Read this closely mama. I am NOT calling you a cow. I had to learn to adjust to my pregnant body. And now I’m still learning to adjust to this post-pregnancy body {mom pooch anyone?!}. Nobody is a cow here. But I’ve found the comparisons to cows strangely helpful to me as a new mama.
Let me explain…
My husband and I decided to raise cattle shortly before I found out I was pregnant. Now, I’m a suburban gal at heart trying to figure out how to be a country bumpkin. Joe and I would sit in bed at night reading up on each experience. In my hands, were books like What To Expect When You’re Expecting and What To Expect the First Year. In his, were books on what to look for in cows and how to calve. Joe would jokingly comment about how I was like a cow, to which I would glare over my book at him.
I didn’t pay much attention to those comments at the time. Honestly, I shrugged them off and took them as jokes from my comedian husband. I took for granted Joe’s comfort level with the birthing process and what he actually knew about babies. In college, Joe worked on the sheep farm at MSU and he helped birth lambs. I also overlooked how different a barnyard is from a hospital and neglected to remember that Joe does not do well in hospitals. Imagine my surprise then when during delivery, I see him walk past the doctor, out of the room! Next thing I know, I hear a nurse calling down for orange juice for the father sitting in a wheelchair outside a delivery room. At least he knew enough to walk out before he passed out {and yes, he did come back eventually}.
Once we brought our little bundle home and I realized I knew absolutely nothing about babies, it became quickly apparent how much more Joe knew simply from his experience with animals. Suddenly, I was taking his comments seriously instead of as jokes.
I find myself reflecting on these comparisons lately. On the farm, this is the first year we have pregnant cows and will be going through calving. As we approach summer, we find ourselves walking out into the pasture constantly to see whether any of the cows are in labor or if there’s a baby calf walking around.
While I’ve watched more calf-birthing videos than I’d care to admit and read many accounts {pictures included} of what to expect – I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. Somebody ought to write a book for me called What to Expect When Your Cows Are Expecting or What to Expect the First Year of a Calf’s Life. So, here’s my shortened version of what I learned both before and after pregnancy, from my husband.
Mama, did you know…?
- Cows are pregnant for nine months just like we are.
- A cow’s udder will drop and start filling with milk when she’s getting close to having her calf, just like our breasts start to fill with milk when we’re close to delivery.
- Cows drink a lot more water and eat a more nutrient-rich diet once the calves are born and while they’re lactating. {I still can’t believe how much I crave water while nursing!}
- When a new calf is born, all the members of the herd come to greet it, sniffing it so they know that calf belongs to that mama, similar to how we visit each other when a new baby comes home. {And who isn’t sniffing out that coveted new baby smell?}
- A calf and cow know each other’s voices; a calf can moo from across the pasture and the cow will know it’s hers, just like babies recognize the sound of their mama’s voice.
- A calf will punch its mama’s udder with its nose to get the milk to fall faster, just like a baby will come on and off the breast to get the milk to fall faster, or hit the weaker side with their hand to get it to fall faster. {I didn’t believe this one until I saw it – me and baby that is.}
These are just the things I’ve learned in the past year through my own experiences becoming a mama and hearing my husband make these comparisons. I can’t wait to make my own observations once I see this whole cow/calf process for myself!
I don’t know about you mama, but I suddenly find myself feeling okay with being compared to a cow. Those are some tough mamas are out there… giving birth standing up, with hardly a moo out of them. They have their calves, clean them up, and get right back to it with a nursing calf in tow. Mama goals…
Wish me luck out there!
Can someone get some orange juice and a wheelchair ready, just in case…?
Since writing this blog, all the calves were born! Mamas and babies are all doing well. I’m happy to report I did NOT pass out. In fact, the best thing for me to do during the whole thing was to sit back and let these mamas do their thing. At least they knew what they were doing.
