Bai Yun keeps her newborn close and out of sight!
I checked into the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station this morning at about 3:30. The keeper on duty before me reported nothing unusual. She had gotten a few very brief glimpses of the cub as Bai Yun shifted position and had heard the cub vocalize on a number of occasions. However, she had also noted several long bouts of resting for both mother and cub.
This was good to hear. After the fatiguing event that is labor, new panda mothers are met with a demanding neonate who needs all of her attention to stay warm and comfortable. The cubs are largely hairless and lacking in body fat; thus, Mom’s warm embrace is essential to their survival in those early days. To keep such a small cub warm, the much larger mother must hold the baby up off the ground in her arms.
This means Bai Yun cannot simply sprawl out in the den to rest. She must instead engage in a balancing act that allows her to rest while snuggling that cub against her body. What’s more, she has to change positions every 20 to 60 minutes to allow the cub access to her teats for lactation. This active postpartum schedule is not unlike that of a human mother who has just given birth, except that, unlike a human, Bai Yun never sets her newborn down. Her own paws and arms are her neonate’s bassinet.
Throughout the early, dark hours of this morning, Bai Yun shifted from resting posture to a nursing posture regularly. Though I was never able to get a good glimpse of the cub nursing, there was enough anecdotal evidence to suggest nursing was occurring. Bai Yun held herself in a familiar posture, bracing the newborn against her upper abdomen. She periodically moved the cub across her body as she pushed the youngster from one nipple to the next. The cub vocalized in protest at the adjustments but grew quiet shortly thereafter, probably because it was latched on and suckling.
Hopefully, one of the panda team members will confirm nursing soon, either by observing the cub latched on or by seeing smears of milk on Bai Yun’s fur after a presumed nursing bout. And once Bai Yun relaxes enough to give us a good view of the cub—something we have yet to obtain—we hope to see a full, distended belly that indicates it is well fed.
So far, so good.
Suzanne Hall is a senior research technician for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Read her previous post, Bai Yun Gives Birth.
Note: Our Panda Cam will focus on mother and cub in the den starting at 2 p.m. PT today!
Thank you Suzanne for the update on the 1st night for Bai Yun and her baby. Cannot wait to see them on the panda cam.
What a privilege to be able to view this very special time. I hope one day to be able to visit in person and see how beautiful in real life these wonderful pandas are.
Suszanne: Thanks so much for such a sweet update on the baby panda’s first night with Mama Bai. This is just the best news ever!
Cannot wait to see a glimpse of the cub. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed in hopes that things continue to go so well. Thanks SDZ for keeping us up-to-date.
thanks for keeping us updated on the status of Bai Yun and her baby. it sounded like Bai Yun gave birth sooner than expected. it is really great of the staff that they were attentive and responsive enough to react to Bai Yun’s behavior changes. is there a 24/7 watch on the baby panda? how long does that usually last?
Moderator’s note: The 24/7 watch usually lasts a week or two to make sure mother and cub continue to thrive.
This is very sweet. What a good Mom Bai is. Thank you to Suzanne and all of the panda keepers.
Suzanne, thanks again for another wonderful update. I am so glad that the little one is doing fine.
Glad that Bai Yun and her cub had a good night.
Suzanne thank you so very much for taking the time out of your hectic schedule of monitoring Bai and her new cub to update us on their condition. Bai is rather advanced in age for a momma bear, but we also need to remember that Gao Gao is not a young bear either. You guys are the best.
It seems to me that Bai and Gao mad a pact to skip a baby last sring so they could find out what it is like to dance the Spring Salsa two years in a row before they are beyond that capacity. They do make rather lovely babies together~don’t they?????
