Meeting Elsie

On 10/11/2019, at around midnight, my first stages of labour started. I had been having Braxton hicks for so many weeks; it didn’t really feel like the real deal.


I was having very mild inconsistent cramps and managed to sleep through it until 4:30 am. At this time, I woke up my husband and suggested I might be in labour, but I was unsure as the cramps were so mild and still inconsistent. I continued on with my morning beauty routine (washed off my tan, washed hair, shaved legs, tinted eyebrows, blow-dried hair and started makeup - clearly a top priority, right? 😂) before my daughter woke up and by 6 am, active labour kicked in.


My mum was on her way to watch our daughter, and as soon as she arrived, we set off to our birth centre. My midwife phoned me to let me know she was on her way but didn’t get off the phone as she could sense I had progressed exceptionally quickly. She calmly talked me through my contractions and explained that we were likely to not make it to the Birth centre.


At 6:58 am, in the front passenger seat of my car, my water broke, and I felt the baby’s head drop. My husband pulled over on the side of the freeway, just north of Anketell road and got the towels ready (FYI – 2 towel is nowhere near enough).

 

   

 

My midwife stayed on the phone with us the entire time, and she was able to guide us through the stages of birth whilst also calling for an ambulance on another phone. In just 4 minutes and a few pushes later, our beautiful 3.93kg daughter was born into this world, delivered by her very calm daddy.

 

    

 

Paramedics arrived 10 - 15 minutes later, just before I was about to deliver the placenta. Although we never imagined having a baby on the side of the freeway, we would not change any of it for the world.