Birth Story

Thought I'd write about it on here, although it was again a pretty straightforward birth with no complications.  I did think Indigo was going to go on Wednesday night, as she had a small show (when the mucus plug sealing the cervix comes away) earlier in the day, but come bedtime she wasn't showing any signs, so I bedded down for the night with alarms set for frequent intervals. The idea of course being that I'd get up at each alarm, assess Indigo's condition, and nap inbetween times. They duly went off, and I duly checked all was well, no contractions and so on. Ha ha.

I still woke at half past three with damp bedding and Indigo plus two kittens snuggled in beside me! What a minx she is!

I guess Indigo, for all she's a drama queen most of the time, is the strong and silent type when actually labouring. She wanted to be near me, or literally in the bed with me, but she wasn't too fussed about me being awake or not. (says it all, really! LOL) Nevertheless once awake, I moved her and babies over to the nest ready for the next kittens. She'd had one, which I assume was the firstborn, who was duly cleaned with placenta removed and starting to look fluffy, and one who had been cleaned but still had its placenta. Indigo showed no interest in eating this one so I clamped and cut it myself while she was busy producing the third kitten.

Anyway, it proceeded much as last time really. Rather straightforward, mostly head presentations. Couple of retained placentas, meaning the cords had to be clamped and cut, and one baby really needed rather vigorous rubbing and all that to get him breathing and moving but he made it. Indigo pushed out another kitten every ten minutes or so and that was that- she's an old pro now it seems.

After the seventh was born, I couldn't decide if she had an eighth in there or not (that she had the seventh was obvious, there was a kitten shaped lump there!) as she shuffled around for quite a while looking uncomfortable, but eventually after a change of bedding she settled down. I suspect I'd be a bit uncomfortable having just birthed seven kittens.

She fed them, washed them again, and then got out of the nest meowing at me most insistently. I was a bit thick and didn't realise what she was after at first. Then I offered a sachet of food and she nearly bit my hand off getting to it, scoffed the lot in about 30 seconds, then downed about quarter of a tin of kitten food on top of that. I'm keeping an eye on her eating though, it seems to have tapered off again today so I've been out and bought meat to cook to tempt her appetite in case the kittens stop gaining weight as they should. Decent gains so far though. Kittens should double their birth weights by a week old, so we'll see.

I weighed them, cooed at them awhile, and then came on and blogged, it not being worth my while going back to bed before it being time to wake the boy. And there it is, a nice, simple, straightforward birth, one which I managed to partially sleep through... AGAIN.