This is what my body is supposed to do

A poem about pregnancy and birth

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Idea inspiration

Subscribers may recall that my wife and I welcomed our daughter into the world a few months ago, which was the inspiration for this one.

“This is what my body is supposed to do” was a birth affirmation that we came across in one of the many classes we took during my wife’s pregnancy. A birth affirmation is like a mantra that is supposed to be repeated over and over, to refocus the mind on something positive during the pain of labour. This one in particular struck me as being an interesting way of reframing the pain as being “normal” and a step towards a greater purpose. It was also rhythmic enough to form the basis of a comic.

Having finished the comic, it does occur to me that it could be interpreted as arguing that women generally are “supposed to” become pregnant, which is not my intention and none of my business. If I could be more precise it might be something more like “This is what my body is supposed to do even in a healthy pregnancy, within tolerable limits although everyone’s experiences are different” but that is not quite as catchy and a bit too nuanced for this kind of comic.

Art inspiration

The last page of the comic uses a reference photo of my wife and my daughter, though it is not intended to be a good likeness. It was a really precious photo shot on a phone in the wee hours, and I’m glad to have been able to pay tribute to it in my own little way.

For more comics like this, check out my website (my Substack page only has my most recent stuff).