Stillborn

As Alex my new and simply stunning Dexter heifer arrived …

…  as Tima, the kunekune gilt, completely out of the blue, without any prior warning whatsoever, went into labour. She had no udder, was not wide or obviously pregnant. She never created a nest. She was eating and drinking like there was no tomorrow.  And she kept pushing her body under straw. She slept all day like that. And it was not cold. She was in labour.

By six in the evening she was in full labour. By 6.30 I was able to help Tima by pulling that first and only piglet out, but I was too late. The piglet was dead. Still-born.  And dead is dead. Dead does not come back to life. There is no reviving dead. In the end you have to lay that body in the cloth, wrap it and put it aside, then turn and start fighting for the living.

She gave birth to that sole stillborn piglet, then she began to bleed, not much,  but constant,  then she began to shake. I have never seen a pig shake like that.  She was in shock.   Her body was shuddering and her legs were out of control shaking. I wrapped her in my jacket then ran back to the house for a blanket and warmed her with that as well. I filled a hot water bottle and put it underneath her.  Then lay down beside her.  Slowly the shaking diminished and she drifted into a deep natural sleep, then she began to snore. And as her snores mingled with the snuffles of Tane, who had been asked to stay in the corridor for the duration, the whole barn began to breathe a sigh of relief.

By eight she expelled the afterbirth and I checked her hourly .  Still she slept with her head under the covers refusing to get up. After midnight when she was clean I brought Tane back in with her. Who do you want to see at this time of your life? – someone who loves you. Of course.   Luckily for Tima the one who loved her was her mate.

Tane got Tima straight up out of the bed with his nose. I brought in some corn – a rare midnight snack and after fighting over that, Tima had a good long drink of water laced with molasses. Then so did Tane. Then they rearranged the bed into a double and went to sleep.  I rewrapped Tima in her pig blanket just to be sure. She said, Thank You. Tane said, where is my blanket and Tima kicked him from under the covers.

Sad that we don’t have pile of cute mini Tima babies but in the end my loyalty it to Timatanga Moana. It  is sad that her baby died. But I cannot tell you how glad I am that Tima is ok.

As I walked back to the house through the dark after midnight it began to rain. Ton left the barn and ran ahead to the house. For the duration of Tima’s ordeal Ton had stood by her gate.  (Boo stayed inside) Even as I moved back and forth Ton  stayed outside Tima’s pen. As we jogged back through the rain that last time I wondered how he had come to the conclusion that her ordeal was over and he could join me in running for home this time.

What can we learn from these animals? I wonder. Get over stuff and get on with life?  Do the job then move to the next with a smile. Toughen up!

Alex we will talk about tomorrow. She is a stunner. A wooly mammoth in miniature. She immediately made friends with Naomi and as I was working with Tima in the next stall these two laid down quietly together and went to sleep. She is not as naturally friendly as Carlos so I will have to train her over the winter.  If all goes well she will be a milk cow and milk cows need training as we all know!

Losses are  part of life. We know them, we bow our heads to them for a time of mourning or remembrance. But life is alive. Pick up your head –  It is ALIVE – for the living, this short life of ours. Fight for it!

Thank you little piglet born still and without life. Your wee life was worth it.

Love celi