Maya Milk Maid

Last night I checked on Beauty after I put the kids to bed. She wasn't looking so good. She did just drop a dead calf on Sunday after all. I climbed through the fence and quietly walked up to her to check to see how full her udders were. They were full but not hot or hard so that made me feel a bit better. But being the suck that I am and having experienced first hand what it feels like to be engorged after having a baby, I decided to see if I could relieve some of the pressure off the poor girl. I was hoping too that if I was able to empty her bag a bit it might stimulate her to uterus to contract and expel anything that might still be in there.

My first attempt at getting anything to come out was fruitless. She was such a good girl though, just standing there pleading with me with those big brown eyes that I help a girl out. I'm so glad that I became a mom before deciding to get into this otherwise I'd probably be clueless. I ran into the house and got a bucket of nice warm water and a rag and ran back. I rubbed her down with the cloth and then set to work again. It was fairly dark at this point and I was concentrating more on whether she was planning on kicking me rather than whether there was any milk coming out. I looked down and saw milk all over her leg. Success! I milked her only to the point that I had given her some relief and lessened a lump that I had felt. I don't want her to make more milk I just want her to be comfortable. But if I wasn't leaving for the island next week I probably would keep going with it.

My neighbor has a couple of calves that we might see if she will surrogate. I don't know if she will but it's worth a try anyway.

So that's my milking story. I milked a cow for the first time in my life and managed to not get a hoof in the forehead!