Holy COW!! Mia’s a Mummy!!

Talk about surprises, I was bleary eyed this morning when I went to let Flynn out of his bed in the laundry.

I always look out of the window and survey the paddock, I didn’t realise I did this until later today, but every morning I look out and scan the paddock to see all is well.

Well, this morning I had a bit of a surprise when I saw a little   white head and golden ginger body lying amongst the long grass next to Mia, my house cow.

Holy COW!! it’s a calf and it looks like Mia’s…but hang on, we were told by our neighbour ‘expert’ dry stock farmers that she wasn’t in calf and if she was, she would have calved at the end of SEPTEMBER…then I ran through the possibibity of ‘strays’ getting into the paddock, no there have not been any weaner calves in the paddocks aorund us for a while… so it must be Mia’s…

Well I rallied around and got Donna and she thought I had completely lost it..finally:) but I was off out of the door into the paddock.

I am still in awe of a new birth, the emotions it gives me is almost as if I am going to burst with joy and pride. It stunned my this ‘life’ had come to us without any intervention on our part and all was well.

I have read about the complications that can befall cows: breached births, calves being too big and getting stuck in the birthing canal…the images of vet programmes with arms dissapearing where the sun don’t shine and if I had known I think I would have worked myself up into a big frenzy of an anxious mum!! Thank you universe for giving me the surprise without the drama of my nurses imagination!!

I mean, our neighbours had returned Mia months ago and their cows had calved way back in August/September and if Mia was in calf she should have followed suit and birthed around this time frame.

When nothing happened we believed the neighbour and thought she was barren and were in the process of reviewing her options. We didn’t build a stable or milking station and we certainly were not prepared at ALL. I had noticed her ‘milking up’ this happens a day fo two before a birth and a milk sac and udders get full.

But, I had convinced myself that it was because of her rotund size. Funny how you can ‘explain’ things away from your ‘gut’ instinct and all because of the direction we had been pointed in by neighbours.

I am not accusing or pointing the finger at anyone, I am just surprised as they have experience of cattle, births and so on. And a fat cow is a fat cow not a pregnant one!

We were blessed that Mia took care of business without so much as a bellow, silent and deftly delivered her present and lay down and waited for me to wake up.

We have had to show Mia how to stay still while Saffron feeds, but this is difficult with the heat and flies, but mum is a quick learner and has allowed us, and indulged us, while we cuddled her and her baby.

Thank you Mia

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