Happy Berthaday

I awoke a little after 4 to discover that Bertha had already gone into labour.  I frantically rang Jane who arrived very quickly. Bertha had produced 4 piglets, all looking healthy and number 5 and 6 came in succession only a minute apart. Then things became difficult. She took a long time to produce a mass of placenta's and was becoming tired but after a break 7 and 8 made their way into the world. Yet she still didnt seem to be finished. She laboured on and she was weakening, she was not expelling any placentas and her contractions were diminishing number 9 was stuck. No matter how hard Bertha tried, in her weakeneing state, she required assistance. Jane gently felt inside and on the next contraction as Bertha pushed Jane gently pulled. We were expecting the worst. Number 9 coughed and spluttered, latched on to mum, another healthy piglet. We waited what seemed an eternity for number 10 and again we were not expecting a positive outcome. Again a little cough and spluttering it latched on. How lucky is that 10 healthy live piglets. But Bertha was weak she was no longer having contractions and she still hadn't expelled the placenta's. After waiting and watching  we decided tocall the vet who evacuted one manually and gave her an injection and soon after she released the rest. Leaving Bertha and piglets alone we retired to this happy picture