Goat in early labor for over 12 hours- cause to worry?

[nell&somegoats]

Hello all! My beautiful doe Forest is pregnant, and last night at about 11 I realized she was showing signs of labor (pawing, getting up and down, tail in position for contractions, etc) I slept in the barn with her thinking babies were imminent, and she has stayed exactly like this for 12 hours now! Should I be worried, or reach inside? I'm also concerned because she has some bloody exudate, not clear or whitish. Is it possible she broke her water and has a baby inside that has stalled??? I'm very new to all this and have an unfortunate tendency to freak out when it comes to babies She seems fairly comfortable and quiet, not as tired out as I would guess her to be had that happened. Thoughts/advice?

 

[Ridgetop]

Since the discharge is bloody I would definitely check inside to make sure the baby is in a position to be born. Put antibacterial soap on your fingers and gently probe inside. If there is a baby that is stuck in the birth canal you can sometimes feel it at just a fingers depth. If the kid is malpositioned you will have to slather your hand with antibacterial soap and try to move it into a position to come out. I use antibacterial soap as a lube since it is slimy and has antibacterial properties.

FYI, sometimes if a doe or ewe has been pushing for a long time with no results, they just stop pushing. This is bad since the baby has either died and is no longer sending hormones to the mama to push, or themama is so exhausted she can't push anymore.

I would to you not to worry, but with a bloody discharge I would definitely check things out. Bloody discharge could be from the placenta separating which is bad.

Let us know

 

[nell&somegoats]

Thank you so much for responding so quickly! I came back outside to check on Forest who is acting... about the same, if slightly more tired. I sanitized, lubed up, and went in with a couple fingers... and didn't feel anything in the birth canal! Perhaps I didn't go far enough? (She was not exactly cooperating LOL) Perhaps I also jumped the gun and she is still in the early stages of labor (I don't know how long that can last for!) I just... really don't like the bloody discharge, I'm not sure why but it has me worried. Perhaps this is normal? She is nibbling hay and taking a molasses/multivite drench I'm giving her, plus TUMS for calcium (good idea? thoughts???)

 

[GLENMAR]

You much need to tie her up and reach in farther. Better to get someone to hold her. Sometimes they freak out and choke themselves.

 

[GLENMAR]

Is she a first timer? Mini or full size?

 

[nell&somegoats]

She is a Nigerian Dwarf doe. This will be her second birth- no complications last time, but this kidding season has just been heck, even for does that were great kidders in the past. I just reached in again, and I legit feel nothing- again, could be inexperience, but a baby in the birth canal should be pretty obvious, right?? (Right?????) I'm growing a little concerned now, and maybe it's all for nothing- she wouldn't have had a late term abortion?? (We have fairly good biosecurity and the herd is pretty calm, so I don't think she would have gotten hurt! Nothing's impossible, though)

 

[GLENMAR]

I've had to reach in up to my elbow. But that was with a nubian.

 

[rachels.haven]

How are her ligaments?
When you say you feel nothing, what is nothing? Do you find the cervix or is she open or something else?

 

[nell&somegoats]

I'm not very confident in checking ligaments (or anything lol), but if they haven't entirely dropped they are certainly soft. I did not feel the cervix clearly- everything just kind of felt open? Though perhaps maybe I STILL didn't reach far enough!! (I'm having such a hard time figuring out what I'm feeling/what to be looking for) I asked my mom, who is a vet, what she thought, and she came out and looked at Forest yesterday night, and she said that she thought Forest was preparing to have a baby but not in active labor yet, and to wait for her to get ready- so perhaps I did jump the gun! She did pick up on something else, though- we've had a terrible drought in my region, and the goats have all been coughing, I thought from the dusty wind, but she did not like the sound of Forest's cough. She told me to give her an oxytetracycline shot every day, and a B vitamin complex to help support her. Since then her coughing has really chilled, but we're not convinced nothing else is wrong