The calf is here!

For weeks the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been waiting and eagerly anticipating the birth of this addition! Bailey, an 8-year-old giraffe at CMZoo, was in labor, and as of now, has given birth!

The first indication of labor for Bailey was the calf's front hoofs sticking out. The next thing that you should see if the nose (if the baby is positioned correctly), and the back hooves are the last things to emerge. 

"The back hooves will usually be the last thing to emerge, with the calf dropping approximately 6 feet to the ground onto 6 inches of sand, naturally severing the umbilical cord and stimulating baby's first breath. After that, mom will encourage the calf to stand up within about an hour or two after birth, which can sometimes look like she's nudging or kicking the baby," says the zoo's Facebook page. 

CMZoo officials initially said that they would stay with Bailey as she continued to make progress, but they had the ability to stop the video any time if they deem it would be best for mom and calf, or best if the public doesn't see something. Particularly, if there is a health issue, they will stop filming but keep us informed. 

"Just a reminder, we may refrain from showing everything during the birth; our goal is to protect the public from any disturbing images. We know kids of all ages are watching, and we want to be mindful of that. Note: 1) We have a four-hour limit on Facebook Live, so if her delivery lasts longer than that, we will start another stream. 2) We've brought several chargers and phones, but in the event our device dies, we will return shortly. In the meantime, you can still watch the birth on the indoor stall camera at cmzoo.org/giraffecam or www.youtube.com/CMZooCS."

Check it out below! This is incredible! 

The CMZ posted two more videos following the calf's birth: