Sophie Foal Watch 2003!

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*January*
*Sunday*	*Monday*	*Tuesday*	*Wednesday*	*Thursday*	*Friday*	*Saturday*
			1 - Day 281	2 - Day 282	3 - Day 283	4 - Day 284
5 - Day 285 Sophie is off her feed, which we often see with mares carrying their foals this high & wide. She is very affectionate which is very much out of character for her.	6 - Day 286	7 - Day 287 Today was the first sign of udder change.	8 - Day 288	9 - Day 289	10 - Day 290 Udder is very tender. The foal seems to be in an uncomfortable position, Sophie isn't happy and is stamping and swishing her tail.	11- Day 291
12 - Day 292 Sophie's foal is sitting a little deeper today and this seemed to make it easier for Sophie to eat...a little more room now.	13 - Day 293 Slight udder increase today. While the foal is a bit deeper, Sophie is still carrying very high and wide.	14 - Day 294 Udder continues to increase in size, although it's still got a LONG way to go.	15 - Day 295 Sophie continues to have a difficult time eating. While the foal is a bit deeper, she's still high and wide. She'll eat better as the foal settles deeper.	16 - Day 296 No real change...Sophie seems uncomfortable and we're all sure she'll feel better as the foal settles deeper.	17 - Day 297 The foal is active today, and is settling deeper each day. Sophie has slight swelling of her hind ankles, clearly the extra weight is slowing her down.	18 - Day 298 Udder increased some today. Foal was more active than it has been.
19 - Day 299 No significant change today. Sophie's energy levels are dropping off, she spends a lot of time napping now.	20 - Day 300 Foal is deeper tonight and Sophie seems much more comfortable. Her mood is better, seemed to eat a better meal.	21 - Day 301 Sophie continues to eat better now that the foal is deeper. Udder isn't changing much...clearly Sophie isn't rushing into making milk!	22 - Day 302 Sophie's mood and appetite continue to be better...she's more comfortable now. No real udder change, but it's still early.	23 - Day 303 Sophie continues to eat better and she is clearly more comfortable . Her mood is better and she's not objecting to grooming.	24 - Day 304 Not much change today. The foal was very active tonight at photograph time! Sophie eating much more now and her mood is good.	25 - Day 305 Sophie continues to eat well and grow! The foal should be gaining about a pound per day from now until it's birth.
26 - Day 306 Another uneventful day...no real changes today. Sophie continues to eat well, although she doesn't move as cat-like as she used to!	27 - Day 307 Another day of growing! The foal is active this evening, and it seems to irritate Sophie. Very little udder change.	28 - Day 308 Foal appears to have turned, her belly is shaped differently and it looks like the hind feet are resting on the bottom of her belly.	29 - Day 309 Sophie's udder is very tender this evening. She's also starting to lose muscle tone...note the drop by the tail head.	30 - Day 310 Still no substantial udder change, although the top of her high quarters have softened quite a bit. Appetite good, mood fine.	31 - Day 311 Finally udder change! She's starting to bag up, although no where ready to foal. Tail head is softening quite a bit now.




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*February*
*Sunday*	*Monday*	*Tuesday*	*Wednesday*	*Thursday*	*Friday*	*Saturday*
						1 - Day 312 Sophie is VERY wide, as the photo shows. No udder change today. Sophie is really starting to slow down and act like a mare in the last month of pregnancy.
