Labor Limbo – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

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Labor Limbo

Labor Limbo, May 2019 Vanessa narrates, "When the time came for my baby to be born, I was instructed to perform a complicated little routine during each contraction:" Vanessa lies in a neon green hospital bed with her legs in stirrups. The walls are also neon green. She grips onto the stirrup poles with her hands. Her hair is in a messy pony tail and she wears a blue hospital gown. Her face and body are flushed. Her cheeks are puffed and she is concentrating hard. A woman in scrubs holds her left leg, and a man in a black shirt holds her right. He is blocking full view of another woman in scrubs who is standing in between Vanessa's legs, slightly leaning in. Vanessa adds arrows with labels to different parts of the scene: At her face, "Take a big gulp of breath." At her left hand, "Pull (do not push!!) hands." At her feet, "Do not push!! feet." At her butt, "PUSH vagina/butthole LIKE CRAZY" Vanessa continues narrating, "It felt a little like trying to pat my head while rubbing my belly.... (which is impossible for me to do.) Caring for the baby has proven to involve many of these kinds of puzzle-piece sequences." Vanessa rocks her baby in her arms, labeled, "Swinging jiggling." She stands next to an unmade crib. The baby wears a bright green onesie, and Vanessa wears a sleeveless indigo dress. She says, "SHHH- SHH- SHH- SHH- SHH." This is labeled as "rhythmic shushing." Above her head is a moving fan, labeled, "Fan on, very windy." There is a mobile above the crib, and a sound machine, labeled "sound machine on LOUD." Vanessa notes that is is 5 a.m. She narrates, "It feels like chaos but you organize it into steps." We see Vanessa from behind now, still rocking her baby by the crib. She says, "Nyegh!" She is holding a pacifier. By her face is an arrow labeled, "Hair tickling nose." By the baby is an arrow labeled, "At first whimper, APPLY PACIFIER." Vanessa narrates, "Then just keep dancing until the curtain call!" A close-up of the baby's face shows them asleep. An arrow pointing to their closed eyes says, "Lids down!" The pacifier is falling, labeled, "Binky plopped!" The baby's mouth is open in a small O. They look peaceful at rest.

Tags: Diary, Humor, memoir, non-fiction, slice of life

Published On: November 10, 2023

Young Vanessa, with short hair and glasses and a pink one piece swim suit, floats in a tube along a marshy spring. She is drifting into the marsh despite trying to steer with her hands flapping in the water. In a panic, she shouts out to her peers who have floated much farther past her, “Guys!! Wait!”

Outside on a winding sidewalk path, a man with floppy hair and a dark parted pencil mustache approaches Derek. The man wears a shirt with a large collar and three large buttons, and pinstriped pants. He snaps he fingers with one hand and holds his other up with a limp wrist. He shouts out, "There he is! [in big block letters:] World's Greatest Dad!" Derek looks over at the man, smiles, and replies, "Haha, Sunny!" He looks relaxed, shoulders back and hands in his jean pockets. He wears a tight-fitting t-shirt with a large number one in the center.

A hand firmly holds a bunch of lemongrass. There are trees and a fence in the background.

The episode's title is drawn in large block letters: "Modern! Cartoonist" Derek sits on the ground with his legs criss-crossed before some sort of stone altar letting off a thin stream of smoke. Derek appears to be meditating. He wears glasses and a jacket with a large decorative collar and other stylish elements. Text, ranging from speech bubbles to onomatopoeia, surround Derek.

Kim looks at her reflection in the mirror. She has pulled the her shirt sleeve off of her shoulder to examine it. She looks tense. "May 3. Monday. Pulled out a bunch of dead Areca balm branches. Came inside and about 20 minutes later noticed a big bug on my shoulder. Put it in a big jar with water, watched SAW workshop video and started sketching ideas. Sent picture of bug to Tony. He texted back, 'Yikes, it's a bot fly!' I looked it up and panicked, was I bitten? Made an appointment with dermatologist for tomorrow."

