Expecting Lambs - oh the anticipation

With 10 (or more) of our ewes pregnant and no certain conception or due date, you could say that we are a little anxious.  We've been reading lambing FAQs online and watching youtube videos of lambing.    We've searched the interwebs for some answer to the question - How to tell when a ewe is going to lamb?

We have come up with as many answers to this question as we have questions about lambing.  As brand new shepherds with no experience with any animal deliveries, we are nervous and excited, and of course a bit scared.

Every morning we go out to the barn wondering if any lambs are there or any of our flock is obviously in labor.  Every few hours during the day, someone goes out to check on the sheep.  I find myself staring at them looking for some sign that would indicate they need to be moved to our other barn where we have a makeshift lambing jug.  I stare at their hind quarters, try to examine their bulging utters and generally stare in the hopes of divining that they are fine or need help.   Jason has gone as far as searching the field with a flashlight in fear of finding an abandoned lamb waiting to be saved.  Thankfully, he has not found any.

Last night I even dreamed of holding a slimy newborn lamb coaxing its mother to recognize it and care for it. Two or three of our ewes, Big Wooly, Woolamina, and Number 64 (as yet unnamed) all look about to burst.  They have large bellies, swollen lady parts, and bulging udders with increasingly long teats.  They are also some of our friendliest sheep so they are easy to check on.   Every night we consider if they should be brought to our other barn just in case to be away from the crowded quarters in the main barn.   So far, we haven't moved them but we keep waiting, fingers crossed.

Part of me hopes to see the ewe straining in time to move her to our lambing pen before the birth so we can help if needed.  Part of me hopes that one morning I'll just find a lamb or two happily suckling - the scary part done and the mother caring for her lambs without assistance.    Perhaps we'll have it both ways by the time the season is done.