2 - Day 313 No udder change. Very mushy croup...the muscles have clearly relaxed quite a bit. Sophie spends more time napping. The foal should be gaining a pound/day.	3 - Day 314 No udder change. Sophie is really growing fast now, every day she is bigger & wider. Occasionally the foal appears to sit "wrong" and Sophie gets very agitated.	4 - Day 315 No udder change. Sophie is very restless and roaming in the stall, biting at her sides. She's been acting oddly for several days...not unusual for this stage.	5 - Day 316 No change today. Anxious to see some udder development. We don't have Sophie's previous foaling history (if any) so we really don't know what is "normal" for her.	6 - Day 317 Finally some udder development today...certainly not much, but it's a change in the right direction. We're hoping this is the beginning of real udder development.	7 - Day 318 No udder change. Did see the foal roll tonight from on it's back into foaling position. It was quite the sight to see the feet pushing out, then down as it moved into position.	8 - Day 319 Slight udder growth. Foal's movement can now be seen at Sophie's croup. She's quite soft at the tail-head, starting to sag under the tail. Sure wish the udder would catch up.
9 - Day 320 Very slight udder increase today. Sophie's croup is now very soft and the foal's movements can be felt from the top. Hollows are starting to show on either side of her tail.	10 - Day 321 Slight udder increase. Photo shows the drop in Sophie's hindquarters. She's quite loose under the tail, slightly swollen. Lots of grunting & groaning at meals!	11 - Day 322 More udder change today - Sophie is starting to fill in front of the teat. Her behavior is changing: lots of tail up, her hind legs apart...starting to feel pressure.	12 - Day 323 Not much udder change today, although Sophie is very tender. She's very saggy under the tail and (except for udder) looks like a mare coming down the home stretch!	13 - Day 324 Not much udder change today. Foal is very deep, Sophie has deep hollows in front of her hips. Back end is very soft. Showing signs of pressure...typical during the last weeks	14 - Day 325 The foal is sitting so deep that Sophie has deep hollows in front of her hip. Her behavior is odd. She's very interested in different smells...something we often see at the end.	15 - Day 326 Not much change today. Did milk a bit of fluid today, clear and salty. She's doing quite a bit of "butt pushing"...in between napping and more napping.
16 - Day 327 Sophie is very odd tonight...not particularly interested in her food & doing a lot of roaming. Udder says it's not time yet, but we left the camera on in the barn to keep an eye on her.	17 - Day 328 Sophie is still off her feed, restless and acting odd. She's "bobbing" her head in the paddock, roaming and behaving weird. Not much udder change. She's been oddly affectionate.	18 - Day 329 Udder change! Quite a bit of progress -.not full but changing rapidly. She's very sunken by the tail head. The foal is "bumping" back by her croup. Standing funny & showing signs of pressure.	19 - Day 330 Udder continues to increase...although not "foal ready" yet. Photo shows dropping off of the hindquarters. Sophie is acting like she's getting closer - odd and unusual behavior.	20 - Day 331 Udder continues to develop - still not foal ready - but coming along. Teats are starting to fill a bit. Tried to milk, didn't come easily - this means we're still a ways out. Appetite still off.	21 - Day 332 Sophie's belly is changing shape...typical for late gestation. Udder is a bit larger, still not foal ready. Milk is clear & sweet/salty. Didn't calcium test because it's still clear.	22 - Day 333 Finally udder! She's changing VERY fast. Her belly has changed shape and foal movements are seen far back on her croup. Her mood is very quiet, which is quite unlike Sophie's usual behavior.
23 - Day 334 Udder continues to develop...still not quite "foal ready" but getting close. Still very difficult to milk, fluid is still clear and salty/sweet. Behavior is odd - although typical for late gestation.	24 - Day 335 Mucus discharge tonight. She's doing a lot of tail swishing and kicking at her belly: clearly showing signs of pressure. Her udder is larger, fuller. Milk is still clear, very difficult to milk, even though her udder feels full.	25 - Day 336 Heavy mucus discharge throughout the day. The amount is unusual. Not much udder change. Sophie is oddly quiet, and seems to like to have people around. She seems insecure...perhaps she's a maiden mare.	26 - Day 337 Udder increased today and feels quite full, although it's impossible to extract any milk. Sophie's appetite is good and her mood is generally fine. She's not showing a lot of discomfort or pressure right now. Hard to tell.....	27 - Day 338 No change to udder - quite a surprise this late in pregnancy. Able to extract a few drops of fluid: very sticky, but still clear. Sophie is squatting and showing some signs of pressure, but is generally (unusually) quiet. Hard to tell.....	28 - Day 339 Udder grew today. Was able to milk tonight - fluid is very thick, sticky and streaked with white. Calcium tests under 50 PPM, although this could change rapidly. Foal has changed position and it won't be too much longer now!


