The Miracle of Birth

​Phoebe is only a yearling.  She just had her first birthday this past December.  Yesterday as we were taking a walk around looking at things, Lance noticed that Phoebe was in labor.  I had wanted to witness a lamb birth for quite some time.  Up until this point though it had always somehow happened when we were either sleeping or gone from the house altogether, as though the stork had just delivered them out of thin air and they appeared like beautiful little presents in the field, received lovingly by the expectant mothers.  This time though we were fortunate and privileged to witness a miracle.  

Phoebe was obviously uncomfortable. She got up and down a lot, pawing the ground.

The horses heard her crying and could tell that something was definitely afoot. They came to see what was going on and expressed their concern for her.

We checked the time again as she rested between contractions. Sheep aren't supposed to need to labor for much more than an hour. I remember reading James Herriot's stories of having to help laboring sheep in distress and was suddenly very grateful that katahdins are known to be one of easiest sheep breeds for lambing, having much less difficulty overall compared to the Suffolk that this beloved vet and author was so familiar with. I loved reading his stories but I did not want to have to call for help to untangle any little legs on the inside of my distressed ewe. We were just over 30 minutes right here though and since I could clearly see two front feet and a little nose just barely peeking out (this is the correct way for a lamb to be born) I decided not to freak out just yet.

Sure enough, in about 45 minutes we were all able to meet him. She did all the work and he looks just like his father. Go figure!

She may be a first-time mom, but she caught on right away. She loved him instantly and immediately began to lick him off as he sneezed and sputtered to catch his first few breaths.

It is amazing how God made lambs. Within just a few short minutes the little guy is already standing.

The first milk is called colostrum. It is very important that little lambs start nursing as soon as possible. They only have about 24 hours to absorb this special milk containing a dose of antibodies that will help to keep them healthy. Seeing him nurse makes this farmer very happy!

He gets his cord dipped in a 7% solution of iodine to prevent naval cord infections, and weighs in at 9lbs 7oz. Good job Phoebe!