We finally welcomed Lucy’s babies into the world last night. I wish I could say it was the best experience since we started farming, but it was a kind of chaotic, happy, exciting, and sad event. It was a stark reminder of the things that go wrong on a farm, of mortality when raising so many animals.
I put Lucy in the kidding stall late in the day yesterday only halfway expecting her to kid. She looked ready, but I’ve been anticipating the birth for so long and I suppose I was in denial that it was finally going to happen. I knew it was going to happen at some point, I just thought I had at least another day to stress about it. After dinner and my shower I decided to sneak down to the goat pen and have a peek before heading to bed. I was met with the squeak of a new baby, but also the first sign of trouble with the second baby. I thought she was done after the second, but unfortunately, Lucy lost two of her three babies. All boys, and all beautiful. I put everything I had in me to revive them. And I couldn’t.
I wonder if I had more experience and knew what to expect and what I’m doing, would I have been able to at least save the third one. But I don’t really know. All I’m doing at this point is second guessing, which happens so often anyway.
The farm life is a good life. We have so much to be thankful for. But sometimes it’s a struggle to remember the good, especially when facing a death that might have been prevented.
Lucy and the baby are doing great. It was so hard today to get any work done because I felt the need to check in on them often and soak up some baby cuddles.
I called on some people with far more goat experience than I have to find out what I could have done differently. I received some wonderful advice. With Cocoa Puff’s due date in just a little over two weeks I’m already nervous. I was so eager for Lucy to have her babies, and while I’m excited about Cocoa’s, I can’t help but start worrying about the ‘what ifs.’
