The Miracle of Birth

We are done having children. At least that's what we tell each other. The Lord could always have a different plan, but in our minds we are finished. Because of this, Avlyn will never experience a baby until she has her own. Her brother loved helping feed her and learning all about how to care for a baby. She is stuck pretending with dolls and plastic bottles. Or so I thought.

One day we picked up Avlyn's guinea pig, Adelis, and discovered that her belly was rather large. At first I just thought she was eating too much because her brother had gotten a little chubby, too. But she kept growing and wanting more food and tons of water. There wasn't a moment that went by when she wouldn't hear the scruffy sound of my slippers and start squealing for food.

In January, I realized she was expecting. We were very excited and nervous, not knowing what to expect. She had gotten pregnant before we got her, so I'm not sure who the 'baby daddy' is. We were careful not to squeeze her belly and mostly just left her alone. A few days before Valentine's day I held her and could feel the babies moving in her belly. I let Avlyn feel and we talked about how babies grow in bellies.

The night before Valentine's day, we held her again and felt the babies moving around. I assumed we still had a couple weeks before D-day. So I was quite surprised to check on her on Valentine's day and see a little white head looking back at me. (Adelis is all brown and her brother is black) The babies weren't there around 11 a.m., but when I checked at 2:00, there they were. Here is a pic of the piggies just a few hours after birth:


She had an albino, a black one, and a multi-colored one. Guinea pigs can be handled immediately after birth, so the kids were excited to see brand new, hours old guinea pigs. They still had their umbilical cords attached and were adamantly nursing. This experience has been a great lesson in the miracle of birth for us, and it's helped show Avlyn exactly what a mommy does for her babies.

She now has first-hand experience with the birthing and nursing process, along with how different babies develop at different rates. She thought it was neat when the babies ate real food after only 3 days. Sadly, we cannot keep five guinea pigs and the babies are off to new homes. They grow quite rapidly, and are ready to leave their mama after only a month. Aren't we glad our little ones depend on us much longer?


Above is a pic of the piggies from just two days ago. You can see how much they've plumped up and grown in less than 4 weeks. They've all since gone on to new families, which is another lesson all in itself. Happy Homeschooling!