This may be the only way we can have a female baby at this house but we've got a new foal! Got up this morning and there she was, standing with her head through the fence. Amanda and I went out and rubbed all over her and got her imprinted on us. Missy didn't seem to mind at all. Wasn't until the baby went to nurse that we realized that mama wasn't to keen on that baby crawling under her and sucking on her. She tried to kick the baby. We got on to her and tried to direct the baby in from the side instead of coming back behind mama and mama still was pinning her ears back and getting ready to kick, and Missy is not a mean horse at all. Missy and the baby wandered around and baby got behind her and Missy did get a kick in on her. We called the vet and they said they have a foal in there right now that the mother wasn't letting nurse and was kicking. They said try blindfolding the mare and ease the baby up there. If that didn't work, bring them in. Well I put a towel over Missy's head and she was ok with that... for about 30 seconds. Amanda says let's take them in. I carried the foal to the round pen so Missy wouldn't kill it and Amanda goes in to get the boys up. Missy started getting antsy because she wasn't by the baby I so run get her and bring her over. I was glad she wanted her baby. I held Missy and started expressing milk from her myself as the foal was nuzzling her. I slowly directed the foal back while praising Missy and pretty soon the foal was nursing. Got her to nurse one side, then walked her around to the other side and had her nurse there. Vet said we need to keep an eye on them today but, with all Missy has been through and with her leg being swollen and one of her teats also, it makes sense that she wasn't too keen on letting the baby nurse. They're gonna come out this afternoon and make sure the foal is getting enough and Amanda is going to have to be watching all day and make sure Missy doesn't get grumpy again but we gave Missy a larger dose of bute (painkiller) and between that and having nursed now, we think they'll be good to go.
While we were doing all this I was thinking how difficult it was when Garrett was born and he wouldn't latch on and nurse. Amanda was trying so hard and doing everything the nurses and Dr's said but it just wasn't working. Lots of women had told her "oh, it's so easy, it's so natural." Whatever. It may be, or it may not be. Garrett never did nurse really well. Luke did. With our horses the first two mares did great. Missy isn't. It depends on the mom, on the baby, depends on how much you're willing to try and be patient. With Garrett we didn't know soon enough for Amanda to pump and put it in a bottle so he had to go back in to the hospital and get an IV and sit under the tanning lamp, at least that's what I called it, to get his billirubins down. With Luke, it was easy. What matters is what I was thinking when the foal got up from her nap and went to nurse for the second time - what a blessing! The baby, how God made mothers perfectly built to care for their babies, and capable of learning when it doesn't necessarily come easy. So awesome. Just a week and half ago we thought Missy might not live and here she is healthy, well pretty skinny but with a healthy baby by her side and they're both doing well. So many awesome blessings.
If y'all want to come see the foal just holler at us and make sure we're around and come on out. We still need a name for the little girl too!
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