# Pearl's Countdown Thread - LOST LIGS!



## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Alright, so I know she is still about two months out from her due date, but Tualatin Acres D. Pearl is already starting to look like a cow. So I figured it would at least be fun to post photos of her changing shape, since she is very obviously showing. Unfortunately, I can't get pictures until tomorrow, so this will just be a place-holder for photos. I went and took pictures yesterday when the sun was setting, and my camera tweaked out. I must have messed with the settings or something, because it usually does alright in low light... 

In any case, she is due the first week of March. I would really, really like to have a web cam by then so that everyone can watch the birth and help me keep an eye on her. I think having a live birth will ensure more people are online and watching and I can have immediate advice from forum members should I need it. That and it is so fun to share in the experience. This board feels like such a wonderful community and has been great to me and everyone!

She will be 3 in April, will be freshening for the third time, and is bred to my yearling buck, Northern Fork WP Tomahawk. I don't care what I get from this cross as long as they are healthy. Does are always nice though, and I would be lying if I said I wouldn't be tickled with a mini Pearl (same coloring.) She has a history of kidding very easy so far, with robust kids, so here is to hoping she keeps to that trend.


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND*

Well I'll be watching...thats for sure! It's not till mid April that I'll see my first kid. Come on...first week of March! :wink:


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND*

I CANT WAIT!!!

I love babies!

Good luck, Hoping for healthy babies


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND*

Alright, I snapped some photos today. She has some really thick hair right now, so she looks even more chunky than she actually is, but she is getting pretty large.


















Please disregard the mud hole behind the fence. The goats don't live in it, and it is only the top left half of the field. The horses have an entire, dry field to roam in and a giant, dry shelter...they just choose to go stand in the dang mud half of the time. Bleh, Pearl looks so horrid with all that hair, especially her rear legs where the hair hides her angulation. Her head is turned part way towards me, so her neck also looks shorter and thicker than it is.

Belly Pics:



















I don't have any pooch photos. By this point she was really unhappy about our little photo shoot and me forcing her to hold her butt still. She was clamping her tail hard and trying to squeeze her hind legs together. I am guessing twins or triplets. Probably twins, she looks the same as did last time around at this point.

And one of Dakota's belly, who is due the last week of March:










I am guessing triplets on this girl. She is usually very narrow bodied (her biggest fault in my book), and the right side is usually as flat looking as the left. Now it is bulgy...and she didn't even look remotely pregnant until the very last three weeks during her last pregnancy..and she had triplets then. She usually hides them well because she is a thousand feet long.


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND*

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Shes sooooo cute! I love that sweet face!

I cant wait to see some babies! Hope she has some pretty, healthy babies for you, girls as a plus!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Thanks! Oh, and I should have a webcam for the birth. The wireless security cameras are more spendy, but I found a ton of USB webcams at reasonable prices. I am setting up a portable kidding pen on my back porch/deck thing. I can buy a really long repeating USB cable for ten dollars and run it from the camera on the porch into the house and leave it connected to my desktop PC. I might host it on Marestare. Still weighing my options.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

She's very pretty and I agree she has a beautiful face  I think she looks just fine with all that hair, I've never been a fan of shaved animals, I know it's good for showing, but otherwise a light clipping is what I like. 
Her expression is priceless she has that 'I'm only co operating for so long' look hehe....

As for horses and mud, don't feel bad, because every horse paddock in KY probably has mud <and there are thousands of paddocks here!>, and the horses all love to stand in it! It's so much fun when they decide to get down and roll in it...hehe...


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

I like her nice coat too. She is a doll.

Jan


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Can't wait to see what the pretty ladies give you!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Me too! I am as excited as always. I felt kids for the first time, moving quite vigorously in Pearl during feeding today. They seem strong for so far out, but she gave me really large and robust kids last year.


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

They look good. You will have some bouncing babies :kidblack: :kidblack: :kidblack: :kidblack: :kidblack: before you know it!


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## mommaB (Oct 1, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Awwwwwe she is CUTE!!!!  Can't wait to see what you get!

