Greetings, my dear friends from 
It is a pleasure to see you here. Let me tell you a little story.
Every day, millions and millions of new beings are born into the world. From tiny plume beetles to the enormous blue whales, all are part of the miracle of life.
In the case of mammals, I believe that birth is an even more intense and intimate event, as each one occurs with doses of pain and risk for the mother; however, they prioritize their offspring, and thus the wonder happens.
Unfortunately, we are not always there to enjoy the gift of seeing a creature take its first breath, thus writing its name in the eternal cycle of life.
Yesterday, I was a privileged witness, front-row seat—so to speak, VIP—to one of those moments. But it made no sense to enjoy it alone without sharing it with my good friends at 
She is Papancha, a Duroc Jersey sow raised in the pens of a small local producer, and she is about to star in an incredible moment for the first time in her life.
Towards the end of pregnancy, it is common for these animals to show signs of restlessness. Papancha had already spent four days looking for the right place to make a soft nest and have her babies. She was provided with enough dry grass for the process.
After 115 days of gestation, she was ready to give birth; although "there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip," as an old Cuban proverb goes.
I had never witnessed the birthing process of this species before, but I found it very similar to that of a woman: restless walking, difficulty getting into position, edema in the vulva, pain.
The contractions began to occur faster and faster one after another until the first little piglet made its way out into the world. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed.
At first, I worried about the umbilical cord and the expulsion of the placenta, but everything happens naturally and spontaneously when both mother and baby are ready.
The second little one didn’t take long to appear and brought a smile to my face as I saw that even while still attached to its mother by the cord, it was already seeking food from her swollen teats.
The curious onlookers distanced themselves after this; only the caretaker stayed by her side because Papancha began showing signs of alarm due to our presence, which could affect either her labor or even her acceptance of the newborns.
From a prudent distance, we kept an eye on the growing litter that eventually consisted of five beautiful piglets with reddish fur and two spotted ones—as we say around here. All ran with wobbly hooves to find their mother’s delicious milk while she called them with soft grunts. Little by little, each found its place at her generous teats.
Seven healthy, greedy, and mischievous piglets—nothing bad for a first-time mother. Well done, Papancha!
Thank you, friends, for joining me in this experience! I hope you found it as enriching as I did. I trust we will continue seeing each other.
This post was written without the use of AI. The images belong to me, and the banners were created in Canva.
