24/08/2026
Elly's first birth story, kindly shared with permission š
You chose the day of love, Valentineās Day to enter the world. Also the one day of calm in between a heat wave and a cyclone. We asked you to come before the storm hit, even though it was going to be far from home and you did. I woke up the morning of the 13th with a few niggles, they were inconsistent but I knew you were preparing to arrive. I spent the day cooking and resting while your dad got his hand dirty building the dams that I am sure you will spend days swimming in the years to come.
Things were slow and steady, I got adjusted to prepare for your arrival, we enjoyed one last dinner as just the two of us and went to bed to try and get some rest. You had other ideas, you were getting ready.We spent the first few hours, relaxing, moving on the ball, moving through some yoga. I realised pretty early on you were sitting posterior with all the pressure of your head moving down into my sacrum. We moved through some movements to create some space for you to turn but you had your own journey ahead of you.
Things started to build, your surges became more powerful but still minutes apart. Through the whole labour I wouldnāt use the word pain but the surges were intense. Due to your position if felt like you were almost blocked by my sacrum unable to feel the satisfaction of you moving down or the surges feeling productive even though they were, the pressure was intense.We called our midwife to come around 2am when you had created more rhythm, we were excited to welcome a valentines baby. I had prepared for a long labour, I donāt know why but I was ready for a marathon, I knew I wasnāt going to give up on you arriving here at home were we were safe, felt grounded and ready for anything. I was up for what ever you needed.
When she arrived we moved down to the birth space we lovingly created for you. It was dark, calm and peaceful. As soon as I got into the tub, I completely relaxed, things started to slow down as I meditated and slept through waves. By 7am we decided to all have a rest, my surges had rested.I tried to get into bed for a rest but I could not lay on my back and why felt like instantly when we got up to the loft things started to move again. Maybe we should have known at that point you wanted to be born in your space, the space we will spend so much of your early days. Dad was able to get a bit of rest while I was called to the bathroom.
From here is when I moved internally the next almost 12 hours could have been 1 hour or 3 days. I felt my self go onwards and nothing else externally mattered I just rode the waves you created.We moved back down to the pool and again things slowed a little but the intensity increased. We laboured in the pool woth dad. He was such an amazing support through the whole process, his grounding energy, his stamina and energy was the only thing holding me to this place. He helped me ride each wave with hip squeezes for hours and hours.
We knew there was just a little more dilation (.5cm) to go and we talked about how amazing it would be if you were born en caule as you were still in your waters. I knew you were coming but it felt like maybe there was something holding me back energetically/emotionally. We talked about it and I still donāt know what it was but I asked for it to release we were ready for you, I was welcoming your birth and embracing the experience of becoming your mother.I recall taking note to remember that power and magical feeling of letting go but it feels like a whisper of a dream I can hardly remember it at all.
I moved out of the tub I needed to be upright and outside and I felt you drop down. At the time it just felt like I couldnāt move, I was outside on all fours and I remember just say saying over and over āI donāt know what to doā I couldnāt figure out where you needed to be, where I needed to be and it almost felt like you might fall out right there on the deck but you werenāt ready yet and something told me that.
At this stage our second midwife had arrived and I hardly remember her being there We knew you were close and we had talked about moving the last .5cm of the cervix out of the way for a few hours and it finally felt right for them to offer us a little support. We had been moving though this labour for over 12 hours at this point and I had been unable to keep down any food or water so we decided a IV to hydrate and replenish me would be best to make sure we had everything we needed to bring you earthside.
You were still focussing all of the energy into my sacrum, but I knew you would be able to move through beautifully as you did. We decided to break the waters as it may create an easier path for you and it did or I created the environment where I had to stand up, find my strength and guide you earthside.
When we broke your waters there was meconium present, I knew you were fine. Our midwife knew our knowledge and our strong fight and desire to birth at home. We knew the recommendation would be to move to a birthing unit with the meconium but we chose to continue here at home. I knew I know had a clock on me and I knew I wouldnāt let that clock run out. It was the fire that needed to be lit to move me out of my cave and to embrace the inner strength and power that was needed, I needed to fight.
We moved up to the loft, they wanted me in the bathroom and that is exactly where I needed to be. The storm was starting we walked up to the loft from the lower garden in the pouring rain. Something had ignited and I was ready to full embody what ever you needed from me and that was my wild primal mothering instinct.We needed to push, it came on so strong and there was no option than to throw away all my inhibitions and give my self completely to my body. I groaned, I roared and I released.
Your dad was there every step of the way, he was my power, my grounding energy my rock. I didnāt realise how close you were until our midwife called your dad to catch you, we only wanted the people that would love you most in the world the be the first human contact you experienced. And in what felt like a blink of the eye you were on my stomach, you were here with us and nothing else mattered. Everything else was a blur it was just us.We had all the time you needed for skin to skin and for you to do the breast crawl and have your first feed. We didnāt seperate you from your placenta, the organ that had nourished you for almost 10 months. Your dad was who offered that separation so you could fully embrace your new way to being in the world.
It was just you and I, you were so alert as I birthed your placenta. The next few hours were just bliss, connection for you and I, skin to skin with dad, a few checks and your paw paw and Gappa came to meet you within the first hour of your birth and bought us some nourishment. I was dazed and in love and we were all ready for bed. That first night you slept with us just as you would continue to.