PS my horses do the same thing :scratch:


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Just wanted to update that Pearl has started growing an udder this last week. It went from nothing to a little larger than a softball. I am very excited about how her udder is going to look this year. It is already developing a really nice shape and if it is getting this large already I am hoping for some great capacity. She has also gotten quite a bit fatter. I can't believe she still has a month...it looks like she should go sooner, but I know her exact breeding date so maybe she is going to have a zillion babies!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

She is adorable.....  sounds like... she is on the right track....and getting closer... :thumb:


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

What beautiful dolls! Pearl is a good name for her.. she looks very special, and BIG with kids~ looking forward to seeing little pearls~~
Best of luck!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - EDIT: Photos in 4th Post*

Have some more udder growth. She is either going to go a little early or have an awesome udder. At this point she has three weeks to go, give or take a few days. I am very excited about the udder on her this year! I planned to take photos over the last couple of days, but I got very busy and I have to work ten hours tomorrow (GAH! I don't know how much I like my job....Lol.) Hopefully I will have some new pictures Friday or Saturday.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - Due March 1st*

Still no photos! Bad me... Lol. But I finally have half a free day tomorrow (I am a florist and a kennel assistant at a vet's office, and the week preceding and of Valentine's is horrendously busy.) So, I plan to shave her backside and take some pictures. She is due March 3rd, but I keep thinking/saying the 1st... So I am just going to say the first so I automatically prepare a few days early. That and I feel she may go a few days before her due date as well. She is very full. She isn't the normal oval/round shape my other does get, or that she herself was last year. She has that pointy, oval tummy....then she is lumpy in front of her tummy on each side at the bottom of her rib cage. I think I have felt three different kids in very different places at the same time...but could just be big kids. We shall see! Her udder is looking really nice. Her ligs are softening a bit periodically and then strengthening again, but nothing too saggy. I'm crossing my fingers that even if she has more than twins (twins last year) that her kidding will go just as smoothly. They just shot out of her like bullets, were large and healthy and were eating very quickly. They may as well have walked out of the womb.

Buying a webcam this week. If it is raining I don't know if I can use it, because our main kidding pen this year is our small, fully enclosed back deck. We built a tarp enclosure on the back so she will be dry (if it is raining) and feel secure. I will have to mount the camera on the wall by the back door and it will have no protection from moisture, so here is to hoping it is nice and dry.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: Pearl's Countdown Thread - ND - Due March 1st*

Alrighty, I FINALLY got photos uploaded. These are from yesterday. Her udder looks smaller than it feels! Lol. I didn't shave her, obviously. It decided to go from being sixty degrees to SNOWING. So I figured I'd leave her backside a bit warmer for a few more days and see if this freak weather passes.










Still two weeks to go if I go by a March 3rd due date. She is filling more every day it seems. Her progression is nice and normal. Last year her udder just exploded overnight and more than doubled in size a day before she kidded. Her ligaments were quite soft today. I believe she is starting into the phase where she will soften and tighten again and again until she looses them completely. One of her kids is sitting on her rumen periodically. You can literally see it sticking out, a little sharp triangular bump now and then. There is at least one up near her rib cage, and I'm thinking one on each side...so two. So my bet is sticking at triplets. I didn't upload more belly photos as she hasn't seemed to expand any more.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Pearl's ligs were very loose last night. I assumed they would get strong again as they have been fluctuating a bit lately. Her udder hadn't grown since the photos I posted. This morning at 10: A.M. I checked her and her ligs are completely gone. Still gone this evening, now 7:30. Her udder is also now very tight, her teats are full, and her kids have dropped..hollowing out her sides and making her belly sag. She is still contently chewing her cud and is not in labor at this point. She is sneaky though and is very unconcerned about kidding. Last year it seemed she only started panting and being a bit uncomfy only about ten minutes before giving birth. She went down, pushed the kids out within ten minutes and went back to eating. Very calm little lady.  I didn't end up getting a webcam. Sorry.... But I will have photos when she finally kids.

Here is a photo of her udder tonight around 5:00


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

OMG GOOD LUCK!!!


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## iddybit acres (Feb 18, 2011)

here's hoping a easy kidding for you ray:


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Sounds like your gonna have a busy night! I hope everything goes smoothly and can't wait to see pics!


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

It's probably 11:00pm your time and im so wondering how things are going!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Well, 12:30 A.M. here. Not even in labor as far as I can tell. She may be breathing a bit heavier, but I may be imagining it as well. When I checked her ligaments at 7:30 I kept wondering if I may have felt a little left hanging in there if you felt really deep, but they were most definitely, completely gone by 8 or 9. She is bleating softly to herself, but doing nothing more. No discharge, I haven't seen her losing her plug over the past few weeks either. I imagine she won't go until tomorrow morning....so I will be up and down all night checking on her.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Correction, she is definitely breathing harder. And yesterday and tonight it decided to have freak snow showers after weather up to 60 degrees a week ago. There is at least two inches of snow out there, it is still falling, and it is freezing cold. The heat lamp I have for her is very warm and she has shelter and blankets. Stupid weather....


