Elyce's birth story of her first child, Forest.
It was Monday 2nd August 2021 and I’d woken that day with some mild cramps which felt not unlike period cramps.
They were consistent throughout the day, but not following any particular pattern. Sometimes 40 mins or even 60 minutes apart.
At about 12pm I went to the toilet and as I wiped there was a bloody mucus on my toilet paper. It was my mucus plug.
I texted my midwife and she said that I may be going into labour anytime from now.
I carried on that day as normal, plotting around the house, going for a walk, cooking and laying in the sun.
That night, Paul and I jumped into bed and watched some Netflix. My cramps were still there and probably becoming a little more frequent, but I didn’t give them much of my attention.
At 9:30pm we turned the tv off which made our bedroom go pitch black. In an instant, my cramps got more intense.
It’s like my body responded instantly to the darkness and thought “yep, it’s safe, let’s do this’. Like an animal.
Paul was fast asleep next to me whilst I sat on all fours, breathing and swaying myself through contractions.
I did this for about 45 minutes until I felt the urge to poo.
I spent the next hour on the toilet, releasing my bowels every time I had a contraction. At this point, it was about every 3 minutes.
I went back to the bedroom and woke Paul up, telling him that I’d been in labour for the last couple of hours.
My Mum was staying with us in NSW so I woke her up as well.
Paul called my midwife letting her know that my contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart, and she told us to make our way down to her house, which was the Lismore birth house.
I’ll never forget that bumpy 15 minute car ride.
As we arrived at the birth house, Bronwyn met us out the front and quietly took me to the bathroom where she had a warm spa bath waiting for me and fairy lights on. Getting in that bath felt like such a relief. The warm water embracing my body, making me weightless.
It was 3am by this point and the contractions were consistently 3 minutes apart.
From this point on, time didn’t exist. I was falling asleep between contractions, drifting in and out of my body. I don’t know where I went, but I would wake up with intense contractions, just moaning myself through them. My voice getting deeper and deeper.
Bronwyn left Paul and I alone the entire time. Coming in every now and then to check on me. She could tell by the sounds I was making that I was getting closer to transition.
It would have been about 5:30am and I started to feel sick. Paul grabbed a bucket and I began throwing up whatever was in my stomach. With that, another urge to poo came on. It took every ounce of my mind to get myself out of the bath and onto the toilet. Paul held my body as I dropped forward, emptying my bowels once again, and simultaneously throwing up into a bucket.
I didn’t want to move. I couldn’t move. I just wanted my body to flop. To conserve every bit of energy I could. Everything felt too intense.
I was in transition.
Bronwyn came into the bathroom and helped Paul walk me back into the bath. She left us alone for a little bit longer as my contractions got more and more intense.
It wasn’t long until my sounds started getting deeper. Bronwyn came in and said “Elyce, you’re not far from meeting your baby”.
The bathroom started getting lighter, and I could hear birds chirping outside. It was daylight. What a trip.
It was about 6:30am and my next contraction had me bearing down. I was on my knees, with my body leaned over the side of the bath.
I could feel my baby’s head coming down.
This uncontrollable feeling came over me, and I started grunting. I wasn’t trying to push, but my body was involuntarily pushing, and all I could do was moan and grunt and make noises that felt so natural, so primal.
I groaned and said “arghhhh I can feel the head coming down”.
Bronwyn told me to change my position and point my knees inwards, rather than having my legs apart.
Instantly that made room in my pelvis and my baby dropped down a bit further.
My next contraction came and his head started showing. I don’t think I could have ever prepared myself for what that felt like. It was INTENSE. The fire. I remember saying “oh my gosh it’s stinging”.
Bronwyn got a mirror and said that his head was crowning, and that he was still in his sac!! Paul got in the bath and felt it with his hands, giving me the most wonderful smile you could imagine.
Bronwyn said “On the next contraction, your baby’s head will be born”.
My next contraction came a few minutes later, and my body took over again, just pushing his head out without my control.
Finally his head was out and I felt a huge sense of relief.
I sat upright on my knees, just chilling there for a few minutes with my baby’s head pocking out. Paul was sitting behind me on the edge of the bath, with his feet in the water. Bronwyn was explaining to him how he would bring the baby under the water and up to my chest, because on the next contraction, his body would be coming out.
It had been a few minutes and my next contraction wasn’t coming so Bronwyn told Paul to stimulate my nipples. Paul rubbed my nipples for all of 5 seconds and BAM, next contraction came.
I leaned forward, grabbing onto the edge of the bath tub and roared my baby out.
I’ll never forget that feeling. Oh it felt amazing.
At 7:03am I sat upright as my baby was brought under the water between my legs. I grabbed him and brought him up to my chest as Bronwyn pulled his sac away from his face.
Gasping, panting, smiling and instantly crying of joy and relief, I looked at my baby’s face. He was familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time. Almost like my body knew what he looked like, but my eyes had not yet made the connection until now.
I looked up at Paul, into his eyes. He looked back at me with a look I’ll never forget. A look of joy and wonder and awe like never before. He embraced my head, kissing me and crying. We both cried and sat in that moment.
After a couple of minutes I said out loud “Is it a boy or a girl!!!?”
I looked down…..“It’s a boy!!!!”
We both laughed and cried a little more.
I already knew what name my little boy would have, so I looked down stroking his face and said “hello Forest”
We stayed in the water just staring at our little boy, watching him look around the room, so alert, so incredibly calm.
He was bobbing his head around, poking his tongue out and rubbing his mouth all over my nipple. It was amazing to watch how natural and instinctual it all was. He just knew what to do.
I slowly made my way out of the water and into the room next door, holding Forest up to my chest whilst leaning slightly forward to accommodate the placenta that was still yet to be birthed.
40 minutes later I birthed my placenta. It felt like warm jelly coming out, and to be honest it was an absolute breeze after what I’d just endured.
Not long after, Forest latched onto my nipple and had his first feed.
The time that passed over those next few hours was pure bliss. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired but so awake all in the same breath.
It truly was the happiest moment of my life.
Paul, Forest and I fell asleep on a floor of cushions and blankets.
A stillness like never before.
