Second Guessing Madness

I haven't posted in a few days...because I've been manically checking Bridgit every hour for labor. Not today...no, today I threw up my hands and drove into the office for a full day's work. I'm not sure if it was a good idea, but then again, I'm not sure it wasn't.

The thing is, waiting for Bridgit to deliver her calf feels like waiting for a GIANT watched pot of water to boil (really, a 50 gallon drum of water). She's exhibiting signs of labor, like constant licking of her sides, crankiness (oh, wait, that's most days!), mucus, and a filling udder. Nothing is happening with any speed, though.

Yesterday I checked her in the morning while my car was warming up, like I do every weekday morning, and she really seemed to be in labor. It was still dark, though, so I emailed the office to say I would be checking her after daybreak, then deciding whether or not to come in. The after-daybreak check left me feeling uncertain as to whether she was in labor and whether it would be ok to go to the office, so I opted to work from home, and commenced checking her every hour.

I did this all day long, 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. I was exhausted by the end of it. And she didn't calve. There was one point in the late afternoon where I was SURE she was passing the start of her water bag (they have two...a water bag, and then the actual amniotic sac the baby is in), and was truly jumping for joy in my soggy jacket and rubber boots out there in the pasture. But alas, I was mistaken.

This morning, she was already up and licking her sides, but there was no further evidence that she was in labor than the day before. So, being short on paid time off, I opted to drive into the office.

I can only hope she's had a baby by now, or that I'll get home early enough this evening to witness the miracle of birth.

And if not today...then I will have to just give up guessing, as I'm making myself nuts.