Day 1 (Updated)

You would think four puppies would be a breeze — and I am sure it will be — but for now Capella is still influenced by the anesthesia and is not keen on nursing. Specifically, she is growling some when they start nursing. Yes, I have trimmed nails and Capella is getting calcium.

💖

The surgeon warned me about the potential of this and emphasized the importance of not leaving the mother alone with puppies. The need to carefully manage things makes it complicated to have someone else watch the puppies/Capella, and so I have been up for 27 hours. Yes, I am exhausted. We will manage it so I can sleep later today, and hopefully Capella will be mellower by then. She did just clean puppies so that is a promising sign.

I am still too tired to properly do the introductions and so please enjoy these photos that Cindy took yesterday at the clinic.

I cannot say enough good things about the clinic, their processes, and their staff.

Kira, Cindy, and I got to be present and help with the puppies.

For c-section puppies, they were a lively bunch from the beginning.

Happy Thursday (I think it is Thursday).

End of Day Update

1. I slept for over seven hours (after being awake for 34 hours!). My son, Galen, is helping out this first week so I can sleep 🙏

2. Capella seems to be settling into motherhood 🎉

🩷💙💙💙

Definitely Not the Hare

4:15 a.m.

Progress is happening but Capella is not yet in Stage Two, which is when the pushing starts and puppies are delivered. I expect the puppies to be born today — one way or another.

Cindy and Kira are asleep in the other room. Capella also did a fair amount of sleeping overnight, in between bouts of panting/restlessness and the constant requests to go outside. She feels pressure and thinks it is a need to have a bowel movement, but it is just puppy pressure; she long ago exhausted her supply of 💩 She can’t, of course, go out alone just in case there is really puppy pushing activity.

Mucous continues and the color is normal and expected — all good. She is not really interested in food — also normal — but is drinking water well. Nothing is concerning at this point 🙏

I guess the virtue of the day is Patience.

12:30 pm

All is well but Capella will be having a c-section soon.

8:15 pm

We are home. Capella is fine but snoozy. More formal introductions tomorrow but in the meantime…

Slowly but Surely

7:00 am

We had a slumber party last night — not much sleeping was involved but Capella continued to progress so all hands on deck seemed like a good plan.

Slow progress but definite progress.

🍀

Noon

Continued slow progress. Lincoln reminded Capella what she is supposed to do.

6:30 pm

Cindy, Kira and I will be having yet another slumber party tonight. We took Capella to the repro vet team where they checked puppy heart rates and assessed Capella. The verdict — yep, she is in Stage One labor and everything is just fine 🙏 They predict she will have her puppies tonight. Before that happens, a nap is on my agenda!