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A Baby A Lamb And A Calf

This weekend Arthur was one month old! It feels like yesterday I was wondering if he would ever make an appearance after the longest pregnancy ever!! It’s been a whirlwind four weeks at our house! All of my first five children have their birthdays between September and November so having a Spring baby is new to me. I love Spring for so many reasons. Given the fact I’ve had six babies, autumn /winter fashion tends to suit me more but I live in a constant state of denial. The fake tan comes out, the highlights go in and I try to work a playsuit like I’m Kendall Jenner! I also love that the kids are outside so much more, fashion for Arthur is as easy as a vest and maybe a babygrow and it really feels like the season to celebrate life. The Spring season started at our house with the suprise birth of our little lamb Boop.

We had no idea our Ewe was pregnant. We had taken four sheep from our local farmer and it hadn’t occurred to us that one may have been ‘ in the family way ‘. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful suprise and really made us realise how wonderful life and nature is. There was me, told that despite my 5 star birth record I was now considered ‘ high risk ‘ and my birth choices were limited to a bed and a room. Yet my Ewe had gone through pregnancy, labour and now nursing a newborn with no advice or intervention. We had woken up and just found a beautiful little lamb in our field! Mothers Instinct is such an incredible thing and should be encouraged celebrated more! The kids faces, when they got back from school to find Boop in the field was a picture. Explaining to libby that we didn’t know which of our boys was the dad disgusted her. ‘Obviously it’s the one that married her otherwise how could she have a baby!?’ I think I will limit mikes ‘father / daughter’ chats before she tells me she wants to be a nun. Then we have our Indian Runner ducklings …. Thriving with our chickens. Actually less thriving than surviving! The chickens have started bullying the ducks so we are moving them out into their own pen.

 All our chickens used to completly free range but thanks to Mr Fox we have to keep them in pens now. ….and the calf,  our lovely calf! We had been waiting for him since early April and he finally made his appearance 10th May. It was a manic morning and if someone had told my 17 year old self, after giving birth to your SIXTH baby you will be breastfeeding him in a field while checking on your newborn calf, my rimmel mascara would have smudged from laughter.

 I missed the actual birth but we were there what seemed to be minutes after. Umbilical cord swinging, calf wet and mum laying down, totally exhausted. Arthur was little over a week by then and if I’m honest,  as gorgeous as the calf was, my heart was with his mum. I felt like we had made a connection during our pregnancies.  Particularly the last month or so,  we would waddle over to eachother and just stare into eachothers eyes,  understanding eachothers pain, impatience and discomfort.

So when the vet told us to get her up and get the calf feeding I immediately jumped to her defense and told them to give the poor animal a minute to recover. It only bought her a couple of minutes,  but I know she was grateful. I have retired her from breeding now (this was her 3rd calf that we know of). So once the calf has stopped feeding she can enjoy her freedom from pregnancy and breastfeeding and spend her days enjoying grazing in the fields. Maybe even work at getting her figure back 😂 Sistas have to stick together 👊 So, what’s next?  more chicks? Turkeys? Piglets?  I’ll keep you updated. Lots of Love Kate X

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