My mother-in-law insisted on helping me with the home birth, but something was terribly wrong as she kept slipping out. As soon as she left the room again, I heard disturbing voices outside the door. When I saw what it was, I froze.
When I told Josh I wanted to have a home birth, his eyes lit up like a baby’s on Christmas morning. But that was nothing compared to the reaction we got from his mother, Elizabeth. You’d have thought we’d just handed her the keys to a brand new car.
‘Oh, Nancy! This is wonderful news!’ exclaimed Elizabeth, clenching her hands into fists. ‘I just have to be there to support you both. I can help with anything you need!’
I exchanged a glance with Josh, raising my eyebrows. His shrug told me that he was leaving the matter up to me.
‘I don’t know, Elizabeth,’ I said with doubt in my voice. ‘It’s going to be pretty intense.’
She waved away my concerns. ‘Nonsense! I’ve been through it myself, dear. I know exactly what you’ll need.’
I bit my lip, contemplating this. Maybe an extra pair of hands wouldn’t be so bad, right? And it would mean a lot to Josh if I invited his mum to help me with the home birth.
‘Okay,’ I finally agreed. ‘You can be there.’
Elizabeth’s delighted squeal was so loud I swear she could have scared the neighbourhood dogs.
‘You won’t regret this, Nancy,’ she said, hugging me tightly. ‘I promise I’ll be the best support you could ask for.’
Finally, the big day arrived. Our midwife Rosie was setting up the equipment when Elizabeth burst through the door with bags in hand.
‘I’m here!’ – she announced, as if we might have missed her appearance. ‘Where do you need me?’
I was about to answer when a sudden contraction took my breath away. Josh was instantly at my side, his hand resting on my lower back as I tensed and groaned.
‘Just…just…just put your stuff down for now,’ I managed to mumble.
As the contractions eased, I noticed Elizabeth fiddling with something, her gaze darting around the room. She looked more nervous than excited now. And I realised that something was seriously wrong.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked, frowning.
She turned round startled. ‘What, oh yes, just thinking about what I can do to help. You’re doing great, honey. Just keep working.’
Before I could finish my sentence, she was already out the door, mumbling something about getting me some water.
Josh squeezed my hand. ‘Do you want me to talk to her?’
I shook my head. ‘No, it’s fine. She’s probably just nervous. This is our first baby, right?’
As my labour progressed, Elizabeth’s behaviour became increasingly strange. She would come in, ask how I was doing, and then disappear again. Each time she returned, she seemed even more agitated.
During a particularly strong contraction, I clutched at Josh’s arm so hard I thought I was going to break it. When the pain subsided, I heard a strange sound.
‘Josh,’ I gasped, ’can you hear that?’
He tilted his head and listened. ‘It sounds like… voices?’
I nodded, glad I wasn’t imagining it. ‘And that’s music?’
Josh furrowed his eyebrows. He kissed my forehead and turned away. ‘I’ll check it out. Be right back.’
As he walked away, Rosie smiled encouragingly at me. ‘You’re doing great, Nancy. It won’t be long now.’
When Josh returned, his face was ashy, as if he’d seen a ghost.
‘What is it?’ – I asked, dreading the answer. asked me, dreading the answer. asked me, dreading the answer.
He ran his hand through his hair, looking distressed. ‘You’re not going to believe this. My mum is having a party. In our living room.’
I stared at him, sure I’d misheard. ‘What?’
‘A party,’ he repeated, disappointment audible in his voice. ‘There’s at least a dozen people there.’
The pain from the contractions was nothing compared to the rage that swept over me. I struggled to my feet, ignoring the midwife’s protests.
‘Nancy, you mustn’t…’
‘I have to see it with my own eyes,’ I growled.
Josh backed me up and we headed into the living room. The scene that greeted us was surreal. People were chatting amongst themselves while holding drinks in their hands like it was a normal Sunday barbecue.
On the wall hung a poster that read, ‘WELCOME, MALE!’.
Elizabeth stood in the centre of it all, holding hands with a group of women I had never seen before. She hadn’t even noticed our appearance.
