Goat C-section continued...

As I stated in the previous entry, everything changed around midnight. Sweet Pea started her labor around 8:30pm. An amnionic sac didn't appear until 10:30 with it finally breaking around midnight. Small hooves, pointed in the right direction, appeared and then disappeared with each contraction. Lisa and I drank our coffee, discussed plans for making cheese and future goat breeding. A quiet barn is the perfect place for making plans and reflecting on past experiences. Sweet Pea's progress however, was moving way too slowly. She did not seem to be progressing. We decided to give her a break, go to the house, have a snack. We were sure we were disturbing her. A good plan. Unfortunately, this plan didn't work either. Returning from the house it was obvious nothing had progressed. Sweet Pea's labor had intensified, the contractions stronger. Sill no movement foreword. We knew the small hooves were pointed in the right direction, maybe the head and neck of the kid were turned, not allowing it to enter the canal. Lisa held Sweet Pea and I reached in cautiously, not wanting to cause bleeding or pain. Two legs and a nose all belonging to the same kid were in the canal! Great news! With Lisa holding Sweet Pea again, I attempted to assist her by pulling the legs of the kid with each contraction.trying to depress the pelvic floor and rotate the kid to get the head past her pelvic ring. Third plan that did not succeed. I called Dr. Sanford from Sterner Vet Clinic in Ionia around 2:15am, explained the situation, and asked her to come. Dr. Sanford reached the barn 35 minutes later. She asked me to tuck the hooves of the kid back in the canal while we were waiting for her to arrive. This would keep Sweet Pea from straining. Thankfully, this worked. Upon her arrival, Dr. Sanford attempted to manipulate the kid. No success. The options to to euthanize Sweet Pea or attempt a C-Section. The C-Section was the only option for Lisa and I. Sweet Pea stood in the milking stand, exhausted, allowing Dr. Sanford to injection the incision site with Lidocaine. The incision was then made longitudinally behind the rib cage. An incision was then made ini the uterus. Dr. Sanford pulled out one baby and then the other. Two girls. Both babies were cleaned and vigorously rubbed with towels to stimulate breathing and dry them off. I used a hair dryer to dry them further and warm them up. The second kid had slight respiratory depression. She was gently gasping for air. I aspirated the back of her throat with a small syringe and massaged her chest wall hoping to get rid of any extra secretions in her lungs and airway. She continued to pant, mouth slightly open, but her lips were pink and she wanted to stand. Try your best! Sweet Pea was willing to give the kids a good licking while Dr. Sanford was closing her incisions. We then milked her and gave it to the kids. This helped her uterus start to contract and expel any retained uterine contents. Dr. Sanford gave Sweet Pea antibiotics, a steroid, and an anti-inflammatory injection. Finally, back in her stall, Sweet Pea nursed her babies. Time to leave everyone alone, the barn quiet, new babies and mother together. I'll check later, morning chores for everyone else needed to be done soon, but for now, quiet. Live well, Carmen