She made it! Last night Freckles was very restless and having an occasional pain. She was also nesting a great deal. Her water broke at about 6:30 this am and she was in labor by 7:00. It took a long time to deliver the first pup - a good sized male - because he had a foot caught behind him. He arrived about 8:45 am. He was very week and breathing was labored. We suctioned, did mouth to mouth and worked on him for several hours - he really fought to live - but he died about 1:00 pm. However, during that time Freckles delivered 6 more beautiful puppies - all healthy! She cleaned each one up, responded to their cries and even piled them all in a corner each time she felt the pangs of another birth beginning. It is amazing how God has placed these instincts into His creatures. This was her first (and last!) litter but she knew how to clean them, nurse them, and care for them. The last one gave us a scare, born breech (3 of them were), not breathing and mouth and nose full of fluids. Jeremy and I suctioned, and suctioned, did chest compressions, and slung it upside down several times till we heard that glorious cry!! Freckles did great, and all are happily nursing away! They needed a little help from the boys to get headed in the right direction but once they latched on - they knew exactly what to do! All have the black mask that their daddy wears and most have cute spots scattered about - although those will be covered with white hair at some point. They weighed about a pound each. They make cute little mewing sounds when searching for Mama or when Mama gets to rough with her cleaning! Now, this Mom is whipped and going to corral my kids into bed early tonight (if I can tear them away from the whelping box!). ..it has been a long and rewarding day but with lots of work (and laundry!). After over a week of checking her every two hours at night, I am looking forward to at least 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep! We are so thankful to God for his faithfulness in answered prayers. We have been blessed with 4 girls and 2 boys - the CUTEST puppies you have ever seen! Thank you to all who left me notes and offered prayers - we are grateful! Have a blessed night!
She made it! Last night Freckles was very restless and having an occasional pain. She was also nesting a great deal. Her water broke at about 6:30 this am and she was in labor by 7:00. It took a long time to deliver the first pup - a good sized male - because he had a foot caught behind him. He arrived about 8:45 am. He was very week and breathing was labored. We suctioned, did mouth to mouth and worked on him for several hours - he really fought to live - but he died about 1:00 pm. However, during that time Freckles delivered 6 more beautiful puppies - all healthy! She cleaned each one up, responded to their cries and even piled them all in a corner each time she felt the pangs of another birth beginning. It is amazing how God has placed these instincts into His creatures. This was her first (and last!) litter but she knew how to clean them, nurse them, and care for them. The last one gave us a scare, born breech (3 of them were), not breathing and mouth and nose full of fluids. Jeremy and I suctioned, and suctioned, did chest compressions, and slung it upside down several times till we heard that glorious cry!! Freckles did great, and all are happily nursing away! They needed a little help from the boys to get headed in the right direction but once they latched on - they knew exactly what to do! All have the black mask that their daddy wears and most have cute spots scattered about - although those will be covered with white hair at some point. They weighed about a pound each. They make cute little mewing sounds when searching for Mama or when Mama gets to rough with her cleaning! Now, this Mom is whipped and going to corral my kids into bed early tonight (if I can tear them away from the whelping box!). ..it has been a long and rewarding day but with lots of work (and laundry!). After over a week of checking her every two hours at night, I am looking forward to at least 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep! We are so thankful to God for his faithfulness in answered prayers. We have been blessed with 4 girls and 2 boys - the CUTEST puppies you have ever seen! Thank you to all who left me notes and offered prayers - we are grateful! Have a blessed night!
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Congratulations! You have a lovely lot of pups. It is wonderful to have children share in this process and experience the wonder of it all. Life and death are two sides of the same coin. Death teaches us of how precious life is.
ReplyDeleteOh, how sweet and precious! What a experience for your children that they will never forget. They must be walking on clouds! Congratulations on the new additions to the family! :)
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