‘What the hell is going on here?’ I growled, my voice cutting through the chatter like a knife.
There was silence in the room, all eyes turned to us. Elizabeth turned around, her face pale when she saw me.
‘Nancy! Holy smokes! What are you doing here? You were supposed to…’
‘Elizabeth, what’s going on here?’
‘Oh, I… we’re just…’
‘What? Turning my home birth into an exhibition?’
Elizabeth had the audacity to look offended. ‘Nancy, don’t be dramatic. We’re just celebrating!’
‘Celebrating? I’m in labour, Elizabeth! This isn’t a bloody social event!’
She waved her hand dismissively. ‘Oh, you won’t even know we’re here! I thought you’d appreciate our support.’
I felt the contractions building and gritted my teeth in pain and anger. ‘Support? This isn’t support. This is a circus!’
Josh stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous. ‘Everyone needs to leave. Now.’
As people gathered their belongings, Elizabeth tried one last time. ‘Nancy, you’re overreacting. This is a joyous occasion!’
I lashed out at her, my words sharp and cold. ‘This is my home birth. This is my moment. If you can’t respect that, you can leave.’
Without waiting for a response, I turned and sprinted back to the bedroom to finish what I’d started, leaving Josh to deal with the aftermath.
Hours later, as I held my newborn son in my arms, the whole drama seemed like a distant nightmare. Josh sat next to us, his eyes full of wonder as he stroked our baby’s cheek.
‘He’s perfect!’ – he whispered.
I nodded, too shocked for words. We sat in cosy silence until a quiet knock on the door broke the spell.
Elizabeth peeked into the room, her eyes reddened. ‘May I…may I come in?’
I felt my jaw clench. ‘No!’
Elizabeth’s face crinkled. ‘Please, Nancy. I’m so sorry. I just want to see the baby.’
I looked at Josh, feeling conflicted. He squeezed my hand gently, his eyes understanding yet pleading.
‘Okay. Five minutes.’
Elizabeth entered slowly, as if afraid I’d change my mind. Her face was pale and drained as she approached the bed.
‘Nancy, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just got so excited and carried away.’
I didn’t answer anything and just stared at her dumbly. Josh cleared his throat. ‘Do you want to see your grandson, Mum?’
Elizabeth nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as Josh carefully carried our son into her arms. As she took him in her arms, her demeanour changed. The whirlwind of party planning was gone, replaced by a gentle, reverent grandmother.
After a few minutes, I spoke up. ‘It’s time to feed him.’
Elizabeth nodded, reluctantly handing me the baby. She lingered at the door for a moment. ‘Thank you for letting me see him,’ she said quietly before walking away.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Josh turned to me. ‘Are you okay?’
I shook my head. ‘No. What she did… I can’t just forgive and forget, Josh.’
He nodded, pulling me to him. ‘I understand. We’ll figure it out together.’
In the weeks that followed, I pondered how to move forward. Part of me wanted to exclude Elizabeth from our son’s first holiday as petty revenge for her homebirth antics.
I was still angry and resentful, and it was hard for me to even consider inviting her.
But after watching her take care of our baby during her visits, always respecting our space and routines, I realised there was a better way.
When it was time to organise the first baby shower, I picked up the phone and called her.
‘Elizabeth? It’s Nancy. I was hoping you could help with the preparations for the baby shower next weekend.’
The silence on the other end was deafening. Finally, she spoke. ‘You need my help? After what I did?’
‘Yes. Because that’s what family does. We forgive, we learn, and we move forward together.’
I heard the tears in her voice as she replied, ‘Oh, Nancy. Thank you. I promise I won’t let you down.’
True to her word, Elizabeth was a model of restraint and support during the party. She quietly helped in the background, glowing with pride as we introduced our son to friends and family.
When the last guest left, she walked over to me, her eyes glistening. ‘Thank you for letting me be a part of this, Nancy. I now realise that this is how you celebrate. With love and respect.’
I smiled, feeling the barriers between us crumble. ‘That’s exactly right, Elizabeth. Welcome to our family!’
