We moved Bagpuss to a clean table top so we could attend to her more easily. In the first picture you can see Heather is gently opening the birthing zip with her right hand while checking the pulse with her left. This is a good way to make sure you are not opening the zip too quickly and, therefore, causing your Bagpuss unnecessary distress. Although not technically asleep, a Bagpuss will be unresponsive during the birth, so monitoring the pulse is really the only way of making sure you are doing things right.

In the second picture you get the first view of the new baby. Notice that Heather still has her finger on the pulse (no pun intended) and, despite our eagerness to bring baby Bagpuss into the world, she is still being cautious in pulling the birthing zip down.

Picture 3 is my favourite of all the photos we took. The zip is fully opened and the head is just starting to peep through. See how baby Bagpuss has the same beautiful blue eyes as its mother? The whole process is going well, but it's not over yet. Click here to find out what happens next.