# Help! Is she in labor?!?



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

I have a FF that I’m very nervous about because she’s so little. She’s had some discharge for a couple days and her due date would be Tuesday...but when I went out to check on her this is what I saw:

not sure if I need to sleep in the barn tonight haha


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Is she showing any other signs? (Pawing at the ground, up-and-down, restlessness.) Has she lost her ligaments? I can’t really see her udder. Has it filled up anymore? 

Doe’s can have discharge for up to a month before delivery, so I doesn’t necessarily mean she is in labor.


----------



## BV Farms (Apr 12, 2020)

If I have a doe that I think might be going into labor before bed, I check on her every two hours and watch her for 5-10 minutes every time I check on her. If she has contractions every 5ish or so minutes, I'll stay in the barn. 
If you haven't seen them before, a doe typically arches her back during a contraction, but some does bare them better and just sort of stiffen for each contraction. I even had one doe who would just snort and stomp backwards for every contraction!


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

Goatastic43 said:


> Is she showing any other signs? (Pawing at the ground, up-and-down, restlessness.) Has she lost her ligaments? I can’t really see her udder. Has it filled up anymore?
> 
> Doe’s can have discharge for up to a month before delivery, so I doesn’t necessarily mean she is in labor.


Her ligs are gone. Her udder has filled up- it’s still tiny, but so is she. She’s not pawing, but just standing and staring. She’s letting me pet her and touch her, and she’s my one who has always been skiddish.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

BV Farms said:


> If I have a doe that I think might be going into labor before bed, I check on her every two hours and watch her for 5-10 minutes every time I check on her. If she has contractions every 5ish or so minutes, I'll stay in the barn.
> If you haven't seen them before, a doe typically arches her back during a contraction, but some does bare them better and just sort of stiffen for each contraction. I even had one doe who would just snort and stomp backwards for every contraction!


thank you! I’ve never seen one have a contraction, but I’ve never really known what to look for either.


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Sounds like she is in pre labor!


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

Goatastic43 said:


> Sounds like she is in pre labor!


yay! Thank you for your replies! So should I stay out with her tonight? How long can the pre labor last?


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I wpuld keep close watch..looks and sounds like shes ready


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

When she has a contraction her body will sort of move forward and her tail may curl over her back. When she means business, she'll lay down with her back leg straight out like this:_Photo taken from Backyard Goats_









You can also try checking her ligaments. On either side of the tail there is a ligament that when not close to labor will feel like a hard like a pencil. Before labor those ligaments will get squishy and then disappear.







This sign is not extremely accurate, but if they are gone, labor is definitely near.

If it was me, I'd stay with her especially if you are worried about her size.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Hopefully she gives you lots of warning so you can be there for her. They can be such sneaky critters! They can have discharge for days or weeks. If she just suddenly became sweet almost over night that could definitely be a sign she is getting close. We've had sweet does turn crazy through pregnancy, then turn sweet when in labor, or 'don't touch me, but don't leave me' lol. Or.... turn even more crazy. They might get vocal, lots of calling out, then their voice changes to a softer 'baby talk' kind of sound and that for me is a sign that babies will be here very, very soon. 
We induced a doe last Tues morning to kid Wed afternoon. I use barn camera's so I didn't separate her and just checked on her. But when I let the mama's out for the day I moved her into a double stall since she's our first to kid, more room. She did not want me to leave her and was very loud, yelling, she'd stumble around the stall clearly in labor and discomfort, give a little back arch (not pushing, but positioning kids), she'd lay down for a while, or hop right back up. 
I ended up having to bring a chair out to sit with her, she was licking my pant legs like she would a baby, it was really cute and definitely 'not her' lol.


----------



## Kaitlyn (Jan 20, 2021)

Good luck, happy kidding!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Happy kidding, keep an eye on her.


