My two pregnant females gave birth this week. My first llama births, but I was prepared, so I thought. I teach a spinning class on a Tuesday, I fed the herd as usual and had my coffee with them at 11 am. This was our first sunny warmish day in a week of sleet and snow! Good clue.....Miranda was unusually angry with the other pregnant llama and actually screamed at her. I thought this was unusual enough for me to observe her very carefully for the rest of the morning. Nothing else unusual, she ate and wandered around with no other signs. I left for my class at 2pm still no signs. I came back at 4.30 and I could see an extra set of legs under the little group at the end of the home pasture. There he was, already fluffed up, and suckling, afterbirth already delivered. Checked them both over, rang my friends and enjoyed taking photos. Today, Saturday, a similar situation, Daphnee was angry with all the others including Miranda's new baby that she had actually been mothering, remembering Miranda's anger I watched Daphnee carefully, nothing except sitting awkwardly and spitting at even Miranda's new baby. In the sleet and snow my husband and I were making half hourly checks as I was wary she might not like us watching. At 3.30 pm husband came rushing back saying the baby was halfway out, a head and a leg. Not what I wanted to hear. We put her in the shelter, sure enough, only one leg. I had been reading and watching videos for weeks and I had a full birthing kit ready. I assessed the situation and rang our vet, answerphone to an emergency vet, rang that vet to get another answerphone! Rang my friend who also has llamas, she rang her vet he wanted me to call back with dirctions to our place. We are over 50 Km from all of these vets. I rang him back, spoke to a locum and he said to use the fur on the neck and pull on this and the one leg, llamas can be born like this he said, time to put the phone down on him!! I tried another two vets in a town 60 Km away and neither would come, one even said the baby would be dead by the time he got there! My friend arrived and we both tried to push the baby back in and find the turned back leg, neither of us had the strength to do this. She rang her vet again when I told her what he had said about pulling as she couldn't believe he had said that, this time we spoke to the proper vet and he agreed to come, he was leaving immediately, but was still an hour away. We took some advice from the daughter of the Guidicellis by phone at that time. We tried again to push the baby back in and find the leg. Daphnee did not seem to be having contractions at this time. I had left a message on the mobile phone of a Dutch neighbour and he suddenly called back, he arrived about 5 minutes later. He took control and was able to push the baby back and find the leg, he brought it forward into,the diving position, we told him to take a breather as he was ready to tug on the baby like a calf, and just then Daphnee had a good contraction and started to expel the baby. Succes, she was born and she was very big. Daphnee was not bleeding and seemed to take more of an interest in things when she saw the baby. She has had five other babies, and this was her first dystocia. We dried the baby and she was sitting cushed in no time. When she tried to stand we put a jacket on her and left them to bond for a short while. She is tucked up in the barn now she has been standing, but we could not get her to suckle, will try again later, but she is feisty. It was strange that none of the vets would come out, the one that would come was the furthest away, we cancelled him coming but think we should have got him to check out Daphnee, so my vet is coming up tomorrow. I was stressed out and crying with happiness, we found a bottle of champagne to give to the farmer. We drank another! The farmer's name is Jacobus so we have name the little girl Jacobina. What I had not grasped from reading articles and watching videos of normal births, and videos of wet labs, was the amount of force needed to push the baby back and find a twisted back leg. I know now I would not have been able to do that, I was too emotionally involved and did not have the strength. Anyway, so far a happy outcome, and tomorrow no snow is forecast, just sunshine, I hope!! Update: today, baby suckling very well, and very active, mum does not seem to be in any pain, nor is she split, although the skin around her outside lips was looking red and crazed like stretch marks, no bleeding, one concern though, when she lifted her back leg to scratch her tummy she seemed to lose about a cupful of clear fluid. I was also concerned at the time of the birth that the placenta came out immediately after the baby, mum was sitting down for this final weak contraction as she had been for the whole of the manipulations. She suddenly jumped up and the placenta detached. From then on she instantly became interested in her baby and seemed to question why we were all there and started spitting at us all! During the birth she had been in a sort of daze. Today, mum and baby acting very normal, apart from the water discharge I saw once from mum. I have kept the placenta to show the vet tomorrow. I would be grateful for any input anyone has on the rapid exit of the placenta, was it dislodged by all the tugging and search for the leg? And the watery discharge. This was her fifth pregnancy, all others had been normal. Thanks.
