab]

Any encouraging words from my mare staring friends? Aiden's birthday has come and gone and no foal. I'm up in the night despite my predictions of later dates, so tired....zzzzzzzzzz. Haha. I was spot on with Romeo, she settled on one heat in '09. 327 days as a maiden. And let me tell you what a blessing that was. All but once her dam Tori went under 340 days. Tori's first foal Jamie was a just shy of 350. That was a long two weeks of sleeping in the barn in April!

The Lord knows the best time for this foal to be born, but I would also be sad to miss my cousin's wedding. She's moving thousands of miles away afterwards! I will def. miss the wedding it if she hasn't foaled, but if I could have both I would be tickled pink. I haven't even ordered a dress yet. Thanking the good Lord for shopping online and stretchy materials so that returns will not be needed lol. Hey, at least if I have to stare I get to stare at one super cute mare!!! My sister said if Niobe gets any bigger she'll need a wheeled cart to keep her belly from dragging on the ground. So pooped already, I have to hang in there, thinking 5 more days.

Sire of the foal: Lexington

 

[AnnaC]

Well I'm really suprised that she hasn't foaled yet! These mares really do like to drive us to the brink sometimes! Hoping that she will take pity on you and let you get to that Wedding.

That's a very handsome Daddy person!

 

COME ON NIOBE!! Be a good girl and let momma go to the wedding!

What a HANDSOME daddy-to-be !!!

 

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My two studs hehe. I am spoiled to be surrounded by some fine looking men/horses that are as sweet as they are lookers. Thank you so much. You guys are so sweet. Foaling, foaling, foaling, foaling, so then I can go to the wedding, wedding, wedding, wedding! Ordered my dress, now it's all up to Niobe!

 

[Tab]

No baby yet... it would still be early for 2nd dates but udder is all there and she's dropped. I'm thinking the 12th, and a full moon. She did this to me last time. While 327 is the earliest I'd ever have a mare foal, it seems that she was ready far earlier. I am watching the signs not the date on the calendar. I was too whooped to take pictures today but she appears dropped to me. So much so that on an empty stomach when viewed from above she looks like she has had the foal already. Jello butt, huge udder, and now her spine is sticking out, distension has dropped from her flanks, croup, and tailhead... but she still has tail resistance. Milk is still clear but much thicker and stickier. With Romeo she went from amber milk to birth, that quickly.

You know how lovely it is that mares, cattle, etc. don't complain about pregnancy and birth? They don't worry, they just get on with it. Well, if they could THEY would. The look on her face is telling. Head dropped, wrinkled nose, puffy face, and just the epitome of misery at times. She can no longer lay down comfortably very long.

BUT I look at Romey, who still resides in my barn and it confirms to me that this breeding was ok. He is the picture of loveliness. I find myself just watching him. I waited for 3 mos 3 days and 3 years before I decided to rebreed Niobe. He is a big baby! Unfortunately he has now discovered mares at 4-years-old!

 

What a beautiful face!

 

[Tab]

Thank you!