You don’t need to be a mother to be in awe of the miracle of birth; a process so complex that it is amazing that it unfolds perfectly almost every single time.
From the countless llama births that we have been privileged to witness at the Llama Sanctuary, only on the rarest occasion has any form of intervention been required and even then it may not have been entirely necessary. The front feet are the first parts of the baby to make an appearance, followed by the head. In fact, several times, we have entered the paddocks to find a female walking around with two sticks protruding from her rear. The waters have broken and the wriggling legs emerge, almost to their full length it seems, accompanied by a soggy head gasping and looking out at the new world.
Recently, one six year old who is boarding at the Sanctuary, was giving birth and it appeared to be taking a longer time than usual. Coco’s contractions were not very strong and things were not progressing as they normally should. When the feet emerged, they were folded under, restrained by the amniotic sac, which appeared not to have ruptured. Shortly thereafter, the head emerged, also completely encased in the membrane. After a brief pause, when it became apparent that the baby was not moving, we stepped in and tore the membrane from around the head and feet, allowing them to extend. Instantly the little creature started breathing and gasping, but what was more disturbing was the great bulge that appeared behind the head. The placenta was caught up somehow and was being expelled with the baby, who was coated in bloody slime.
It required another fifteen minutes of restlessness from the mother; alternately standing up and walking around and cushing, before the cria’s shoulders emerged and the placenta slipped back in.
At this point the mother usually stands up to encourage the birth with the use of gravity. The cria slowly slides out with head hanging down, allowing the umbilical cord to tear away naturally and cria’s lungs to drain. Pure magic! And this magic occurred too with Coco, although we carefully held the baby to prevent any sudden movements from damaging the mother, having no idea what was happening inside the womb..
The placenta had obviously been torn, which can lead to serious infection, if any shreds remain inside. However, we employed the wonders of homeopathy to assist in the expulsion and the mother experienced no post-partum problems whatsoever. Another miracle; another beautiful Suri cria brought into the world; another expression of the magic of the Great Universe.
The Llama Sanctuary is funded from our own pockets, from sales made on our sister website Fibre Arts Bootcamp and from generous donations from caring people, who like us, appreciate that all creatures are our brothers and sisters.
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