I Don't Know How to Give Birth! by Ayami Kazama Review ~ JeanBookNerd

I Don't Know How to Give Birth!
Story & Artwork by Ayami Kazama · Available August 18, 2020

A humorous and heartfelt autobiographical comic essay of a manga artist new to the challenges of motherhood! Follow her journey as she learns the ins and outs of pregnancy and childbirth-and the impossibility of finding comfy maternity underwear!

Book: I Don’t Know How To Give Birth
Written by: Ayami Kazama
Translated by: Julie Goniwich
Reviewed by: Angie Amezcua

I Don’t Know How To Give Birth written and illustrated by Ayami Kazama is an autobiographical comic essay that takes on societal taboos in a humorous and heartfelt manner. Some of the subjects covered in the book include infertility, pregnancy, female anatomy, and parenthood. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the way Kazama was able to deliver such an insightful look into what a woman’s journey with infertility can look like. Of course this is only one experience out of many but it still allowed some important information to be delivered to the audience in a non-threatening and funny way.

Kazama is able to offer her audience a very raw look into what pregnancy is like. Another one of my favorite aspects of the book is the discussion of labor, and what delivering a baby truly means. Despite her attentiveness to be prepared for when the day came and what she would do to pass time, everything went out the window once the contractions really started to get to her. One of the most memorable moments of the book for me is when she’s getting ready to push, but she doesn’t know how. Yet, this goes hand in hand with any new life experience we may come across. We can prepare for something as much as we’d like, but the truth is once we reach the moment anything can happen. We just need to maintain a positive attitude as much as we can and understand things aren’t always going to go our way. Overall, I Don’t Know How To Give Birth is the perfect combination of educational information and experience as well as an insight to how powerful women are. The reading not only left me feeling powerful, but it also left me with a good laugh.

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