I've always been fascinated by the miracle of birth. One photographer captured the beauty of unborn baby animals in their mother's wombs — a stunning sight to behold — while news teams across the country recently covered the very special birth of one little girl born at at 10:11 a.m. on December 13, 2014, or 10:11 on 12/13/14.
Stories and images like these remind me of just how fragile and beautiful life really is. User edkaelsy posted this wonderful story of an unexpected surprise on the photo sharing site, Imgur. At the time, he and his family had purchased a new mare who was acting strangely. They had no idea that she was pregnant! About a month after adopting her, their new horse began going into labor. Hours later, they had a brand new filly (a female foal) on their hands. Now that's a two-for-one special! Horses carry their babies for approximately 11 months before giving birth, which is known as "foaling."
A newborn foal's legs are about 90 percent as long as those of an adult horse, and when they enter the world, they will stand up and nurse within the first hour of their lives. Within just hours, they're able to trot and canter, and most foals can gallop the next day! Please SHARE this story with all of your friends and family!
Imgur user edkaelsy and his family were stunned when their new mare began going into labor.
Luckily, the new filly was born happy and healthy.
Mama horse began checking up on her new baby.
Foals, like this little filly, are often born at night so that they can more easily evade predators.
It gets better though…
It's for that same reason that foals are born so quickly and are able to stand and run shortly after birth.
While this baby's birthing process went smoothly, it's essential to have a veterinarian on hand or on call for any birth, as every mare reacts differently to foaling.
Most foals weigh approximately 10 percent of their mother's body weight at birth. This means that a 1,000-pound mare may give birth to a 100-pound foal.
However, foals start gaining weight rather quickly. They can gain up to three pounds or more a day!
The baby plays!
After this little filly was born, mama mare began gently encouraging her daughter to stand.
With a little help...
...the filly was up and on her feet in no time!
She was ready to take on the world and meet her surprised-but-delighted new pet parents.
The baby checks out his new home on the next page!
That night, she joined her mama in the stables for some well-deserved nursing.
This pretty little girl may not have been expected, but she was definitely a blessing for the entire family.
Now THAT is one happy horse mama!
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