What a wild, wild week full of surprises. It turns out that Eloise has been keeping a secret from all of us for the past 5 months.
On a typical day, I don’t pick up the goats but I enjoy their (noisy) company throughout the day. This week we were expecting some stormy weather so we promptly began rearranging some fencing the day before the rain hit. A plan we had been slow to do, but the weather got us into gear. While moving the goats into a new pen, we picked them up one-by-one and carried them to their new living quarters.
In the process of moving the girls, my dad sat Eloise down and said, “She’s kinda heavy. I’d almost think she’s pregnant, but there’s no way since we don’t have males here.” I laughed and thought how funny, guess the extra feed through winter really played a part … but then quickly asked, “Well … wait. How long are their pregnancies?” My dad said, “About 5 months usually.” I started counting out loud … November, December, January, February … March. I looked up at my dad with a blank stare and back down at Eloise. Do you think…? That’s the exact amount of time she’s been on our farm since leaving where she was born, where males were present. We got Eloise calm and steady and I held my hand against her belly … I felt movement. Oh my gosh! I moved my hand back further … there was a small milk bag. You’ve got to be kidding! A BABY GOAT!? This was exciting.
Quickly we established a nesting area in the hutch with plenty of hay for Eloise. With research and seeking advice, it was unclear whether we had a couple of hours, days, or at the most, a week until the baby would arrive.
On Tuesday, March 22, it began raining as storms got closer. Not only was Eloise being showered with rain, she was being showered with plenty of water, hay, feed, and minerals. Throughout the day, thunderstorms rolled in and out and the temperatures slowly dropped into a cool breeze by nightfall. Knowing bad weather can sometimes induce labor, we kept our eyes peeled on the mother-to-be and all anticipation of a baby being born.
At dinnertime and clear skies above, Eloise joined the crew to the feed trough like normal. With an uneventful day and normalcy at dinner, it seemed like nothing was going to happen, so we all went to bed. Figuring we had up to a week before the baby. However, just like Eloise hid her pregnancy, she concealed labor, too. Wednesday morning, March 23, we woke up to a healthy baby girl. Eloise safely and quietly delivered her first born in the night. I was relieved it went smoothly because my mind had been going to all of the worst thoughts in the 1 day we had known about this baby. With Eloise being young, and this being her first baby, I feared everything that could possibly go wrong during the labor and delivery process.
Waking up to a tiny, healthy baby girl being loved on by her young mother, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Eloise did a great job and her maternal instincts kicked in high gear; she has been the best mom to her baby.
We are over the moon with this little girl … so tiny, so quiet, so laidback, so snuggly. I still can’t believe only a few days ago, she was still a secret!
Sometimes, the sweetest things are unexpected.
Happy you’re here, Itty Bitty Tibbie girl! Happy Birthday: March 23, 2022