Calf Watch: The Midnight Hour

I went out and checked Sara at 11:15, 2 hours after I first noticed some mucus around the vulva.  She was lying down near the gate and didn't get up this time.  I couldn't see her rear end too well, but it seemed to have a bulgy look and she looked (I'm glad she can't read this) like a beached whale.  So I decided to check again in an hour.

I was feeling sleepy and almost talked myself into believing she wasn't close to calving or she would have hid in the barn.  But then I told myself that she probably felt quite hidden in the pitch black night, and if anything happened to her, I wouldn't forgive myself for not checking.

So I pulled on my barn boots, grabbed the flashlight and the camera and headed out there.  Sara was still lying down in the same place.  The ground under her tail was dry, but her back hooves had scraped and disturbed the dirt, and there was a dark, damp patch.

In my attempt to shine enough light on the subject to make my camera focus, I disturbed Sara and she got up. I managed to get a pretty clear shot, and she looks like a balloon about to burst.

She moved toward the dark inside of the barn, and she seemed to waddle.  She paused several times to turn her head and look backwards.  I do believe she might be in labor, so I plan to stay up and go check on her in an hour.  If I don't fall asleep (yawn!)