I've been present for three births in my life: mine and each of my daughters'. But yesterday I was present for 4 more! Our friends' dog had her puppies!
She started hard labor Sunday night. All of us were excited! The kids gathered and tried to be still and quiet while Maggie worked through the contractions...
After a couple of hours, things weren't really progressing and we had some concerns, so we called the emergency animal clinic and decided to take her in. After sending the kids to bed, Susan, Stan, and I loaded Maggie (in her box) into the car. We got to the clinic just after midnight. They took x-rays and blood, then did an ultrasound. We found out Maggie was having five puppies!!! It was pretty neat to see the ultrasound with all these little heartbeats going on. The other tests showed that everything seemed fine but after a couple of hours there was still no progress, so they gave her a shot to strengthen the contractions.
Almost immediately, the first puppy, a girl, was born. Whinnie was vocal from the first moment she was born! She whined nearly nonstop! lol Even still, if someone is whining, it is usually Whinnie. We thought "Whinnie" sounded nicer than "Whiney" though, so that's her name:
Sadly, the next puppy was born with complications. He came out backwards right after Whinnie. He hadn't even come all the way out, when Maggie, trying to chew at Whinnie's sack, stretched and twisted his cord and sack, too. The vet had to step in and help Maggie deliver the puppy, but it was not happening easily. In the end, the puppy had gone too long without oxygen and couldn't be revived, even with the vet's help with meds and oxygen.
Maggie had a short rest before the next puppy. But soon, a big boy was born! He is the lightest colored puppy and the only puppy with a pink nose. He's one of the biggest pups and with his coloring he *almost* looks ferocious.... if you use your imagination... okay, not really! lol Still, his name is Grrrr. Grrrr is wiggly; he is always moving! He is also the best eater! Grrrr is Jacob's favorite.
After Grrrr, came another little girl. And man, is she little! She's a tiny little thing, compared to her big sister and big brother! This puppy was the last to be named, we considered many, but in the end we decided on Minnie Mae. Maggie's nickname is Mae Mae, so this is her Minnie Mae. Minnie Mae is sweet and content. She hasn't gotten too vocal yet, unlike her big sister Whinnie.
Before the last puppy was born, Maggie got another little break. We had the puppies in a little tub with hot water bottles to keep them warm and to keep them out of the way. But she kept hearing Whinnie's little cries and would tilt her head all cute-like. She was a mama! Finally, exhausted, she curled up for a quick little nap.
And then finally, another little boy. He's another tiny little thing. Susan named him George. Have you ever seen Father of the Bride 2? At the end of the movie, Steve Martin is holding the baby boy and talking to him about his name. He tells George not to let the other kids pick on him because of his name; it's a good name! Since George is such a little puppy, the name just fits. Don't let them make fun of your name, George; it's a good name! lol George is like Minnie Mae; he is quiet and content, happy to just curl up and sleep. The only other right after birth pic is a little messy, so I'll just show this one:
And so, Maggie had four healthy puppies; 2 girls, 2 boys! It was a very long night! We got home about 4:30am and quickly made up a new bed for the tired mama and four babies. Thank goodness it is Spring Break! We all needed to sleep in!!!
