My Body Created a Human: A Love Story

By Emma Ahlqvist

This graphic novel–style memoir about the weirdness and wonder of pregnancy and early motherhood is told with humor, frankness, and honesty. The perfect gift for new parents, parents-to-be, or anyone interested in the experience of bringing a new human into today's world.
 
Emma Ahlqvist's graphic memoir about the birth and early moments of raising her first child is a wry and resonant portrayal of both the challenges and excitement of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and embracing the experience of motherhood. Told through black-and-white drawings and short, frank captions, Ahlqvist considers everything from lactation woes to anxieties about late-stage capitalism and global warming, with drawings centered on the gendered division of labor, her efforts to maintain a professional and artistic life after having a baby, and the genuine rewards of bringing a child into the world.
 
Unflinching, relatable, and funny, My Body Created a Human portrays the stress and joys of parenthood—without the rose-colored glasses—and invites laughter, empathic nods, and exclamations of "You too?" Organized into thematic chapters like "Postpartum" and "A Mother and an Artist," Ahlqvist's drawings can be enjoyed all at once, or browsed and savored during late-night and early-morning wake-ups.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781648962035

Emma Ahlqvist

Emma Ahlqvist is an artist and writer born in Sweden and based in a village close to Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art and mother of two.

Book preview

1. there is a baby inside of me.I HAVE A BABY IN MY BELLY!!It’s exciting to have this secret. I hope that no one has realized that I’m drinking nonalcoholic beer.I wish I had an excuse not to go clubbing. I spent a lot of my twenties going out, but now I’m ready for a change.For so long, I’ve been preparing – waiting to be ready. And now, I guess I am.As soon as we decide to try, I feel desperate to get pregnant. Is it weird that we both get turned on thinking about it?I had always imagined we’d move out of the city before having children. Instead we live in an apartment in Edinburg, and I’m excited about bringing up a kid wherever we are.BABYI’m used to trying to control everything in my life, and it is scary that I can’t control this.I want to tell everyone early, but it feels like I’m not allowed. If I have a miscarriage, I think that I will want to talk about that too.How is it that mothers always know?Every time I wake up, I’m shocked to remember that I’m pregnant. When I’m awake, I can’t stop thinking about my pregnancy.I feel disappointed with my body when I hear pregnant women saying they feel great. Coffee suddenly tastes like poison, and I have constant heart burn.