Bringing life into this world is never easy but it’s always miraculous. One doesn’t need to go through childbirth themselves to come to such a conclusion.
But Betsy, a wife and mother of three from Visalia, California, sure knows a thing or two about it. As a mother of three, she knows the challenges that come with raising children pretty well.
But little did she know that during a family trip to the park to play pickleball, her pack was going to get a tad bit bigger.
The family noticed that someone had smashed the duck nests that were there. It was a heartwrenching sight. Still, the family looked to see if there were any eggs left that were salvageable.
Fortunately, they came across one egg that was still intact. Though it had a small crack, it wasn’t leaking.
“My kids were very upset about it … [they] found a lone egg with a small crack that wasn’t leaking and asked me to save it,” she told Bored Panda.
Betsy decided that she would take on the responsibility. But she was worried. She had never hatched an egg before. Still, she proceeded to take the egg home to figure out what to do next.
The first thing she did was reach out to the local wildlife place but was informed that they didn’t take eggs. Concerned, she asked that if the egg hatched, would they accept it? They agreed.
But her problems were just beginning. She couldn’t afford an incubator and decided to carry the egg around in her bra. In the meantime, she turned to the internet for help. Luckily, she was on the right track by keeping the egg there because eggs need warmth and humidity.
Betsy carried the egg in her bra for a full 35 days and made sure to turn it 4-5 times a day! She even slept with it too.
“I’m a plus size girl so it just kinda fit right between my breast,” she says.
Clearly, she was committed.
Once the egg began to hatch, she read that she needed to stop rotating it. Now, she needed to figure out a way to give the egg a lot more humidity — more than her bra could offer. She even started to hear faint pipping as the duck’s beak began to push out the lining.
Thus, she grabbed a lamp, a plastic container, gallon bags, a bowl of water, and tape. She was going to make her own hatching box.
However, a few days later, things began to go wrong. She called a vet who informed her that the baby was being shrink-wrapped by the membrane in the egg. Because of this, she had to peel the shell away slowly, making sure to avoid any veins, so that he could breathe.
But he was still connected to the yolk on the bottom of the egg.
“I got a wet paper towel and wrapped it around the shell with the yolk and put Neosporin on it so it wouldn’t get infected. Maybe not the best idea but I was scared.”
After he was free, he didn’t walk for the first few days. But then, everything changed.
“One day, we woke up and he was walking. Later on, I would let him swim in the tub and mud puddles.”
Betsy even napped with the little duckling and made a carrier for him. Her kids named him Thawn from The Flash.
“He would follow me and when he heard my voice, he would lose it and scream. He seemed to know when I left without him because my husband complained that he would sit and cry.”
Luckily, she was able to find a rescue farm nearby and brought him there.
Today, Thawn is doing great! All thanks to Betsy and her loving family!
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