Saturday, February 26, 2011

Birth

The barn is reasonably quiet, except for an occasional grunt and an odd squeal.  The heater fan turns on and drowns out the sound of the radio.  It is tuned to some Country Station. Perhaps the inhabitants of the barn are soothed by the heartbreak that the latest cowboy with a black or white hat is singing about.

There is a grumpy old inhabitant on the end, she gets the whole place stirred up..what is her problem anyway…she is a troublemaker. She sounds mean.

The mama that I am watching is calm, she makes soft grunty noises to her babies.  A baby escapes off toward her head..I hope she is as good of a mama as she seems..she is and the little one finds it’s way back.

My instructions are clear, use towel number one then towel number two to dry the newborn off..give them a good rub..and then put them in with their littermates.

In the meantime I wait..watching, looking for signs of straining and a baby in a sack.  I watch the other babies..searching for a teat..then searching for one that might be better than the one they had.  One hour old two at the most, they are clumsy and they fall over easily.  They knock each other over and they step on each others umbilical cords.  They are my source of entertainment while waiting. They make me smile.

Finally my wait is rewarded..I think a baby is on the way.  Sure enough, a baby is coming..steaming..forced from it’s growing place in a nice warm womb into the warmth of the barn..but there is still about a 30 degree difference in temperatures.  I grab the appropriate towel, one more push and it will be all the way out..it is delivered..I grab it in the towel and hold it to my chest..I clean around its mouth and nose..what a rude awakening. It is breathing!!  I rub it all over to dry it off and I do the same thing with the next towel.. I say “ I think your name should be Wilbur or Babe.  I would like to hold you for a long time..but you must go in with your Mama.”

IMG_1520I only got to be a pigwife for a little while..this Mama was all done..I helped to deliver her last little pig..she had ten. It was a fun time in the barn at the neighbors..birth..what an absolute miracle:)   

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29 comments:

Muffie said...

Oh, what a precious experience! Hope the ten little piggies do well, and congrats to the new mama!
Peace,
Muff

Rae said...

I love baby pigs and I am jealous of your experience. It sounds fascinating. They are adorable little babies. Now you can take pictures of them as they grow. It would be fun seeing how quickly they progress.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Waaaay back in the day we used to raise hogs and some of those baby mamas can be a bit irritated (downright mean)!!! I've hopped a fence a many of time.

The picture is just perfect!

God bless ya sweetie and have a magnificent day!

laurie said...

wow. so cool!

Muffy's Marks said...

I am in awe of you. Congratulations to mama and midpigwife.

West Side of Straight said...

You did a good job! Great pic too! Yes, they are so cute when little. Steve will like your post! jo

Lynda said...

You have a great way with words and it sounds like you had a wonderful day watching new life emerge. Thanks for taking me to a world I don't get to frequent. I haven't been active in farm life in over forty years - - - since Grandpa sold the farm after Grandma went to heaven. We loved our time growing up there.

Kathy said...

No matter how many times I've witnessed one, each new birth is a miracle! I've never seen a pig birth though.

I'm a new reader and follower. I am one of the "over 50" gang, and I enjoy reading your posts very much.

My blog is called Reflections by Kathy, and I write a lot about my past--the good old days :)--and some about the present as well.

I've never seen so much snow in my life, as in your photos! I'm from Georgia, and snow is a very rare treat here...Oh, and Chance is a beautiful dog!

Linda said...

Midwifing is SO much better than cooking ain't it? Piglets are sure cute....too bad they have to grow up. I do like me some bacon though.

Rita said...

I've been there for dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats, guppies, mollies, and swordfish...but never with a pig. It sounds wonderful! There's nothing like new life! :):) And you captured it all in words and pictures. Love to see them as they grow. ;)

L. D. said...

It was such fun as a kid to go out to the hog shed and view the newborn pigs under the heat lamp. They are so cute as they explore their abilities to move and play. Great photos and what a great experience.

Barbara said...

They are so adorable, thanks for sharing, baby pigs how sweet, have a very blessed day. Barbara

Leah said...

Nice post - covered it well! You make a good pigwife.... yes Paul (dad) the pig farmer will like your post!

LindaG said...

Congratulations! :-)

Dogert said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Linda Sue said...

AWwww baby piggies all in a row- delightful!I had a pig once- her name was Pamela P. Wigg and she had eight babies- they ran around and played so well until one day the dogs knocked down the fence- the piggies ran about, the dogs chased them down...and out.Every little baby broken in the field. Worst day ever!

Country Gal said...

How wonderful! I remember helping and watching our calves and lambs being born ! Awesome post and photo of all the little piglets ! Have a great day !

Cartoon Characters said...

I've delivered a lot of human babies and been there for a calving....but pigs! that's fun! :)

Linda Myers said...

One day about 17 years ago a friend of our daughter's brought a four-week-old piglet in a shoebox to show us. We were so entranced with the darling little guy we named him Bud and kept him.

Tonight, as the snow falls, old Bud is lying in his house under the deck, warmed by an electric heater we've rigged up, filled by the bucket of food he gets twice a day. He is an old, old guy now. Doesn't get out much, but still likes his dinner.

Thanks for the photo memories.

Karen said...

No matter how many times you've seen it, a new birth is a thrilling event.
And if you are able to help an animal in trouble to have a successful birth, it's a real 'high':)

DJan said...

Oh my!!! They are so incredibly cute! You are so fortunate to have this experience, and they are so fortunate to have YOU!

Changes in the wind said...

Oh, oh, oh, thank you so much for sharing...would have loved to experience this.

Jinglebob said...

Yup, it sure is!

gayle said...

For a short time my dad raised pigs! I wish I had not been a young teen with no interest at the time. Now of course I would love to have been able to do what you have done. Love the picture too!

Emma Rose said...

How precious! That was so cool, and the picture is just perfect.

Kisses,
Emma Rose

RURAL said...

Awwwww...

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Lanny said...

Has Bet been over to see this post yet? We've been a bit busy so she must not or otherwise she would have said something. What a lucky woman you are, and I can't believe you gave the little one up without a fight.

EBet said...

How fun! I love pigs especially the little baby ones.....I like to kiss them on their little noses.

DayPhoto said...

Great job, Connie! Not many people would love to do that.

As for me...it's a treat!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com