Stages of Labor
Let's talk about labor. Normal progression of labor should begin with the doe mostly eating, drinking, chewing her cud and going about her business as if there were no discharge at all. This is the first stage where contractions are shortening the cervix and getting kids into position to exit.
This should progress to thicker and thicker discharge until it forms a 'stream' that is too jelly like to flow readily, but tends to just hang around for a bit before dropping if it drops. By this time, the doe is usually restless, pacing or standing up and lying down, but obviously not really comfortable in any position for long. She may stop to rest and chew her cud, but only for a few minutes. This is the transition stage between the initial contractions and the pushing stage. She may occasionally start to give a little push, but end up just squatting and peeing just a little or letting more of the birthing goo out.
This should progress to the pushing stage. Once she's seriously strained to push a few times, you should see steady progression of the kid moving through the birth canal and out. She may rest for a few minutes here and there, but she should be pushing steadily and more and more often. If she slows down, she could be having trouble and wearing herself out. At any time in the pushing phase the cervix should be open and you can do an internal exam to locate kids and make sure there's only one trying to come out at once and that it's in an acceptable birthing position.
Goats will totally feed off your energy. If you're anxious and distressed uhh, they will be tense and anxious as well. If you're still, calm and relaxed, that will help them relax as long as they are accustomed to you and enjoy your company. If they aren't accustomed to human contact, you may need to watch from the other side of something where they basically can't really see you so they can relax enough to go ahead and give birth.
Another thing. In the initial contractions stage, being quiet and calm helps her relax. In the transition stage unnecessary noises and distractions can cause tension which can slow things down. Try not to even stare at her too hard. By the time she's actively pushing, you can talk to her and she won't care one way or the other. Might even appreciate the encouragement if she likes and trusts you.
Once a doe is streaming, we try not to leave her alone. We may be in another part of the barn if she needs space, but we're spying at all times. If she's comfortable with our presence, we'll camp out within 6-10 feet of her. We'll stay there until we see nose and toes coming out or have a reason to do an internal check.
During the initial pushing phase, the doe may push and when she stops pushing the kid shifts back where it was before she pushed. That's normal. She's stretching everything during the push and the kid sitting right there is keeping lower level pressure on things that need to stretch more so he can pass. She'll push harder after a few pushes and you should see movement that is clearly getting the kid closer to his exit. Sometimes the evidence the kid is progressing is birthing fluids showing up when the doe is pushing because the kid is pushing those out of the way as he moves through the birth canal. Overall, there's obvious progress even if sometimes she's not pushing that hard and the kid slips back slightly as she stops pushing. What you shouldn't see is her straining like her life depends on it and no movement of the kid at all towards the exit. That would indicate he's not progressing out and she will tire herself out if you let her continue to push fruitlessly. Don't get me wrong, pushing a baby out is tiring, but the problem comes in if she's too tired to push and stops trying. This is why we stay with her once she's streaming if we possibly can. We don't want to come after she's exhausted herself and given up and mistaken her exhausted state for just resting when she's really just disguising her distress temporarily. Once she's been pushing hard and steady, she shouldn't go back to eating and chewing her cud as though everything is normal and she's not having a kid today. If she's in distress, she may stand awkwardly with her head down and act listless or kick at her belly or thrash if she's lying down, but every doe is different.
For sure, once the doe reaches the pushing stage, there should be steady progression. Strong pushing may result in small progress initially, but that should progress to greater and greater progress if all is well.
If you have nose and toes (of at least one foreleg, two is ideal) and you are confident the nose and toes belong to the same kid, you can pull by grasping those legs at the joint above the hooves and pulling steadily toward the doe's hooves. Don't yank on the kid. You don't want to go so fast and hard that you tear up the mother. Steady, firm pulling is easier on her. It's best to pull with her pushing. You'll both make better progress working together.
Normally, we're only there to wipe their faces off as they are coming out to minimize how much goo they breathe in. Pulling kids out isn't ideal, but it doesn't hurt anything if it's done right and it can ease the impatience factor if you're inclined to be nervous or anxious too. If the mother is tiring and she has several more kids to push out, she likely appreciates it. I believe I would.
