Post by tabitha on Aug 25, 2008 7:29:58 GMT -5
hi all! it has been awhile since i have updated, new baby & all.
i did contact the vet about Nimue back before Rome was born. he called the day after his birth, actually. i really like this vet, he is kind and not into ripping people off. we discussed her situation (seemed to have been bagged up for weeks, but no calf, possibly bred earlier (july 2 EDD) or later (sept 28 EDD) plus the bluetongue.) and Dr. Linn felt that even if we brought him out there to palp he could make a serious mistake and kill our calf. he said if he felt a small calf, it could be either a weak/ malformed calf in need of induction or a small calf not ready for birth. if he felt a larger calf, it could be a too-large needing to be born calf or a large calf that wasnt ready. if we didnt value the life of the calf at all, we could induce anyway, but we do value the life of this baby, no matter what, i cant see us discarding it like that unless it wasnt meant for this world. Dr. Linn suggested that if there were something wrong we would know- Nimue would let us know- instead of looking healthy and happy and in the best condition of her life, she would show us she was needing help. he thinks her early bagging up is to do with her long dry period an so on. anyway nice to hear that instead of having to pay $200 to hear it in person.
so we are waiting. not too long now either! and she is still healthy and huge and getting significantly huger around the middle, though i have yet to bump the calf. i must admit i havent put any real effort into it, new baby and all.
we dried off Rori, our other jersey. it was a little early but we have a solid due date on her and a biotracking confirmation of her pregnancy. she was thin when we bought her and i want her to rest awhile after her longer-than-usual lactation. she is due Nov 27th with her second calf, AI to a reg. jersey bull, we are hoping for a register-able heifer of course! Nimue is not registered nor is her baby-daddy. but they are both jersey.
as you may know my almost 2yr old son must have raw or cultured dairy. so drying off Rori wasnt an easy choice. since rome was born dh had been milking and then i got my wisdom teeth surgically removed 2 weeks after rome's birth, so i wasnt going to be helping any time soon. as much as this isnt what i wanted to happen, we chose to listen to reality and let it go for now. we have 2 local sources for raw milk, but havent bought any yet. dh went back to work today for the first time nd once that routine is re-established, he will bring milk home to us for a few weeks until Nimue calves.
our kids are all doing allright, sickness is sweeping through our home like it will do and all 4 have a cold, but that is to be expected. i have a 6 year old, a 4 year old, one that is almost 2 and a newborn. he is 4 weeks old tomorrow. i keep telling myself it can only get better from here: my mouth will heal every day (from the surgery) the baby is growing like a weed, and my older kids will be more help with each passing moment.
this may be a boring update to some, but i wanted to share because you all have been such a big part of our lives for these 3 years. i will add pictures if i get a chance today.
i did contact the vet about Nimue back before Rome was born. he called the day after his birth, actually. i really like this vet, he is kind and not into ripping people off. we discussed her situation (seemed to have been bagged up for weeks, but no calf, possibly bred earlier (july 2 EDD) or later (sept 28 EDD) plus the bluetongue.) and Dr. Linn felt that even if we brought him out there to palp he could make a serious mistake and kill our calf. he said if he felt a small calf, it could be either a weak/ malformed calf in need of induction or a small calf not ready for birth. if he felt a larger calf, it could be a too-large needing to be born calf or a large calf that wasnt ready. if we didnt value the life of the calf at all, we could induce anyway, but we do value the life of this baby, no matter what, i cant see us discarding it like that unless it wasnt meant for this world. Dr. Linn suggested that if there were something wrong we would know- Nimue would let us know- instead of looking healthy and happy and in the best condition of her life, she would show us she was needing help. he thinks her early bagging up is to do with her long dry period an so on. anyway nice to hear that instead of having to pay $200 to hear it in person.
so we are waiting. not too long now either! and she is still healthy and huge and getting significantly huger around the middle, though i have yet to bump the calf. i must admit i havent put any real effort into it, new baby and all.
we dried off Rori, our other jersey. it was a little early but we have a solid due date on her and a biotracking confirmation of her pregnancy. she was thin when we bought her and i want her to rest awhile after her longer-than-usual lactation. she is due Nov 27th with her second calf, AI to a reg. jersey bull, we are hoping for a register-able heifer of course! Nimue is not registered nor is her baby-daddy. but they are both jersey.
as you may know my almost 2yr old son must have raw or cultured dairy. so drying off Rori wasnt an easy choice. since rome was born dh had been milking and then i got my wisdom teeth surgically removed 2 weeks after rome's birth, so i wasnt going to be helping any time soon. as much as this isnt what i wanted to happen, we chose to listen to reality and let it go for now. we have 2 local sources for raw milk, but havent bought any yet. dh went back to work today for the first time nd once that routine is re-established, he will bring milk home to us for a few weeks until Nimue calves.
our kids are all doing allright, sickness is sweeping through our home like it will do and all 4 have a cold, but that is to be expected. i have a 6 year old, a 4 year old, one that is almost 2 and a newborn. he is 4 weeks old tomorrow. i keep telling myself it can only get better from here: my mouth will heal every day (from the surgery) the baby is growing like a weed, and my older kids will be more help with each passing moment.
this may be a boring update to some, but i wanted to share because you all have been such a big part of our lives for these 3 years. i will add pictures if i get a chance today.