You are going to loose a lot of sleep over the next several weeks. Just resign yourself to this.....I keep all my mommas in a crate at the foot of my bed,,,,,no other dogs are allowed near momma and the babies. Make sure she is confined and can NOT pick her babies up and move them .......you are right, it is a good sign she is not rejecting him.....it becomes MUCH harder to pull them thru if momma gets uninvolved. The mommas will make you crazy when they get restless and start picking babies up and trying to relocate.....I just spent 6 days after my Skylar had her litter, with my hand in her crate soothing and talking and singing to her....and tube feeding her tiny little runt every 2 hours around the clock, for 3 weeks, to keep that baby thriving.....he turned completely around and became the largest of the litter when they reached 9 weeks old! Skylar was very nervous, and she also kept trying to relocate her babies. You just need to soothe and keep her calm, encouraging her to stay put.....trust me, I know how crazy this makes you! You just keep laying her down, petting her and soothing her....I have a box in my crate that I call a whelping cave....it is open at the top, but it has an opening on the side for her to get in and out of the box.....when I open the top of the crate, I can see into the box to access the babies and her, but when I need or want to, I close the crate and cover it with a sheet....she is secluded in that cave, inside that crate, away from all dogs and noise and confusion and activity, beside my bed.....she will eventually get used to what is going on, and she will calm down and stop trying to relocate.....keep encouraging her to bond with this baby....make sure you have the babies out of drafts and the ambient temp where the babies and mom are, is around 88*.
When I take my baby out to feed it, I do not let momma realize I am removing baby....I kind of distract her and slip baby out to another room so she can not hear him cry.....quickly take baby to the kitchen where you will tube feed and then quickly return baby to momma.....I will distract her with stroking her head with my right hand, while I slip baby back in with her....after you get baby back at her side, allow her to nuzzle baby and lick and bond with him. I always take my finger and dab a little formula on babys mouth when I place him back with momma...she smells this and she will clean him up....she feels his full tummy with her tongue as she licks him, and she will pee and poo him....it is going to be tough for you over the nest several weeks, but it is so worth it when you are successful! And if God decides He wants to take that little soul back, YOU can be confident and assured that YOU did indeed, do everything you could have possibly done to pull that baby thru.....YOU did not fall short with any attempt you made, it just was not in God's plan to leave that baby with you. You should feel very proud of yourself..... |