Our Dog Bailey Knew Our Son Was About To Be Born!

In 2008, my husband and I purchased our first home and one of the things we were most excited about was adding a dog to our little family. In September, we brought home our pup Bailey, a 12 week old shih-tzu/maltese mix.

She immediately became a part of our family, and both of us thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our fur-baby and training her.

In the fall of 2010, my husband and I learned that we were expecting our first child. My pregnancy was very easy, but I did have concerns about how Bailey would react to having a little baby in the house, and I did a lot of research about how to introduce a new baby into a home with a dog. The last thing I wanted was for Bailey to feel neglected or resentful when her “parents” had to focus their time on taking care of a new baby.

 

“On the evening of May 29, 2011, Bailey would not leave my side.”

By the end of May 2011, I was 38 weeks pregnant and trying to make sure that everything was ready for our son’s arrival. On the evening of May 29, 2011, Bailey would not leave my side. In fact, when I was sitting down she insisted on being on my lap, and if I got up to do anything I could feel her fur brushing my leg because she was so close. Bailey always liked to be close to me, but not that close. But I didn’t think too much about it. I had seen my doctor the day before and there were no signs of the baby coming, and I wasn’t experiencing any contractions or discomfort.

My husband worked nights at this time, and as he was getting ready for work Bailey walked up to him a couple of times and gave out a little bark and then ran back to me. When my husband tried to leave for work, Bailey stood in the doorway barking, and trying to block him from leaving. This was odd, as Bailey doesn’t usually bark. But my husband had to leave to make it to work on time. Looking back, I’m surprised that we didn’t pay more attention to Bailey’s odd behavior. Half an hour after my husband left, my water broke and I had to call him and tell him to come home so we could go to the hospital. Our son was born the morning of May 30^th, and I am still amazed that Bailey knew that he was about to arrive before we did.