The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life by Dave Wright The cow grunted and pushed. A clear bubble of fluid appeared from her vagina as if it were wrapped in cellophane. “What’s that?” asked a six-year-old girl who had been standing next to me among the crowd at the Minnesota State Fair. I looked behind me from my crouched position to see if the girl’s parents were nearby. Not seeing anyone particularly interested in her question, I proceeded to answer it. “That’s the cow’s vagina,” I said. “We are expecting the cow to have a baby calf soon.” I am a veterinarian who was volunteering at the Miracle of Birth exhibit, and I was monitoring the progress of the delivery. “Where is the baby calf now?” inquired the girl. “It’s still in the cow’s tummy,” I replied. “It’s in a big sack called a uterus. The uterus is made up of muscles that will push the calf though the birth canal when the time is right.” “Where is the daddy?” she asked, apparently understanding my explanation so far. “That’s a good que