I carved this comb by hand from cherry wood to hold and squeeze during labor contractions. The edges are softly rounded and the spokes sturdy enough not to splinter under the pressure of my grip.

I hand-carved the opal inlay into a full lunar cycle to symbolize femininity. Opal is my mom’s favorite stone, and I wanted to carry something through labor that would remind me I was part of an unbroken chain of women who have given birth. Holding my mother’s stone, I felt connected to her, to the women who came before me, and to the ones still to come, present in something so much bigger than myself.