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

8 A.M. Pearl has finally lost her plug and now has a huge string of amber discharge. Should have kids soon. I KNEW she would wait until this morning to have them! Yet I kept checking on her once every hour through the night. I think I have had 3 1/2 hours of very interrupted sleep. Lol. Nowhere near as stressful as everyone at poor Phoenix Rising. Lol. 

Will update when we have pushing, and then when we have kids! My kidding pen is on my back deck, so I just have to open the back door. Lucky me. I'm glad she waited for day time though...The sky is sunny, it has stopped snowing and is considerably warmer. Although there is several inches on the ground. Time for some coffee with chocolate! Maybe some doughnuts....


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

WOOOOOOOO GO PEARL!!!


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

I have timed contractions at just about 1 minute apart. Not long now.


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## Dunfactor (Dec 10, 2009)

Looking good! She has a nice udder going on.  My fingers are crossed for a safe kidding and healthy multiples! :kidred: :kidred: 

Can't wait for the pics! 

Tracy


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Babies on their way.... :greengrin: :thumb:


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

:kidblue: :kidblue: :kidblue: - 1 DOA

I am uploading photos to Photobucket now. I couldn't even tell you what time they were born. I lost track of the time completely. Sometime this A.M. 

She started pushing and I waited patiently as she wasn't straining too hard. After a time her water broke. No progress for quite some time and little pushing. So I went in to see what the situation was. There was a kid in the birth canal. Well, a head. A huge head. At least I thought it was a head, felt like a head. But then I felt this hole...which wasn't a mouth or nose. I realized it was an eye hole, but didn't feel like there was an eye. It was trying to come out with two front legs back under the body, a head and both back hooves up near the head. And it was completely sideways. A mess. I knew there was something wrong with it. I finally got it untangled and it came out stillborn. It had eyes on further examination....but they were small and sunk back in the head. Very creepy looking. It's teeth were weird too, and the gums were pushed way back.

I went back in a little ways to see if there were more kids in the canal as I had felt everyone tangled up in there with the first kid. There was another kid tangled with a third trying to shove their way out at the same time. I thought they would be dead as well but I felt them move when I touched them. I almost couldn't get the second one out. Everyone wanted to come out head only. I could only get a front leg forward on both those last two and they came out no problem, but man were they a tangled knot in there. Both surviving boys came out very strong and were up very fast. The second one is a screamer though.

Next post will contain photos. One is a buckskin with a pretty much entirely white front half including his head and some roaning over his withers and on his head and tail. The other is pure white with black lower legs and some random black spotting He also has eyeliner on his eyes. Very cute. I have a lot of people wanting wethers, so this will make some people happy.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Boy 1:




























Boy 2:



















Both:



















Yup, it snowed. Of course Pearl chooses the night there is freak snow fall, and it is supposed to be 13 degrees tonight. They are in a very confined space with a shelter in the corner with a heat lamp and blankets. I also put "sock sweaters" on them. Ugly as heck but will help them stay warm.

When the second kid came out he was stained yellow and came with a flood of yellow liquid....is that bad? I've never had that happen before....or just never noticed.


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

AWWWWWWWWWW SO CUUUUTE!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Adorable boys!!!

Sorry Pearl had a rough go of it but thank goodness she had you to help! :hug: 

What you saw with the white baby is what's on every baby...just very visual when shown against white! Freaked me out with my fist delivery of a white kid but it's normal.


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## bleatinghearts (Feb 26, 2010)

Holy smokes! Sounds like you really had your work cut out for you! Your boys are so cute! :hi5: Totally worth the low sleep.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Well the all white baby was just the normal bloody, etc and the stillborn kid was just bloody...but the last one with a white patch was SO yellow. I think the poor thing got ALL the yellow fluid from itself and it's brothers. He looked like a lemon when he came out.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Awwww how precious! I am so sorry she had such a hard time, but thank goodness you were there to assist! 
I think some get more yellow than others. One of my twins that were born on Wed night had a lot of yellow on them too.


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## iddybit acres (Feb 18, 2011)

So cute!! Sorry about the loss, the other two look great!


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