*March*
*Sunday*	*Monday*	*Tuesday*	*Wednesday*	*Thursday*	*Friday*	*Saturday*
						1 - Day 340 9 PM Update: Milk is VERY thick, VERY sticky, still not white yet. Foal movements are visible way back on her hindquarters, no doubt the foal is in position. Mood good. Calcium still under 50 PPM.
2 - Day 341 PM Update: Udder continues to fill, teats now have milk in them. Milk still tests under 50 PPM calcium. Still sticky, yellow, but starting to become cloudy. Almost no salt. Milk flowed easily. Mood is unchanged...looks and behaves like a VERY pregnant mare!	3 - Day 342 9	4 - Day 343 8 PM Update: Milk is thick, sticky and cloudy. Milk is turning white now, which is one of the last steps. Milk is virtually tasteless. Calcium still at 55 PPM. Udder is full and hard, although it was fuller this morning than it is now.	5 - Day 344 Milk is thick, sticky and nearly opaque. Milk is turning sweet: usually the last change before foaling. Calcium still at 130 PPM. Photo shows depression next to the tail head. More likely to foal tomorrow night, but we'll check through the night tonight.	6 - Day 345 8 PM : Her udder is very full & tight. There is now milk in her teats. The milk is very sticky, still slightly yellow, but mostly white. Sweet, no saltiness. It's opaque. Calcium level holding steady, but it won't for long. She'll foal within a few days.	7 - Day 346 8:30 PM Update: Calcium holding at 250 PPM...foaling is likely within 72 hours. Sophie is very restless, pushing her butt into the walls, pawing and roaming. Milk is now very white, plentiful and completely opaque. Sticky.	8 - Day 347 8:30 PM Update: Calcium almost 300. Udder is foal ready now! Teats are full, Sophie has been dripping/waxing all day. Foal is active and has turned. Everything is ready to go...only one symptom left to see: A nose at both ends!
9 - Day 348 9:00 PM Update: NO FOAL YET! Streaming milk when Sophie does her "butt pushing" or "sitting in water bucket." She's very nervous and wants reassurance. Photo shows hollows next to her tail bone...this mare is READY. It can't be much longer! (famous last words!).	10 - Day 349 9:30 PM Update: NO FOAL YET! Sophie has been rolling...always a good sign. The photo shows the foal has shifted position again...it's sitting higher and she's less wide. Perhaps this is a good sign that the sleepless nights are almost over! Still streaming milk...everything else is unchanged..	11 - Day 350 9:40 PM Update: Sophie delivered a beautiful filly. Minutes old in the photo, she's possibly the tallest foal we've ever had. Click to visit Avalon's page. See labor & birth sequence below	12 - Day	13 - Day	14 - Day	15 - Day
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*Sophie's Labor & Birth Sequence*
At the 8 PM feed, Sophie was very alert and slightly sweaty.	At the 8 PM feed, Sophie was very alert and slightly sweaty.	She roamed in her stall, but continued to eat hay between roaming.	Within 20 minutes, she was pawing and thinking of laying down.
Water breaks...	Watching for the sack to present...	The "bubble" - a very happy sight!	But no sign of a foot...
Checking to see what we've got. Foot was pushing into the rectum, adjusted to present properly.	Adjust crossed leg, slightly rotate and nose presents..	Applying traction with Sophie's efforts. She's having a very difficult time.	Clearing the sack from the nose, continued traction. .
Hello World!	What a lot of work!	Sophie realizes what she's done!.	Sophie cleaning baby.
Getting to know each other.	Next day...	Likes the camera....