Beautiful Sculpture of an Unassisted Birth (Origin Unknown)
In this beautiful sculpture, a lone woman presses herself against a tree as she births her baby, unassisted. With one arm wrapped around the tree for support, she reaches down, catching her baby with the hand of her other arm. Her legs strongly hold the weight of her body as she births in a squatting position, the firmly chiseled muscle of one calf visible beneath her bending knee. As her body is releasing her baby, the mother’s head tilts upwards, eyes closed and lips soft. The composition of the sculpture is perfect, with an energy coursing around and through the woman’s body, which remains firmly rooted by powerful legs that reach down into the ground just like the tree to which she is bound.
Other pregnant women can utilize this image in several ways. The sculpture depicts a woman who is birthing in the squatting position, supported from her back by the tree. In real life, this position is an ideal way in which to birth a baby, utilizing the downward pull of gravity to the mother’s advantage. The statue also shows a woman who births her baby without the aid of any caregiver other than herself. In addition to the growing movement towards a midwifery model of birth in the US, there are many women who have also chosen to birth their babies unassisted. Powerful stories of these women’s successful births can help to remind other pregnant women that birth is a natural process of which they are a part. The primary people involved in birth are mother and child, and firm knowledge of this is empowering for the pregnant woman.
Although I have found the image of this statue on several websites, I have been unable to locate any information about the artwork itself. I am extremely interested in this statue, its whereabouts, and the artist who made it. If anybody knows any of this information, please let me know too!
Hi, congratulations for your page. Iam looking for where is this sculpture.Could you help me for know it?? Thanks a lot and sorry for my english.Kisses
Hi there, I wish that I could be of help but I do not know where this image comes from and I have been unable to gather any information on it. However, if you email me at visualizingbirth@gmail.com then I will send the information to you if I discover it!
It’s located In Paris, in a sculpture garden, in the bank of the Seine River. There is a cutout piece of an article at my midwife’ office with the picture, but it doesn’t list the name of the sculpture or the artist. Hope the info is useful. 🙂
Andi, thank you for this wonderful information! This is very helpful and gives me a lead on the image. I will look into it and hope to visit it one day! Is there any way that you could put me in touch with your midwife or do you know the reference to the article? I’d love to read it (French works for me). Best wishes 🙂 Anna
Hello. This picture is circulating via Instagram and in the midst of me trying to find originality I came across your post.
Were you ever able to find the artist responsible for this sculptor? Or any original info on it outside of here in the comments?
Hi Camille, unfortunately I still have not determined the location of the sculpture garden in Paris referenced in the earlier response. However, I am quite interested in this work and have not forgotten about it. Please let me know if you come across the artist’s name in your own research.
Left Bank of the Seine.
Is this the Museum? Perhaps one of the artists listed here is the artist? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musée_de_la_Sculpture_en_Plein_Air