Lowlands farm, in southwest Birmingham, is home to Beth Withers and her husband, Tom. Here, she talks about bringing up her growing family at Lowlands, and the balance between motherhood and farming.
These last two months have certainly been one to remember.
With our newest arrival expected on September 13, it was a race against time (and the weather) to get the harvest complete. In my last blog we had just come to the end of harvest and the weather was turning to autumn. We breathed a big sigh of relief as the pressure of harvest was lifted from our shoulders - and the weather certainly has not disappointed. The nights are drawing in, the rain has been lashing down and we have lit our first fire of the year.
I will not lie, waiting around for the new arrival this month completely threw us out of kilter.
You know how it goes- everyone has an opinion - ‘it is your third it will be early' or ‘it is bound to come soon.'
Well, all of these statements did not materialize, and the list of jobs for the month was rather mixed including reworking the ground and planting ready for the year ahead, prepping the animals for mating, and the farmyard needed to start being prepared for the winter.
The hardest thing about the last stage of pregnancy is the sitting and waiting. Naturally I wanted to be up and out and seeing what was going on, but becoming more and more uncomfortable and exhausted, I was trying to rest for the weeks ahead.
I passed on my responsibilities, and the worst part for my husband is he hates poultry.
Although he put on a good face and kept things running smoothly, I do not think he entered the poultry pen without coming back with a tale to tell. I looked forward to his poultry stories every evening - he had to dive out of the way of the cockerel, or how a chicken pecked at the back of his head when he was looking for eggs. By the end he had become some kind of poultry professional. Apparently ‘you need to walk in with a stick, approach it down the left-hand side of the coop to dodge the cockerel and then run to the water bowser behind the coop'.
Waiting around for the arrival meant we did manage to fit in some family time with the toddlers and headed out to our local ploughing competition. Admittedly, walking around a field looking at ploughing when you are a week overdue was not exactly ideal, but I sat in a chair and enjoyed watching the boys look at all the tractors knowing it was probably going to be our last trip out as a family of four.
The days ticked by, farm jobs where being completed and I remember one Saturday afternoon, my husband turned to me and said, ‘I feel a bit on edge, I did not think we would have harvest complete let alone anything else, what do we do now?'
One of our major jobs for this month is preparing the ewes. We turn the tups into the first group of girls at the start of October, so the girls all needed a bit of self-care. They had more preening done than I have had in months - a bit of a clip up, some foot care and medication where required to ensure they are in the best form for the boys. Although the physical releasing of the boys is not exactly time consuming, all the preparation is. It is another time critical activity, as if the girls lambed late, it would have a knock-on effect to our other groups of sheep and then into the shearing season.
Some of the key sheep sales were also taking place, and we kept having to toss a coin as such, to make the decision as to whether my husband should attend. He was of course keen to attend (mainly for the breakfast and to be social) but I did not want him too far from home in case things kicked off.
And eventually they did kick off. I am overjoyed to say that on September 26 we sat and watched my youngest, George, open his birthday presents, and I went into labor. We welcomed Jack Martin Withers into the world, and rather stealing the limelight from his brother's birthday, he is the birthday present we would never have bet on.
I am glad to say that we made it home in time for cake on the evening too.
In awe of our new bundle we then faced the same juggling act that many farming families across the UK face during this time. Being self-employed, maternity and paternity do not really exist in the farming world. With animals to feed we faced the balance of making sure my health was not compromised, the two toddlers were adjusting to a newborn, the newborn was settling into the world and that my husband was able to maintain the farm to a standard that would allow everything to tick along for a few days.
We are lucky to have a good support network around us and just a phone call away for help, but I will not pretend the task was not daunting.
With a lot of the essential jobs done the timing actually worked out well for us. We managed to have some time together over the first few days whilst everyone found their stride, and then in week two normal routines began to be put in place, with baby Jack just having to slot in. I am still not back to my normal self, but the weather has turned so I do not feel so bad about being sat inside watching movies and doing jigsaws with the gang.
Whether it is the first or third child, the task is intimidating, and places mental and physical pressure on everyone involved. We are so in love with our newest addition, and I cannot wait to see what adventures the three boys will have in the future but for now, it is a game of coffee and long nights, just like a lambing season really.
The last month has been the highlight of the year for Lowlands farm and we are overjoyed to welcome another potential sixth generation farmer into the family. Next month the juggling will begin and we try to get back to a normal life as a family of five.
