# Pictures of Contractions :)



## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

I was able to take several good pictures of Alli in labor. Of course I had no help, so once she started pushing I couldn't take anymore. But I think this will help many of you identifying labor and knowing how to gage where in labor the doe is. 

The first photo was taken around 12 pm - I noticed her udder had filled significantly ( though not full or tight at all) I also noticed a trace amount of discharge. Ligs were gone. That was really my only clue to pay close attention.

I kept an eye on her every couple of hours, watching for contractions, and signs that she was uncomfortable. During this time we had some very strong winds and thunderstorms that had all of the goats on edge. Nerves CAN slow down labor! She seemed totally normal up until around 10 pm just after the weather settled. Then I began to notice her having contractions, digging/nesting, and baby talking. Her tail would raise up for just a few seconds. She then may stretch or stare off in space a second, or just munch hay like it was no big deal. The next two pictures were taken during this time. Regular contractions with slight raising of the tail head. Can you see it? 

I then left her to labor like that bit, with the monitor on. I guessed things would really be going within a couple of hours. Sure enough. At my 12 am check, she was laying down ears back, with a "deer in headlights" look too her. I knew she was close. I got her up and found she was having good strong contractions and was very uncomfortable. See how much the tail head raised up with that contraction? I don't leave a doe that looks like this for long! I quickly ran to get my birth kit. The second to last pic was just as she was laying down and began pushing. 

She had the first kid about 20 min before 1 am  the second was born just ten min later with barely any pushing at all!

Happy Kidding Ya'll!


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Awesome pics


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## Jodi_berg (Oct 29, 2012)

Amazing, thank you!


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Awww, precious. Great job with the pics, I know some will find them a great help. I noticed in the one, it appears you have a half wall and then plastic sheeting. I would've never thought of that! Now I'm thinking that would allow me to build a bigger foot print sooner and could add the other wall later if I need to. How harsh are your winters there??


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks everyone  We don't have harsh winters by any mean, we may get down in the teens a few times a winter. And rarely any snow worth mentioning. In the 50's-40's degrees day time temp and at night in the 30's is probably our norm. It's still a work in progress. I needed something fast and cheap last year, and we had the plastic from a DIY green house project. I thought we would replace the plastic as soon we go the money for plywood, but I actually ended up really liking it! it lets light in during the day and warms up the barn even on the coldest days. And then I don't even need to switch on the lights except for at night. It's held up very well too.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

That might work for a year for me. We have many micro climates in a small area, but right where I'm at it's unusual (I'm going to jinx myself) to get more than 6" at a time and not to terribly often. We do get to mid 20's at night frequently with days being around freezing. So far this year we've had 1" of snow. We're going into a cold snap of mid to high 20's at night and mid 30's during the day. That would at least let me get my main foot print going and then add more later. thanks


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Your welcome  A tip with the plastic: We at first put it up with staples but later reinforced that with thin strips of wood (lattice) nailed around the edges. We haven't had any loose sections or tears with that.


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