Birth/Rebirth: Comics
I’ve been fascinated by making and growing humans since I started to try to conceive. Birth is normal— approximately 350,000 people give birth everyday—and yet wondrous. Birth is full of emotions, depending on the outcome. My son’s birth was not exactly what I’d hoped it’d be—I guess, how could it be?—but I savor my experience. I’m fascinated by the biology and culture of birth, in particular, the role of consent in birth and birth-adjacent decisions (e.g., labor and birth decisions; NICU; circumcision). You can read my deep dive into research about circumcision here. Originally, I thought I’d draw a research-based comic about birth, but I birthed a completely different comic, which feels like a poem. While laboring, I talked to many people about their birth stories. Every story was different and amazing. Thank you to everyone who so generously shared your birth story: they are fascinating, meaningful, and important.
About the Author
Cara Gormally is a biology professor who draws comics to make science relevant to everyday life. Their autobiographical science story comics have appeared on Medium’s Spiralbound and at Popula, among other places. See more on Instagram and at caragormally.com. Their debut book, REBOOT, will be published by Street Noise Books in 2025.
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