siamese just had kittens

Question
our siamese just had kitten s, (two so far). What do we need to do. 1st time for us.

Answer
Hi Sharla.  Congrats on the babies!

Try to make sure a placenta is passed for each kitten.  Sometimes they're separated during delivery, and if mama doesn't pass them, they could cause a deadly infection in the uterus.

Most moms take care of everything.  I'm guessing that she's taken care of cleaning off the little ones and they have begun nursing.  If she hasn't separated the kittens from the placentas by chewing the umbilical cords in half, you should cut this with a pair of scissors, disinfected with alcohol.  Make sure to cut the cord no closer than 2" to the belly.  About half of moms will eat the placentas, and you should allow this, as they're a good source of protein that mom needs.  But if she doesn't eat them within an hour, you should discard them.

As long as the babies are all nursing happily, you don't have to do anything else accept change the bedding after the first meal.  Since mom will continue to have some rather heavy discharge for a couple of days, you will have to change the bedding out a few more times.

When you change the bedding, you should pick up each little one and check them over to make sure they're healthy.  Try to look in their mouths to make sure they're fully formed.  Also, it's a great idea to buy an ounce scale and weigh the babies daily.  This is the best way to ensure that you catch any illnesses early if they happen to get sick.  They should each gain 1/8 to 1/4 of an ounce daily.  Any weight loss is cause for concern and means they either aren't getting enough milk (mom isn't producing enough or their appetite is suffering), or they are suffering some wasting disease.  This should prompt a vet visit for the babies and mom.

You should spend a few minutes a few times a day holding and nuzzling the babies right from birth so they start bonding with you right away.  This is the way to make them the best pets.  It's best for them to go to new homes at 12-16 weeks, not 8 weeks as is commonly believed.  This way, they'll have built all their social skills (less likely to bite), learned solid litter habits and will have a stronger immune system, so they'll be less likely to get sick due to the stress of moving to a new home.

Also, mom should be on kitten food until she weans the babies.  Have fun with your little ones!