Claire’s progesterone came back at 1.8 yesterday morning, easily in the safe range for the c-section. The clinic wanted us there in 45 minutes.
I called Suzanne and told her I was on my way— she is a Montana next door neighbor, which means she only lives 12 miles away and conveniently, it is right on the way to Missoula.
As we drove to the clinic, I told Suzanne that I was guessing ten puppies (she did as well) and that I wanted the split of genders to reflect the new president: four and six.
And so it happened.
POTUS #46.
Four Bright Star girls and six Bright Star boys.
Claire is such a cooperator!
The c-section started at about noon, and puppy after puppy emerged.
Suzanne wore her Westminster shirt for luck— she says she expects to see a Bright Star at the Big Show someday. (Heidi — start planning for our road trip!)
Most of the puppies are quite large — poor Claire! Here is the weight chart, in pounds, with weights recorded from last night and this morning…
We do not expect weight gain right away — in fact, a weight loss of up to 5% is completely normal. Early milk is colostrum and while it packs a big punch in terms of immunity, it is not present in copious amounts like the regular milk will be. Those weights are quite good for this timeframe.
Nova and Rosebud
All puppy names are the names of stars or constellations. Nova is a wee stretch on the theme because while yes, a Nova is a star, there is not a specific star or constellation named Nova. Not in the sky, that is. Nova is named for this Bright Star…
Human Nova lives in Minnesota but has a Montana thing…
Human Nova and her family were hoping for a Wildflower but were late to the party and I just did not have the right puppy for them so I hooked them up with Coleen in Minnesota, who did have puppies and who is the breeder of Ferguson (Bright Star dad).
Puppy Nova
So Human Nova has a puppy named Hattie from Coleen, and we have stayed in touch. Every person who meets Human Nova is blown away by her — she is a Bright Star indeed. Puppy Nova wears a red collar because that is Human Nova’s favorite color. Keep your eye on that girl — she is going places.
This pic is for Jennifer…
The puppies have one job: Stay Alive. In order for that to happen, they need to gain weight and stay warm and not get suffocated.
Dear Husband managed the first night well…
Ten puppies is a lot (understatement alert!). We cannot just wish them well and let them duke it out at the milk bar if we want them all to thrive. And so they have both family time when all ten are together…
…and also times when they are separated into groups of five for the sake of fairness.
The puppies remain in sight of Claire — she loves her babies and is being an attentive and kind mother…
Markings are the frosting on a puppy — they are definitely not the priority, and variations are expected, normal, and charming. This litter, however, is consistently marked with not much that would help us tell them apart without the collars.
There is one who is easy — Sun. He has the only Swiss Kiss in the litter.
We keep the puppies warm with heated disks and the like, and having the house at an uncomfortably hot temperature for the rest of us.
Capella, Perseus, and Lyra
Between the peeing and the licking, the linens get moist quickly and so we are constantly changing things up to keep everyone warm and dry.
Lyra and Orion
We count them constantly to ensure none are under Claire — who knew math would come in so handy when keeping puppies safe?!
Have a Bright Day!
Evening: Some Photos from the Day
Pozy and Sparkle meet Mirak
Perseus
Love.
Heze, Nova, Orion, and Sun
All ten lined up!
A pile of Bright Stars