A Mother's Love

After a long day of whelping, the house is quiet, and everyone is settled in for the night. All the chaos of the day is over and as I peek down over my toes at the end of my bed, I see Chilly cleaning her six new babies in her whelping box. The constant rhythm of her tongue as she scrutinizes every inch from top to bottom of these fuzzy little jelly beans. This is her first litter and you just never know what to expect from a first time Mom. You hope for the best but in the back of your mind you are worried about the worst. Chilly was no exception. The usual preparations were made. The items I might need on standby.

Labor progressed very quickly and she didn't have a whole lot of time to get used to her new and ever changing situation. Panting, contractions, body trembling, and urge to push and not know why or what in fact was going on. Of course her first puppy was large and breach. Breach is when a puppy, human, or anything else for that matter presents through the birth canal rear feet first. It is less than aerodynamic to say the least and not the easiest or quickest way to have your baby. Pushing took a bit longer that was comfortable for either of us. First just a foot in the sack. A tiny black foot tipped with perfect little pads and the smallest of white tipped toenails. Sometimes walking and pushing is the best medicine and is far more effective than just laying down. This allows gravity to pitch in and help out. Once he was born she began cleaning him and nature kicked in. The primitive instinct to quickly clean up any scent that would attract a predator in the wild. Amazed at how primitive and basic the urges that are handed down through the generations are even after hundreds of years domestication. As quickly as it started, it was over. Contractions began distracting her again right away taking her attention away from her new little bundle of joy and back to her own situation. Again after puppy number two, she swooped in to clean and protect as nature demands. She immediately laid down letting her babies nuzzle in while she began cleaning them from head to toe, checking cords, and keeping them close in her protective cocoon. This is where she settled. Creating a nest and gathering her puppies to nurse. Concerned whenever anyone of her children would whimper or whine perking her ears and tilting her head from side to side in an adorable display, while trying to understand what her baby needed. In these quiet after hours, I feel so blessed to be a part of natures little nuances and tender moments. Counting my blessings. Every fuzzy blessing.