Updated 9/1/24:

On August 1st Taika gave birth via c-section to a single female puppy, who I promptly named Tuca. Tuca developed pneumonia from retained amniotic fluid in her lung tissue, tragically not uncommon in puppies born via c-section as they don't get the pressure from the birth canal to squeeze all the fluid from their lungs. After an emergency vet visit she seemed to be on the mend, but two weeks later she suddenly crashed, and though we rushed her to the only open emergency vet two hours away at Cornell, there was ultimately nothing that could be done. She passed away in my arms while I held her and told her how much I loved her already. 

Though this first breeding was absolutely heartbreaking for us, Taika is recovering well and was an amazing mother for those short few weeks.