This should progress to thicker and thicker discharge until it forms a 'stream' that is too jelly like to flow readily, but tends to just hang around for a bit before dropping if it drops. By this time, the doe is usually restless, pacing or standing up and lying down, but obviously not really comfortable in any position for long. She may stop to rest and chew her cud, but only for a few minutes. This is the transition stage between the initial contractions and the pushing stage. She may occasionally start to give a little push, but end up just squatting and peeing just a little or letting more of the birthing goo out.
This should progress to the pushing stage. Once she's seriously strained to push a few times, you should see steady progression of the kid moving through the birth canal and out. She may rest for a few minutes here and there, but she should be pushing steadily and more and more often. If she slows down, she could be having trouble and wearing herself out. At any time in the pushing phase the cervix should be open and you can do an internal exam to locate kids and make sure there's only one trying to come out at once and that it's in an acceptable birthing position.
Goats will totally feed off your energy. If you're anxious and distressed uhh, they will be tense and anxious as well. If you're still, calm and relaxed, that will help them relax as long as they are accustomed to you and enjoy your company. If they aren't accustomed to human contact, you may need to watch from the other side of something where they basically can't really see you so they can relax enough to go ahead and give birth.
Another thing. In the initial contractions stage, being quiet and calm helps her relax. In the transition stage unnecessary noises and distractions can cause tension which can slow things down. Try not to even stare at her too hard. By the time she's actively pushing, you can talk to her and she won't care one way or the other. Might even appreciate the encouragement if she likes and trusts you.
Once a doe is streaming, we try not to leave her alone. We may be in another part of the barn if she needs space, but we're spying at all times. If she's comfortable with our presence, we'll camp out within 6-10 feet of her. We'll stay there until we see nose and toes coming out or have a reason to do an internal check.
During the initial pushing phase, the doe may push and when she stops pushing the kid shifts back where it was before she pushed. That's normal. She's stretching everything during the push and the kid sitting right there is keeping lower level pressure on things that need to stretch more so he can pass. She'll push harder after a few pushes and you should see movement that is clearly getting the kid closer to his exit. Sometimes the evidence the kid is progressing is birthing fluids showing up when the doe is pushing because the kid is pushing those out of the way as he moves through the birth canal. Overall, there's obvious progress even if sometimes she's not pushing that hard and the kid slips back slightly as she stops pushing. What you shouldn't see is her straining like her life depends on it and no movement of the kid at all towards the exit. That would indicate he's not progressing out and she will tire herself out if you let her continue to push fruitlessly. Don't get me wrong, pushing a baby out is tiring, but the problem comes in if she's too tired to push and stops trying. This is why we stay with her once she's streaming if we possibly can. We don't want to come after she's exhausted herself and given up and mistaken her exhausted state for just resting when she's really just disguising her distress temporarily. Once she's been pushing hard and steady, she shouldn't go back to eating and chewing her cud as though everything is normal and she's not having a kid today. If she's in distress, she may stand awkwardly with her head down and act listless or kick at her belly or thrash if she's lying down, but every doe is different.
For sure, once the doe reaches the pushing stage, there should be steady progression. Strong pushing may result in small progress initially, but that should progress to greater and greater progress if all is well.
If you have nose and toes (of at least one foreleg, two is ideal) and you are confident the nose and toes belong to the same kid, you can pull by grasping those legs at the joint above the hooves and pulling steadily toward the doe's hooves. Don't yank on the kid. You don't want to go so fast and hard that you tear up the mother. Steady, firm pulling is easier on her. It's best to pull with her pushing. You'll both make better progress working together.
Normally, we're only there to wipe their faces off as they are coming out to minimize how much goo they breathe in. Pulling kids out isn't ideal, but it doesn't hurt anything if it's done right and it can ease the impatience factor if you're inclined to be nervous or anxious too. If the mother is tiring and she has several more kids to push out, she likely appreciates it. I believe I would.
May 25, 2024