An older man, with grey hair that's balded on top, wears dark shades and a green collared shirt. He looks straight ahead as he drives a car. There is a girl in the back and a woman in the passenger seat. The woman says, "To the mall, Jeeves!"

A guy in a blue snow suit races the Iditarod with standard poodles.

Lynn as a young girl wears a pink dance dress, with spaghetti straps and decorative bows, and white tights with the black tap shoes from before. Her hair is tied up in a pony tail with a white ribbon. Her hands are on her hips. She thinks to herself, "shuffle, ball change," "whoops," "step, ball change, step, ball change." An arrow points out that she is "mostly copying the other girls."

Enzo sits on the floor of his room shirtless, back turned to the reader. In front of him is a wall of floating shelves holding books and trinkets. Next to him is a clothes hamper. He is holding a book open. "April 27. Worked. Had an early work meeting. After work, chopped a bunch of Mexican sunflower to feed some plants in need. Enzo dug through his comic collection."

Lynn's brother Adam reaches into a crib and touches baby Lynn's eyes with his "grubby mitts." He says, "Open your eyes, baby sister!"

Enzo waits in a park for Kim to pick him up, on a strip of sidewalk surrounded by grass. He wears a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, all black or simply silhouetted. There are lamp posts and palm trees in the background. "April 20. Worked. Enz left school early, coughing a lot. Went to Mom's while Enz did mock trial. Picked him up from the park."

Vanessa sits on a couch hugging her knees to her chest. A man sits next to her. They both look solemn, and are colored entirely in blue, except for their brown hair.

Vanessa lies in a neon green hospital bed with her legs in stirrups. She is actively in labor. Two people hold onto her legs, encouraging her.

Lorraine wears a pink-orange Butterick 2920 dress and jewelry. She smiles and holds up a dirty martini. She says, "The doctor says it calms my nerves. We won't be out too late."

Kim sits at a desk but is turned to face the viewer. A PC, keyboard and mouse are on the desk, and there is a chair a couple feet away. She is wearing glasses and comfortable clothes. Her legs are crossed. She holds a pencil in one hand, and grabs her shoulder with the other. Her dog sits at her feet; his ear is turned inside out. She points out that he's worried. "April 14. Worked on final project for class all day. Neck hurt. Tony took this picture because Molly and I both looked a mess. Enzo got a bad report card yesterday so we laid out some repercussions."

Lynn, in black and white, chugs from a glass.

A cat sits at a window sill, looking boldly at the reader. The fronds of a palm tree are reflected in the window. "April 8. Thursday. Worked. Tony had a union meeting, via Zoom. I had a call w/ team member from class. Enzo had mock trial."

Derek, wearing an orange turtle neck, poses with his arms outstretched above his head and making peace signs. His eyes are closed and he is smiling; he appears smug. There are camera flashes surrounding him, and two people hold microphones up to him. He says, "Hey! There's nothin' wrong with crying. Or been' soft. Or pig boys. I'm still a nice guy and that's what matters."

A person dressed in a green park ranger uniform holds a boom box over a beaver's dam. It plays water sounds. A beaver works on the dam and thinks, "Whatever, I don't care where I build it."

A girl looks over at a dog, who sits behind a fence. A red sign reads "BAD DOG."

A reddish brown building with smoking chimneys.

Derek sleeps in a hammock. He says, "JFC. KMS."

"Rory runs in a field surrounded by palm trees and other foliage. Description: "April 2. Watched Rory. Worked."

Young Lynn gazes at herself in a full length mirror. She is wearing a blue dress and too-big blue heels. She appears pregnant.

Derek sits on the floor with one of his kids, who reads a book and looks slightly bored. The title reads "Escape." Derek is talking to his kid.

Kim sits at a picnic table amongst trees and foliage. Caption: "March 26-27. Worked. Enzo's mock trial team won circuits. A co-worker bought me pho for my bday. I ate it at the park on break."

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