I plan on visiting Rita Petita’s Photos to see what I have been missing. The last word I got about Yun Zi’s feetsies was that the hair was getting longer and fluffier. I want to see at leaast one of Gao’s cubs or cubettes inherit his remarkable fluffy, furry, sexy feetsies. He is a wonderful example of a fine and sexy PandaMan….Love Grammmie
Thank you Suzanne for the update. This little panda cub is fortunate to have an experienced mom like Bai Yun. Bai will take wonderful care of her sweet cub. I can’t wait to see our “super mom” in action on the Panda Cam.:-)
I so appreciate your thoughtful posting, Suzanne. You know that we are so anxious for any news of the cubbie. We know that Bai is the best mama there is, but it is good to know that all is well!!
She is such a good mommy! God bless her and all the pandas!
thank you all for the updates.
our planet earth is now smiling with the news of another panda birth.
grow strong little one, and bless our beautiful bai.
joan
painted post, n.y.
If any panda knows how to properly take care of a cub, Bai does. She truly is amazing. Hopefully, she’ll be able to get a little rest after her exhausting labor/delivery. Super Mom, she is.
BTW, best video ever! Thank you ever so much.
This is one of those times when a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, no amount or quality of words can adequately describe the beautiful picture of Bai Yun cuddling her newborn. It brings me to happy tears.
Thank you for the update. Have any of Bai’s other newborns/cubs ever had to be supplementaly bottle fed at any point in their young lives? Thank you.
Moderator’s note: No, Bai Yun has been able to feed all of her cubs without any help from us.
This is so exciting and so amazing! Thank you for making the Panda Den Cam live for us. I will never forget the birth of Yun Zhi. Watching Bai now with her little foot gently tapping like last time when she was nursing, almost a comforting act, showing she is happy and proud of her little one! And holding the cub so close and gently, hiding it, keeping it safe, and oh, so gently! Congrats to all!
Is there a concern that an older mother might have a cub that has health issues as it happens in humans?
Panda Team responds: Very few older panda mothers have given birth, so we don’t have a big dataset to compare to. However, we are not aware of any health issues in cubs stemming from older moms.
Thanks for the update, Suzanne. It’s wonderful to hear all the details, no matter how insignificant. Those of us that are besotted with pandas crave every single word that let’s us know how Bai and baby are doing. Of course, we know that Bai is an exceptional mother, but still, it’s wonderful when you and the other keepers share information. Thanks so much!
Congratulations yet again to Bai Yun, Gao Gao (of course) and the staff at the Giant Panda Research Station! And all good things and best wishes to cub #6!
Yes~Bai has to hold the cub except for a few minutes in those first days……but she does not have to deal with hubby Gao Gao, cook, do dishes, pick up around the house etc. And when she is eady she has Yun Zi to help her care for the baby~so she does not haave it as baddd as the first few cubs and cubettes she honored us with. Z Z might be a help like Yun Zi~but she is so active she doesn’t slow down for anybody.She would probably want to teach the little one how to do Yoga hanging from a tree by her toes~most babies are never ready for that. Love Grammmie
So excited to see Bai Yun and baby doing well! I was at the zoo just 2 weeks ago to have my lifetime dream come true..to see a live panda…it was the most amazing sight to see! And now to know our world has one more of these beautiful creatures! God has blessed us! Thank you so much for your updates Suzanne!
Thanks for the update Suzanne. Tonight Bai left the baby for her first trip outside the birthing den. I was surprised that this happened at just over 1 day. Is this normal for her or earlier than in the past. Probably for a drink as she was not gone for long.
No, it’s not unusual for her to leave for a drink of water after a day or two. Sometimes she has waited longer, but not this time!
Bai Yun certainly knows what she is doing
I love that Panda mother so much I think I would die for her!!
Again congratulations on the new panda baby to all of you at SDZ including, of course, Bai Yun and Gao Gao, well done the two of you. It shows that nowadays pandas at the age of 20 can act as being still younger ones. The saying goes with humans that “60 is the new 40″, therefore, why should this not apply to panda parents? Suzanne, thank you so much for the lovely update on Bai and her little cubbie. Bai nursing and holding her baby looks so peaceful. She has always been a fantastic mother. Looking forward to more news.