Goats

Last weekend, we packed up our family and headed north 2.5 hours for my cousin's wedding. We decided to make a fun family trip out of it instead of trying to cram 5 hours of driving round trip into one day. My amazing husband discovered this random little farm bed and breakfast... it was wonderful! My kids loved getting to collect eggs, feed chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, and ducks, and we all loved petting the beautiful draft horse. Breakfast was awesome and included organic ingredients fresh from the farm.

What was interesting was chatting with our host, Elizabeth. She is a pretty interesting lady! A yoga instructor with 5 adult children and a bunch of grandkids now, she runs the farm with her son and completely runs the B&B. She had several of her children at home back in the 80s. Of course, as so easily happens with me, our conversation turned to birth.

Several of her goats are pregnant and due to deliver soon. She told me a story about a goat birth a few years ago-- the mother delivered and everything seemed fine. Elizabeth ran to town to do a few errands and when she came back, it appeared like the mother goat was still laboring. Suspecting a surprise twin, she rushed the goat to the Vet. By this time, the mother goat's cervix had mostly closed, so she was given hormones to induce labor. By the time the baby goat was born, he needed lots of resuscitation to get him going. The mother was so traumatized by the birth that she COMPLETELY rejected the baby. Bonding was fine with the first baby, but she wanted nothing to do with the second baby.

Amazing, huh? Do you think the labor induction artificial hormones had anything to do with that bonding??