Rhino’s epic pregnancy and birthing whopper baby has us crossing our legs

If you thought nine months of pregnancy and then pushing a baby the size of a watermelon out of you was hard work, then spare a thought for this poor rhino mum.

She has just endured an epic 488 days of being knocked up, and then birthed a HUGE 123 pound bubba at the end of it all …

Gulp.

Now we are all crossing our legs, not because we are about to be impregnated by a rhino, but because all the bad pregnancy niggles and birth memories are flooding back.

Worth it, but still

New mama, Tashi, squeezed out her cute but enormous baby boy calf (yet to be named) on June 20.

In the birth announcement, made by The Buffalo Zoo, they exclaimed (as only the relative of the mum who DIDN’t give birth can) that mum and bub are doing well.

“OH BABY!  We are excited to share that after 488 days of pregnancy, Tashi our greater one-horned rhino gave birth to a 123.5 pound male calf.”

“The Zoo animal care team report mom and baby are bonding and doing well,” it said.

Now despite her epic pregnancy and no doubt birth ordeal, we are sure she’s overjoyed.

I mean, just look at him!!!

Did she suffer from preggy brain?

While Tashi was no doubt fed a good, nutritious pregnancy diet by her zookeepers, we can’t help but wonder if someone was taking care of her mental well being while she was growing this whopper of cute?

We’ve done the maths and 488 days is 16 months to be exact, or almost double a human pregnancy.

We can only hope Tashi was one of those annoying pregnant mums who describes her pregnancy journey as, “breezy” with “no morning sickness”!

If not, though, then poor old Tashi has suffered through 16 months of feeling like a walking hormone.

Imagine the tears she would have shed and her overall pissed off vibe in the last few weeks of her baby’s gestation – that tend to drag on like a toddler running late for kindy? Humph.

Also, we’d understand if, after that long, Tashi suffered from pregnancy brain and accidentally peed in the food trough, making the other rhinos laugh at her.

Tashi, we get it. I still leave my keys in the front door and then look all over the house to find them because after pregnancy brain, comes baby brain and then just a permanent state of mum brain.

Was someone giving her a back rub?

In addition to her mental health, we hope those caring zoo keepers are looking out for her physical health.

During her long pregnancy, we hope they gave her a back rub (or 100) and put those giant swollen feet of hers in a bucket of ice chips.

Tashi is also a hero to have birthed her big boy, but we wonder, did she suffer any tears? And does she now have post-traumatic birth trauma?

We hope not …

Is she feeling supported as a new mum?

Now Tashi is a seasoned mum. This is her fourth bubba! But even still, we are sure she needs help. Newborns are exhausting (as we all know).

We hope the other rhinos in her enclosure are helping out with childcare as she tends to her newborn. Maybe they could offer to take her other calves to the enclosure playground while she has a nap with her ‘little’ one?

We also hope her other little rascals are giving her a bit of break, but again, this is doubtful as any mum of more than one baby knows.

So please Tashi, rest up, as much as you can. Just sleep when the baby sleeps! Easy (eye roll).

Also, congrats on your cutie pie/sleep sapper.

And thank you for sharing him with us. He is ADORABLE!