Mare streaming milk from one teat when foal begins to nurse

[silverbirch]

So I am a novice and I did try to search for an answer before posting.

My filly was born on June 15th so she is 40 days old now. We have been through all of the normal baby stuff - foal heat diarrhea, treating the little scrapes on her hocks from getting up and getting down. Filly had a great IgG so she has been for the most part pretty healthy as has mom.

So today I noticed that after my little one got up from her nap (they are coming in during the day since the heat and humidity here in NC is intolerable) she went over to bump up against mom’s udder and nurse. While she was nursing on one teat, my mare started streaming milk (like the day she gave birth) out of the other teat. Filly took a look and quickly changed to the streaming teat. I didn’t see any other milk streaming afterwards.

Should I be worried? I didn’t think my mare’s bag was all that full that she would be squirting out milk. Although to be fair, I have not been paying as much attention to her bag in the recent week or so.

Filly seems to keep growing and in between milk she loves drinking water and nibbling hay (she steals a little taste of beet pulp and soaked alfalfa every once in awhile and sometimes a little grain but we have not set out any creep feeder yet due to her age).

Thank you! I always like to be a little risk averse and know if I should start being very concerned or if I need to talk to the vets tomorrow.

[NancyM]

When the foal nurses, it stimulates the mare to release milk. Milk is release to both teats, even though only one is in use. It is not unusual for the milk to stream from the open teat when the foal is sucking the other one.

[Megaladon]

Sounds like your mare is a good lactator. This is a good thing. Enjoy your foal.

[Foxtrot_s]

It happens in humans, too! Stimulation lets the milk let down.

[silverbirch]

Thank you to everyone.

I have never been… erm… a nursing mom. lol So I had no idea that well, there could be a “let down” stimulation and such a thing could really happen.

Everything was back to normal today - my little filly nursed several times while I visited.

I figured I should attach a photo of her (because well I am smitten with her). One of her favorite activities is messing with mom’s feed bucket while mom is eating. She likes to buck up against it, crawl underneath, and just rub and scratch all over it. Mom just patiently eats.

http://imgur.com/a/d43tg

[Foxtrot_s]

She’s so cute - I want (another) one!

What I have done in the past when this happens in the very beginning is collect the first milk to freeze for the colostrum bank for those babies who do not have any from their mum’s for whatever reasons.

Too late for you, though.

[silverbirch]

[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;8765447]
She’s so cute - I want (another) one!

What I have done in the past when this happens in the very beginning is collect the first milk to freeze for the colostrum bank for those babies who do not have any from their mum’s for whatever reasons.

Too late for you, though.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! She is a little mess. Her mom is honestly the quietest mare in the world. Filly - well she is very opinionated but can be an absolute sweet heart to me. She likes to test any new human. It floors me that at less than 6 weeks old she wants to see where other humans stand in her hierarchy. She knows with me she will get a reprimand. So it blows my mind!

I was worried that the day of the birth she was not going to get enough colostrum. It really took her quite a bit to figure out the whole nursing thing. Meanwhile mom was POURING out milk out of both teats. I remember one of the vets saying to me, “Mama is saying for the love of God PLEASE someone nurse.” We thought we were going to have to bottle feed some - but my little on finally figured it out enough and then after that it was all natural.

Seeing how lucky my little girl was, it makes me grateful for any mare’s family who donates colostrum to the banks.

I don’t think I want another one! This whole experience has been so nerve wracking. I love my little girl and can’t wait to see how her future life turns out, but man I feel like I constantly worry. I was thinking once she arrived, I would no longer worry about mom and her but I still do… A lot.