The vet was on his way over. Me too? Oh, yes please!
It was a week ago. It was a bit cold out. It was awesome.
Here is your warning that the links in the following paragraphs may not be for the faint of heart.
I want to share these - even if (or despite) having one of them on facebook for all of about twenty minutes, until it was gently suggested that perhaps someone was being insensitive to those with weaker stomachs by posting it publicly. Then I took it down and stared at my bedroom ceiling in the dark for two hours thinking about what it all meant, even though it was clear from the thumbail and my caption that you click at your own risk. I know. Oh, goodness do I know. The audacity. Me? Post stuff like that?
These aren't nearly as exciting in black & white, but maybe that's the whole point, since obviously I'm unaware of the general public's tolerance to things like this (okay, I admit that one is worse). This first image is in full
So a calf was born by c-section that night.
I see my world and sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a picture that moves me. Real life is not always pretty, wrapped up in ribbons and bows. Sometimes the gritty details might make you squirm. Apparently I'm okay with that.
23 comments:
I'm okay with it, too. :)
I love your "real life" shots. Still really like the kitty/bird one. Kitties need to eat, too.
I've never seen a c-section done on a cow, but my hubby has. And he even assisted the vet by holding the pulsing uterus for her. Of course, it was in his... ahem... more "wild" days, and he was still a little intoxicated... and as he tells it, the vet told him that if he was going to faint, to lean backwards instead of forwards, so he wouldn't end up *inside* the cow. ;)
you.
are.
awesome.
these are so intense, so real! keep posting photos that make people squirm. seems like some sort of quote should go in here, like "boring, safe photos never made history" or something.
but instead i'll just head over to your flickr and oogle a bit. :D
WOW. SO cool. if my neighbor called, i would have been there. i might have needed to sit down, but i would have been there. :)
Awwwwwwwwwwww. Beautiful!
UMMMM! I have ALWAYS loved your real farm life shots! People who have issues with these photos need to wake up and get a life. THIS IS LIFE!
okay...climbing down off my soap box now!
Those shots...so absolutely amazing...going to go check them out in color.
I wondered where the photo went! I'm so glad the cow lived too! Such a cute little calf, and such great pictures. (Even the "things like this" shot.) Glad you posted them!
Can you give us a bit more detail on the procedure? What tool is the vet holding in pic 1? Was the cow laying down? sedated? Is the last photo of the sutured incision? Wow! If so that is gonna be one big scar!
C-sections always terrified me....I'm so glad all 6 of my babies were born naturally and drug free.
2 of my kids looked at all your photos and only squirmed at the birdie one- we are avid bird watchers here, but also have chickens and eat them. Real life is important to experience so we appreciate.
Thanks!
Well, I guess if anyone can appreciate all that these photos show and represent, it's me. :-) I keep wanting to take some "birthing" photos, but worry I will terrify my readers. Maybe I just need to give it a go next time I have the chance!
Such a great calf photo, too.
Amen for real life. Kudos to you for capturing and being brave enough to post them.
I must say that I appreciate them in black and white. More artsy that way. I felt like I was in 1878! It was cool!
I actually saw these on your flickr set before you posted this. I thought they were amazing. Then I thought, "Dang. She's the real deal farmer." :)
ha ha.
I like the honesty.
Jealous! Jealous that you got to shoot a birth! Even if it was "just" a cow's birth. You're awesome.
I do have a weak stomach, but scrolled on-the first photo is amazing! That's award winning stuff right there. Light, steam, subject-wow. Wow.
Loved seeing this series, even with my tender stomach. I'll pass on the color version just to keep upright-but wow.
Now that.... is awesome. Love exactly how you captured it. I love birth anything, so I'm so glad you posted these, and the other one, too. They really are amazing. Very dramatic and moody. Gah, love them. really love.
To answer Cathryn's questions - The vet is holding some sort of strap that was wrapped around the calf's front legs (just inside the cow), to pull him out. Meanwhile the calf's hind legs were sticking out of Momma cow's rear end. He was really tangled up in there! They hooked the strap onto a rope attached to a pulley on the ceiling, and hoisted him out like that. The cow was standing the entire time, she had a spinal anesthetic. Everclear (if I understood correctly), and the syringe was sticking out of her spine during the procedure, not too far forward from her tail. The last photo does show the sutured incision, it was practically a shoelace (except it wasn't) that he stitched her up with. He brought the two sides of her skin together in such a way that the bottoms of the skin came together, and the cut ends were sticking up, which is why such a deep shadow was cast from the light in that photo, as her incision was literally sticking up away from her a bit.
Thanks for the support everyone!
Nothing wrong with those photos. Our world is too sensitive sometimes, IMHO...I had no idea cows could have c-sections.
Oh wow, amazing story and pictures!
I clicked right over to the color picture and while I relished it, I like the B&W better too. Dear kindred mama cow- I feel your pain and joy! May your recovery be quick.
p.s. I was showing my hubby these beauties and he agrees...so awesome. we also decided we'd both love to see a color version of the calf being pulled out :) Seriously so cool you got to be there!
These are fantastic photos! Birth is amazing, regardless of the species or method!
The second one is my fave. And I did have to check out the color shot. And really....while a bit bloody.... this is beautiful. That mother and calf would have likely died if not for that c-section. I can relate.....
You did these shots very well. They each convey so much.
These pictures are exquisite.
I think I'm in love with these pictures actually. They are passionate and FULL of life.
The end.
Alita
I think these are amazingly cool. Life doesn't always have to be cute babies and flowers to be worth looking at. By the way, they did the c-section from the side? I never would have guessed that was the angle to approach it. And now I'm curious what a section recovery is like for a cow and if she had any problems bonding with her baby...
Thanks for sharing.
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