Twin Ewe lambs from Hannah

After a long night and an equally long day of watching and checking on poor hugely pregnant Hannah, twin ewe lambs were born last evening. One was born about 6:15 (about 15 minutes after talking with a vet on the phone) and the other about 8:45 (again about 15 minutes after talking with the vet).

The worry watch started when I saw that suddenly Hannah's bag had swelled up like a water balloon and was very warm.  I checked on her through the night every 2 hours.  She stayed inside the pole building so I knew she was close. 

Yesterday morning she was noisy and uncomfortable, bellowing from inside the barn. Not a happy girl at all.  I kept watching her and although she was quite uncomfortable, I couldn't see any regular contractions starting up and no water bag.  One or two possible contractions, but nothing definite.  Usually my girls lave their lambs out within an hour of acting this way. By late afternoon with still no sign of a water bag, I started worrying that a lamb could be laying crossways and keeping her from going into 2nd stage labor. So that's when I called the vet. He said to give her more time as long as I wasn't seeing any bloody discharge.

I went in to make chili for supper and when I checked the barn cam, there was Hannah licking off a lamb!  I never did see her have contractions.

I am happy to say that Hannah filled my order for a moorit lamb, and she even made it a ewe lamb and added a krunet!  This little lamb was normal sized, and there was no placental cord hanging out from Hannah so I was sure there would be at least one more lamb to come.  Hannah licked and licked the moorit, fed her and didn't have any more contractions for over two hours.  The moorit was cleaned off, well fed, jumping and frolicking and still no sign of baby number two. Hannah decided to eat a little hay and get a drink of water, so that's when I called the vet back.  He said that Hannah just seemed to be taking things slow this time around and to just let her be, not to go in looking for number two, which was fine by me.  So within minutes of getting that advice, I see a big clear water bag emerge and eventually some hooves.  Then Hannah laid down and a BIG twin sister was born.  I had to help get her shoulders and body out.

It is totally amazing to me that those lambs are so programmed to nurse immediately on exit from the womb. This big girl connected with the teat before even standing up for the first time.  Hannah has a lot of milk.  I had to get a flashlight to make sure it was another ewe lamb.  It was dark in the barn by time she was born and being black didn't help much.

This morning all is well, but my camera batteries died after I got this shot. I've still got to weigh them.