----------



## BV Farms (Apr 12, 2020)

Be sure to post pictures and the birth story when the babies arrive. 😉


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

happybleats said:


> I wpuld keep close watch..looks and sounds like shes ready


Thank you! Still no babies yet but I’m hoping soon


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

Thank you so mic


MellonFriend said:


> When she has a contraction her body will sort of move forward and her tail may curl over her back. When she means business, she'll lay down with her back leg straight out like this:_Photo taken from Backyard Goats_
> View attachment 222692
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for all the detailed info! I’ll be staying close!!


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

HoosierShadow said:


> Hopefully she gives you lots of warning so you can be there for her. They can be such sneaky critters! They can have discharge for days or weeks. If she just suddenly became sweet almost over night that could definitely be a sign she is getting close. We've had sweet does turn crazy through pregnancy, then turn sweet when in labor, or 'don't touch me, but don't leave me' lol. Or.... turn even more crazy. They might get vocal, lots of calling out, then their voice changes to a softer 'baby talk' kind of sound and that for me is a sign that babies will be here very, very soon.
> We induced a doe last Tues morning to kid Wed afternoon. I use barn camera's so I didn't separate her and just checked on her. But when I let the mama's out for the day I moved her into a double stall since she's our first to kid, more room. She did not want me to leave her and was very loud, yelling, she'd stumble around the stall clearly in labor and discomfort, give a little back arch (not pushing, but positioning kids), she'd lay down for a while, or hop right back up.
> I ended up having to bring a chair out to sit with her, she was licking my pant legs like she would a baby, it was really cute and definitely 'not her' lol.


Haha that’s adorable! Her disposition has definitely changed. She’s my skiddish one and she rarely lets me pet her, but the past three days she doesn’t move at all when I come near and let’s me pet her and touch her without moving away. Hopefully I’ll have some Valentine babies! Thank you for all your helpful info!!


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

They do like to yank our chain!! I have two cows big as houses...giving us mixed signals lol. Happy Kidding and Best wishes


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Happy kidding!


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Keep us posted! Hope all goes well!


----------



## Amber89 (Feb 6, 2018)

Hope all goes well with her!!!


----------



## Amber89 (Feb 6, 2018)

How are things?


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hope things are ok.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

So an update on Pip.....she still hasn’t gone into labor, my other doe actually surprised me and gave birth to triplets! But I’m still waiting on Pip. When I went to check on her she had just a tiny bit of red blood on her vulva and a little on her tail.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

Amber89 said:


> How are things?


I’m hoping okay! She had a teeny bit of red blood- that’s normal right? And means she’s close? She’s grunting when she breathes, but not a push type of grunt


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Is it actually blood or dried discharge?


----------



## BV Farms (Apr 12, 2020)

A picture of her tail area will help.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

ksalvagno said:


> Is it actually blood or dried discharge?


It was bright red and wet like fresh. I sat with her for an hour and there wasn’t any more.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

BV Farms said:


> A picture of her tail area will help.


My son has a game so I had to leave but I will as soon as I get home


----------



## BV Farms (Apr 12, 2020)

Typically, if I see blood it isn't necessarily a red flag, but worth noting. Prepare yourself for the possibility of a stillborn, but don't panic or stress yourself out. A problem isn't guaranteed by blood, but it can mean that you may have lost a kid. Peace of mind during a birth is super important. There isn't anything you can do now, but maybe strive to be at her birth in case she has troubles.


----------



## Bmclaren (11 mo ago)

Pip went into labor today. She had a beautiful baby girl at 11. We thought she was done, but at 2 she started pushing again. After awhile with nothing happening, I did some exploring and found the baby was breech. After being unable to turn it myself, I called a vet. He can and worked on her for 2 hours and couldn't get the baby out. Finally, he had to do it in pieces. Pip is in shock, but so far still alive. Is there anything I can do to help her and increase her chances of living? THank you!


----------



## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Please help- doe in shock after birth | The Goat Spot Forum 
This the thread started concerning Pip if you want to offer advice. Thanks in advance.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm closing this thread since another one was started on the same problem. We can't have 2 threads of the same thing going


----------

