The last week or so of pregnancy, I have my girls sleep in their whelping box in an x-pen right next to my bed. I turn into a very light sleeper at this point, and I pretty much wake up with every move she makes. If I have any idea by either her temperature being really low, or any other signs and symptoms of impending labor, I just leave the light on all night. That way I make sure that if I should fall asleep, it is just a "cat nap" (one eye and both ears still functioning) so I can leap into action, if I have to. If my girl has had any contractions during the day, I just stay up all night with her. I have been fooled into two nights without sleep, but usually I can tell ahead of time what night I actually have to keep awake all night. I just never trust my girls to open the sack themselves, some girls have a lot of good instincts, some of them are just clueless about what to do. I have also found that most girls are so fixated about getting rid of the placenta that they forget about the pup. If the mom looks like she is so inclined as to open the sack and sever the cord, I do let her do that but with supervision. If I let the mom take care of the cord, I always keep my fingers between her teeth and the pup. (too many horror stories about moms getting a little carried away with this process and actually removing the pups intestines). Lots of luck with your upcoming whelp, hope it is quick and goes well.
__________________
Audrey |