"Love looks through a telescope. Envy through a microscope". - Josh Billings

It happened in my class yesterday. It didn't bother me, which surprised me.

I stayed home from work today because SURELY Dolly would kid. She's eight days late!
No action all morning, so Marta stopped by about 11:30 to check her out. She did what I guess you'd call a vaginal exam and could feel something round and soft.
Goat kids are supposed to be born front-feet-first, so something round and soft isn't a good sign.

She said to give her a couple of hours to see what, if anything happened. "Check on her every 20 minutes."
Twenty minutes later I went down to the barn to find Dolly having contractions. Terrific.
What wasn't so terrific was seeing a fist-size translucent and fluid filled sac hanging from her rear end. Three hours later nothing had changed and I was beyond worried. Dear Marta came back and daughter Emily came over. We sat in the kidding stall watching Dolly have the occasional contraction, "talk" a lot (something like a soft bleating), and nothing else.

At about 2:30 Marta did another "reach in and see what we've got" exam and felt a hoof. She pulled, Dolly screamed and had BIG contractions that eventually, with Marta's help, produced Goulash, a doeling.

Her coloring is stunning. She may be worth a lot more to someone looking for a doe with this coloring than as meat on our table. So her beauty may get Goulash a reprieve and a Craig's List listing.

Dolly did what goat mamas do; she licked Goulash clean and kept on licking. Among other things that stimulates the kid's urge to nurse, and Goulash figured that out in no time. And then Dolly got another fluid filled sac and showed more signs of contractions. And again, no kid. So Marta went back in and helped Haggis emerge.

Doeling Goulash is built like a Boer - compressed and stocky. Buckling Haggis looks like the 25% of him that's Nubian - long and lanky with a more Roman nose.

It's now 7:15 and I'm exhausted. I found it stressful to watch Dolly with these sacs hanging from her rear end but no progress after hours of waiting and no signs labor was progressing. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Marta's willingness to come over - twice - and help this neophyte.

Yeah, I'm exhausted. I find this pretty stressful, in part because I haven't been at it long enough to know what's normal and what's a sign of trouble - like a doe who isn't progressing through the birth process over several hours.
I'll sleep well tonight. I wish I could stay home tomorrow and enjoy our new kids but I have to meetings and lots of work to do. I also need to stop at the feed store for alfalfa. Momma gets as much as she wants for at least a few days.