This is blog post is going to be a cross between a case study and a story, because frankly there was no answers, and it is an example of how sometimes in order to know what’s going on we need to look at similar examples across species. It is also purely so that if someone else has this experience they can find something somewhere that helps them know what could be going on, and how it will work out.
Elinor was due on the 12th of April. On the 5th, while in for a wander/hug we noticed the first little bit of the plug breaking down. It wasn’t fully coming away but it was going to come away some time that day. Normal. Some ferrets plugs come away a week in advance, some come away just hours before but normally you don’t see it thanks to them keeping themselves clean. She also had the odd Braxton Hick. Where the story goes off book is the 6th of April when she had a brown/bloodstained show. She was not in pain, labour, anxious or otherwise concerned. The discharge was not off, it smelled fine (always a good thing to check), but although mixed with a little mucus it seemed way to fluid to me. The vet was not concerned. She was not concerned. I was practically climbing the walls and trying not to freak her out. All info I could find was either to do with blood, ie a dead or stuck baby, or the end of the plug sometimes being bloody. I could not find examples of a bloody plug to compare but was reassured by those around me.
Over the next few days we had more discharge. It looked like amniotic fluid frankly. Occasionally a bit of stronger or weaker blood colouration but again no one seemed worried except me and Liz. All the info we could find pointed to her loosing her babies, or giving birth early. I even contacted her breeder regarding if her mum was known to go early or not, and we were so worried the babies would all pass because of a dead kit or that being born premature they might just not be able to survive. Call it instinct but I didn’t think we’d lost them yet. On Saturday, the 9th, as I continued trying to find an answer I noted that the babies were moving down. Elinor was holding her babies unusually high up and they were moving from just under her ribs towards her lower stomach.
It was around this time that Liz said something I latched onto as a possibility but didn’t really believe was the case. Some women’s water can break a month before they give birth. In the animal breeding world this is not something that has Ever came up anywhere I could find. Most animals water breaks just hours before birth, occasionally in dog breeding you’ll hear of a bitches’ waters breaking a few days before but a whole week? To be honest latching onto this only gave me less hope they’d make it when born. Give some context, these waters broke the human equivalent of 7.5 months, and although babies make it at that age by human standards ferrets are already born premature. We sat, in conversation with our vet, and waited. Finally on the Wednesday evening, a day overdue, the first baby boy arrived. He was perfect, she was so proud and happy, Elinor still getting examined while we checked them both was immediately very comfortable with him being touched and moved. We checked again a bit later and we had another little boy and a girl, all nice fat, happy kits, no sleeping babies. Soon the whole litter was here, doing well and Elinor was well. The only concern in the whole delivery was she hardly ate for a good few days afterwards.
Long story short her water broke shortly after her plug came away, and the Braxton Hicks pushing the babies into position to be born was causing fluid to be pushed out of her vulva until the babies got into the correct positioning.
We could have easily overreacted here if we didn’t have a vet willing to wait it out, or if we’d let ourselves panic. We could also have easily caused a problem if we had scared or disturbed Elinor during her preparations for labour or the labour itself. I am very grateful that we kept it together, and I have to say I am incredibly impressed that Liz managed to pull the right answer, apparently out of thin air.
Trust your instincts. Look for answers in unexpected places. Follow your jills lead on when help is needed