"All you need is love" - charcoal on art paper. 7/5/2011
For all that being a midwife represents; this view pretty much sums it up for me. This is that lovely moment when a baby's head is said to be 'crowning'. A woman has worked up to this point and can now just breath the rest of the brow and head out producing instant relief.
Husbands, partners, mothers, support persons are often by the woman's side, holding her hand, wiping away the sweat and anxiously awaiting the birth of the baby.
You can almost feel the urge to push looking at this drawing. You can feel their determination to finish what they started. To finally become a family of three. I like that the partner here is looking at his amazingly strong woman with seriousness and focused love.
"All you need is inner strength" - glitter pen on card - 8/5/2011
This one was a bit of a dig at my best friends partner who hilariously wrote "Stop this Cherry" on the previous drawing on FB as a comment. Unfortunately he felt the need to remove the post after he copped a bit of justified flak - which is a shame because I liked the comment as I like debate and I like honesty. I wrote a card to this best friend and this was a small sketch I put in it just for her Brad (sorry Brad if you just wanted to remain anonymous and not in one of my blog pages - you can request to be taken out and replaced with Mr X if you like).
"All you need is hope" - charcoal on art paper - 8/5/2011
"All you need is support" - charcoal on art paper - 8/5/2011
This is my favourite. Again the woman's support person is her soul mate, he is focused on her, and he is giving her all of his attention. Besides giving her upper and lower back a massage he is also transferring all of his energy in to her so that she can keep going. The woman feels at this point the contractions are getting very strong and there is an overwhelming sense of effort but with this new position the pressure is off her pelvis and the support from her partner makes her feel empowered to breath through the tightening.
The hand up against the forehead hiding a look of focused determination and pulled back hair suggesting the usual tidy appearance of this woman, while her, lets say husband, looks on in a quiet and respectful awe is what I really like about this piece. It's a truthful and beautiful portrayal of what I often see, and what I always aim to encourage.
"All you need is trust" - charcoal on art paper - 8/5/2011
This couple is sharing the burden. She trusts him not to drop her and to support her through this strong contraction. Birth is also close because we can see quite a lot of head there at the opening of the vagina. The woman is experiencing a lot of stretching, stinging and burning but remains focused. This is a lovely position for birth, using gravity to help bring the baby down through the birth canal. Again, as is the under current in my pictures, the man is focused on the woman and doing a mighty fine job at physically and emotionally supporting her through the birth. He looks as though he could maintain this position for as long as his partner needs him to. This is an empowering position for both the woman and her support person. They will both see their new baby come into this world.
"All you need is respect" - charcoal on art paper - 8/5/2011
This sketch is delightful and although I see this image so often at work and in my dreams I never tire of it. It is so intimate and joyful and is truly the reason why anyone becomes a midwife (it's certainly not for the money). The woman is safe, happy, content and comfortable. The partner looks euphoric and emotional and feels nothing but love and respect for such an incredible act of life-bearing that his soul mate and he have achieved together. This may be their first child or perhaps their tenth, it matters little. The baby is warm and healthy, and perhaps beginning to show an interest in her mother's sweet and nurturing smell. Baby's usually will begin breastfeeding within 15 to 60 mins of life. Baby's at birth have not yet learnt to smile about anything - so this little girl is looking quite serious, she also has a look of knowledge and wisdom which often is the case too.
by cherry.