[Lorenza]

Hi all.
Great news, me and my partner are expecting our first child! But I also have my girls who are lambing in April. My partner doesn't have much to do with them and he is dreading lambing! I have been around farms and lambing for years and years and I read somewhere that you can become immune to toxoplasmosis which is what the worry is for pregnant women and lambing. Does anyone have any experience with pregnancy and lambing?
Obviously I am going to be very careful whilst I still don't know much about it, but I am gutted I can't be lambing my girls. It's my favourite time of year! I guess I'll just have to look from the fence line.

Any advice or knowledge in this subject would be extremely appreciated!!

Lorenza

[Backinwellies]

Congratulations 

Stay away its not worth the risk .... Toxoplasmosis is not the only pregnant sheep zoonosis .  Also ensure OH washes his own farm kit.

Is there someone OH can call if problems?

[Rosemary]

Everything I've heard says "keep well back" and don't even handle clothes that have been in the lambing shed. There will be plenty more lambings.

[Marches Farmer]

Clothes that have been in the lambing shed should be put straight into the washing machine by whoever wore them.  Hands must be washed afterwards and every time entering the house. 

[NewLifeOnTheFarm]

This is something I have been thinking about too. We are thinking about trying for baby no 2. I am a nurse, working in high risk area and regularly come into contact with  CMV, which causes birth defects. So I obviously always ensure good hand hygiene etc. Our vet is pregnant and is out lambing at mo, I asked her about it. She said she felt that as long as she wears mask/gloves/excellent hand hygiene, then she had reduced her risk enough. But I am very unsure. We will be planning to lamb outside in May 2018, so hoping that will limit the risk a bit more. Eek.

[Sbom]

I found out I was pregnant whilst lambing. I had a test for toxoplasmosis and was found to have an immunity to it. I carried on lambing as had no choice really and all was well.
However I definitely would not recommend anyone doing the same! A year or two later the same flock I was lambing had enzootic abortion so could have had a different outcome.
I've lambed sheep since I was 15 so have built up some immunity but would be very wary of anyone not from a farming background being around my pregnant sheep.
Chatting to the scanner the other day, he seemed to think scanning time is a very bad time to be pregnant around the sheep so not just lambing time to consider

[harmony]

Please heed the advice and stay well away. Get help in or get rid of your sheep. Your priority must be your unborn baby. You can get more sheep next year and enjoy them together.

[Lorenza]

Thank you all for your replies. My priority is my unborn baby so I won't be going near my ewes and lambs for a while. My OH will just have to sulk.
We only have 10 ewes in lamb thankfully and all but 2 have lambed before, with no problems.
No extra help unfortunately. So any problems and it'll just be a call out with the vets I think!
Just realised, also means I probably won't be in any fit condition to shear them this year! It'll have to be hired help I think!

[silkwoodzwartbles]

Congratulations on expecting your first baby, it's a very exciting time! My OH and I are expecting our first week after next and this has been the first time since we got together that I've not helped him at lambing. I've been down the yard and visited the sheep but made sure to wear gloves and keep my kit entirely away from his. I've also not been in the shed unless he's thoroughly mucked out and have used my own bucket to feed my girls that he's not been anywhere near (and that hasn't been anywhere near his sheep).

We've not even car shared and once the baby is born I will disinfect and wash his waterproofs for him (he's been washing his other yard kit himself but leaving the waterproofs in the barn).

Ironically we left my sheep til later so that I'd be able to lamb them myself after baby is born but our little one is breech and being delivered by C Section so chances are my lovely OH will have to lamb my sheep too (might as well have had them as one bunch!)

[GrannyAching]

I think you have already made the decision but just to confirm http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/934.aspx?CategoryID=54 When I was having a family you didn't go near sheep any time if you were pregnant this seems to narrow the window down a bit.

Good luck.

Where are you? I bet there is someone local who would help in an emergency have you got a local farmers/small holders FB page?

[Buttermilk]

Better safe than sorry.  I took a poo sample from the rams into the vets for FEC and they had to send it away due to too many pregnant vet nurses, they are not allowed to handle anything sheep.

[SallyintNorth]

Where are you? I bet there is someone local who would help in an emergency

I had the same thought.  In a previous post Lorenza says she's about 5 miles from Betws-y-Coed.

We have one of the animal team here was pregnant last year, so could only help from the sidelines.  But from what she tells me, she did do quite a bit in terms of watching, advising and so on.

[Lorenza]

Yes I'm about 5 miles from Betws y coed. I know of a few people who I'm sure will lend a hand if it comes to it. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly though!

[Marches Farmer]

Well done for being aware of the possible problems regarding pregnancy + sheep.  Our neighbour was pregnant last year and didn't know (and wasn't told by her GP, despite agriculture being the main employer in the County).  It was I who told her to keep well away from the pregnant ewes that were grazing her fields.  (Our GPs also missed very obvious signs of Lyme Disease in another neighbour - it was our vet who identified why she was feeling so low and had a rash on her arm!)