Unusual pregnancy

[Stringinit]

Long story short. My doe is due to kid in 11 days. Previous pregnancies she would look like she was ready to burst for about a month before her due date. This pregnancy she is just in the past week beginning to show a little bit. She's starting to swell and her udder is enlarging some. 

Is this unusual from anyone's experience? Do goats (practice) seaman retention?, causing her due date to drift forward more days?

From the day of her last date with Mango, I counted 150 days forward. She's usually about 5-7 days premature. 

She has always had twins. Perhaps this is a single?

Still learning. 

Thanks in advance

[Nanno]

Could very well be a singleton. I don't think semen retention is likely, but I never like to say that anything is impossible. Just keep an eye on her and let us know how things progress. Hopefully she has a normal, easy birth right on schedule.

P.S. I'm away from home this week and my internet is atrocious so if you post an update and I don't reply--that's why. This is the first time I've been able to access this site in the last 24 hours, and that was only after I shut down and restarted my computer, which had totally given up even trying to access any website except my email. Now it's working, but for how long? Who knows!

[Stringinit]

Thank you Nanno. You have always been very helpful. 

I'll keep an eye on her and will let you know how Nala does.

Still learning the goat world. Thanks again

[Stringinit]

Well today is Nala's due date and there's not much change in her appearance just a little more filled out and her udders are still on the small side. Her lady area is starting to swell some so my guess is she is just running a little late this year.

Her timing is pretty bad, we have a rain and snow all week. Probably going to have to put them under a heat lamp until it warms up. Never had to in the past.

[Stringinit]

Well we're in-between thunderstorms and she's going into labor this evening. I took good notes last year and I'm pretty confident based on her condition.

She has these 2 very large veins just in front of her udders and she has a white liquid beginning to form at her opening. She is also very vocal as well as uncomfortable.

Whats different this time is she hasn't begun to drip milk yet like she has the previous 2 pregnancies.

It's going to be a long evening

[Nanno]

Good luck!

[Stringinit]

Well. It was bittersweet. First baby boy came out very quickly. I was beginning to think there was only going to be one because in her previous pregnancies she gave birth minutes apart. The last baby boy came about an hour later and was breach. He was stillborn.

She was only a day late and still was not her huge massive self just before pregnancy. Looks like each pregnancy is a little unique.

[Nanno]

I'm so sorry you lost one. Pregnancies can definitely be unique.

Breech kids often don't make it, especially if they are trapped in the birth canal as opposed to being stuck before they enter it. Thankfully they are usually very easy to deliver. Our first breech kid was long delayed after a doe had already given birth to two kids. We thought she was done because she was up and eating and not pushing or acting distressed, but I was concerned about the lack of any afterbirth hanging. Usually after the last kid is born, there is a large piece of afterbirth hanging down. I bounced her belly and I could easily feel a hard lump bouncing back at me. Since the doe wasn't acting "off" we just waited. We waited about an hour and then decided that the baby had to come out. Luckily the kid's bottom was stuck at the edge of the birth canal and he hadn't entered it yet so he was ok. I had to reach all the way in and down so I could hook a finger around a hock and then bring the hind legs up one at a time into the birth canal. Once the hind legs were in position I pulled the little guy out quickly because once the kid is in the birth canal, the umbilical cord gets pinched off, causing reflexive breathing to occur. Since the head is still inside, the kid will drown if not removed quickly.

Sounds like in your case, the kid was stuck partially inside the birth canal. The one consolation to losing a kid is that there is usually something to be learned from it. I have learned that multiples should always follow each other very quickly. If a second kid isn't on the ground within about 15 minutes, or if a doe is pushing and nothing is presenting, it's time to go in and see what's holding things up. If you feel a tail and rump, the kid may never come out on its own and will almost certainly be dead if it does. Push it back a little and get the hind legs to the surface, then pull it out quickly. If you feel toes but they are upside-down and there is no head on top of them it usually means the kid is breech. Feel along the legs to make sure they are hind legs and not an upside-down kid. Upside-down is a very rare presentation, so you can almost always count on upside-down toes to mean the kid is breech, but it's always wise to take a feel along the legs to make sure they're the back ones. Hocks are very easy to tell by feel because of their sharp angle and how thin they are compared to knee joints. Knee joints are hard bone all the way around while hocks have a "hollow" spot in the middle with round "ball" at the joint. They also have a sharp angle to them that knees don't have. Once you know you have a breech, pull that kid out fast and clear his nostrils. You may have to hold him up by the hind legs so his airways can drain. You can even swing him gently back and forth with his head down by holding the hind legs with one hand and using your other hand to support his chest.

Things to keep in mind with births:
If there is no afterbirth hanging down, it nearly always means the doe has another kid inside.
Multiple births should follow each other in quick succession. Once the passage has been fully dilated by the first kid, there is nothing holding the next kid back except malpresentation. A kid out of position may not stimulate contractions so the doe may walk around, eat, lick and nurse her kid, and otherwise act like she's finished. But if there's no afterbirth hanging, be very suspicious.
Bump the belly if you suspect another kid. Stand behind the doe and wrap your arms around her just in front of the udder. Pull your arms upwards and she'll either feel like a big empty water balloon, or you'll feel a hard lump hitting against her insides. A hard lump is another kid. A big empty water balloon either means there are no more kids, or there's one stuck in the birth canal. If there's one in the birth canal the doe should be pushing. If she's pushing and nothing is coming, or if she's too tired to push, then she needs help right away.
If you need to reach in after a kid, make sure to remove watches, rings, bracelets, etc. and disinfect your hands or use OB gloves. Lubricant can be very helpful, especially if the doe is dry, but it can also make it more difficult to grab onto legs. I like to make sure everything is in position before using lubricant.

Once again, I'm sorry you lost one, but I'm happy that your doe is ok and you have one healthy kid. Keep an eye on his nursing. There's a good chance you'll need to train him to nurse both sides of the udder. Singletons are notorious for favoring one teat and ignoring the other, which can lead to udder problems for your doe. Best of luck! Do you have any other does due to kid this year?

[Stringinit]

Thank you for the very detailed response I will definitely keep these suggestions on standby the next time we have a pregnancy. Nala is our doe this year. Looks like our little boy is going to need a stepbrother.

The stillborn must've passed a few weeks back. His eyes weren't fully formed and was pretty small.

[Nanno]

Oh, yeah, if he was long-deceased then getting to him sooner wouldn't have been any help. It also may have been why it took so long for her to push him out. Usually the kids themselves help somewhat in the process. I think their movement stimulates contractions. You might want to consult with your vet about whether antibiotics are recommended. If the fetus was beginning to decompose in the womb your doe could be harboring an infection. Your vet may recommend a uterine flush, uterine bolus, and/or antibiotic injections of some kind.