Kate Brodie of Drove Veterinary Hospital is more used to helping cows give birth - but now she's looking forward to her own special delivery. Here she explains why there's no such thing as a typical day.

A typical day in the life of a large animal vet is difficult to describe as the work can be so varied.

The plan you have for the day may change at any minute if an emergency call comes in.

The time of year also plays a part in what is happening and how busy you are.

My own typical' day has been slowly changing over the last few months as I am now seven months pregnant!

I spend quite a lot of time visiting farms to see if their dairy cows are pregnant and to diagnose fertility problems if they are not in calf.

The cows that need examining are kept separate after morning milking, and then we put them in a cattle crush.

Dairy cows are used to being handled every day when they are milked and by putting them in the crush they can't move about too much.

This means that even though I have got a little larger and can't get out of the way as quickly as I used to, I still feel comfortable around the cows.

It is important to remember that an adult dairy cow can weigh in excess of 700kg.

If they decide not to play ball, then things can get interesting.

I use an ultrasound scanner to diagnose pregnancy in the cows from approximately five weeks after they have been artificially inseminated or mated by the bull.

It was a bit strange when I went for my first scan, seeing a baby rather than a calf - and no, I didn't scan myself!

When on farm, doing fertility work, any sick cows will also be seen.

Examining them in the crush is obviously okay for me still but, depending what is wrong with them, I have to think things through before deciding whether I need help or not for the next step.

A cow that has a very high temperature will benefit from an injection that will reduce the temperature and make her feel more like eating and drinking, thus preventing her from becoming dehydrated.

One such drug we can inject straight into the bloodstream via the vein in the neck, which will hopefully result in a quicker response.

On farm the other day, this posed no problem until I tried to get up from my kneeling position.

Then it became clear that my centre of gravity has moved considerably and I was grateful for a helping hand up!

Digestive upsets in cows sometimes result in them needing an operation.

Under normal circumstances, once diagnosed I would get on with such an operation, which would often involve the cow being on her back, with me kneeling beside her.

As my bump has grown, kneeling and bending over have become increasingly difficult. So, more recently, although I may diagnose the problem, one of my colleagues comes out to perform the op and get the glory!

Cows are pregnant for roughly nine months, like we are, and quite often give birth themselves, without any assistance.

Many farmers are also experienced in helping them out, when required.

However, there are times when the vet is needed. Often, in these circumstances, the cow is in a pen rather than restrained in the crush, so she can move round a bit more.

Also, the vet may need to get up close to try to manipulate a calf that is in the wrong position. Obviously, now I can't manage to do this and would probably not have the stamina to, either. So, calvings are off limits at the moment.

It's all very different to what I saw on my recent tour of the maternity department at the Great Western Hospital.

As far as I know, there are no birthing pools for cows yet!

So now, with my own due date looming closer, my daily routine has changed quite a bit and I am finding myself more and more in the office at the practice, catching up on all the paperwork I never normally have time for.

My colleagues in the farm office and my fellow large animal vets have been great, and I'm sure have been shielding me from calls.

However, the one bit of help I don't want from them is when I'm in labour myself.

I think I'll stick with GWH!