Birth Story

Blossom
by Esther Smith

Blossom

I am a Charis doula and midwifery student and a veterinary assistant at a small animal veterinary clinic.  I usually attend human births, but I recently had the privilege of attending my dog, Blossom, at the birth of her first litter.  Blossom is a 6-pound Yorkshire Terrier.  She gave birth at 61 days gestation, which is 2 days before her due date but still considered full term.

Blossom slept with me the night before the birth, making me very aware of her movements.  About midnight, she became unusually restless.  She changed positions frequently, breathed heavily, and sought my comfort and reassurance.  Needless to say, I got almost no sleep.  This first stage of labor lasted until mid-morning.

Before the birth, I had made careful preparations.  One of these was to prepare a whelping box, a place where my dog would have her puppies.  About 3 weeks before the birth, my dog was introduced to the box, and she even slept there on several occasions.  Everything was going perfectly as planned.

Then on the morning of the birth, she spurned my carefully prepared whelping box and began to search the house to find her own birthing spot.  Most of the places she investigated were not acceptable to me, being either difficult to reach, difficult to clean, easily damaged, or all of the above.  Finally, my dog and I compromised and settled on a location.

Our new chosen location seemed good until my dog reached the pushing stage of labor.  Then she was once again dissatisfied and researched the house, trying to find a better location.  Again, she and I compromised and settled on a location.  This time, it was my lap.

In retrospect, my lap was the very best place.  It was where my dog felt safest, and it put me in the best position for aiding her in her labor and delivery.  I did not have to lean over her or reach under anything because she was right there in my lap.  It was perfect.

Pushing came in sets of 2 to 6 pushes, not unlike human labor.  Usually, panting hard came first.  Then my dog would take a deep breath and bear down for 2 to 4 seconds.  Then she would take another deep breath and bear down again, and so on until the urge passed.  She would rest for a minute or two before the sequence began again.

My dog tried multiple positions for pushing, including standing, squatting, half-sitting, and side-lying.  The standing and squatting seemed to be the most effective because they used gravity more efficiently.

For the first puppy, my dog pushed for 2 hours and 15 minutes.  The puppy was a compound presentation, with her front paw beside her head.

One of the most remarkable moments of the birth was the moment that my dog realized that she had given birth to a real live puppy.  When the puppy first came out, my dog’s instincts took over. She opened the sac, cleaned the puppy, and cut the cord.  She executed her role perfectly, but it was all done on instinct.  She HAD to clean that little package, but she didn’t know why.  Then the puppy squeaked.  My dog’s ears went up, and she looked intently at that puppy.  You could see in her eyes that realization that this was a living being, and, from that moment on, she was willing to give anything for that puppy.  It was amazing, and I will never forget it.

We named the first puppy “Anna”.

For about an hour and a half, my dog did not push.  She took this time to care for and bond with Anna.  She also rested.  I took this time to care for my dog and her puppy, and to pray for the rest of the litter, since I could still feel puppies moving inside Blossom.

I noticed that Blossom ate and drank throughout her labor.  I had prepared a high sugar/high protein snack for her, and she was very grateful and very eager to eat small amounts during labor.  I believe it made a positive difference in her energy and strength.

After her long rest, my dog started pushing again.  She pushed for 12 minutes and gave birth to a very lively puppy.  This puppy was wiggling in her sac before it was even opened.  Once it was opened, she started breathing right away.  I named her Faith.

After Faith was born, my dog did not push for 15 minutes.

After this short break, Blossom pushed for 18 minutes before the last puppy was born.  The last puppy was born breech.  We named her “Joy”.

Within an hour or two following birth, all 3 puppies were nursing, and my dog was tired but happy.  In the days that followed, Blossom proved to be a good mother and very attentive to her puppies. She and the puppies settled happily into the whelping box, where the puppies will spend the first few weeks of life.

It was a good birth, and we have 3 healthy, strong, adorable puppies!

Blossom and her 3 puppies just a few hours after the births.

The 3 puppies at 2 days old.

Blossom and her 3 puppies at a week old.

The 3 puppies at 12 days old.  You can see part of Blossom in the picture.
 

Anna, Faith, and Joy at 18 days old. Joy's face shows up well in this picture.

Blossom is saying, "Are you done taking pictures?"
I guess both human and canine mothers get tired of someone pointing a camera at them when they are trying to work. :)