bless my birth

Just like every mother, ever, I derive great joy from my children’s art. Aveline is 6 and conveys such profound beauty through her drawings, and what is so wonderful to realize is that the beauty, the love, the imagination . . . is her. It comes straight from her singular, precious heart.

In light of this, I thought I’d commission her to do a piece for inspiration as I prepare for my soon coming birth. I said, “Aveline, do you think that sometime soon you would do a drawing of me giving birth to the baby?” She replied, “Do you want me to do it right now?” I said, “Just do it whenever you want.” Whenever she wanted turned out to be immediately. She asked me where I’d give birth and I told her that we might put a birthing tub in the library, but that most likely it would happen in bed, if it went fast like my last two births. I told her to put me wherever she wanted, maybe even outside. She opted for the bed and here is what she drew.

I don’t know why it should surprise me that she got the positioning so right on, with the head coming out first, after all, a little over 3 years ago she witnessed the birth of her baby sister. Still that impressed me. I love that we get an X-ray view of the baby’s body still in mine, too. She captured the most intense part of delivery in my opinion, when the head is out, the body is in, I lose my mind and inevitably ask my midwife, “What do I do now?” Those moments are so overwhelming, so beyond comprehension, so wondrous. The intense relief is moments away, the mysterious little person, inches from the skin on my chest and the embrace of my arms. Everything I’ve been dreaming of for so long is just about to really happen! Of course I’m smiling, I’m ecstatic!

I’m sure I will treasure this drawing forever. I’m sure I will want to look at it in the earlier stage of labor, and everyday from now until then. Thank you, thank you, my dear Aveline for sharing your heart with me.