Product Description

A children´s book written by two German parents and translated into several languages aims to help children prepare for the upcoming birth of a sibling without scaring them. Runa´s Birth is the story of the day Lisa´s baby sister Runa is born.
The story covers her mother´s labour, the arrival of the midwife and the birth of Runa, at which Lisa and her father are present. Four-year-old Lisa even helps to cut the baby´s umbilical cord. After the baby is born, the family celebrate together. Before Lisa goes to sleep, she says: "And tomorrow I will make a pretend umbilical cord and then I play birth with (my friend) Fabio.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #365710 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 24 pages

Herbert Hofstätter from the Austrian Midwife Journal, July 2001
"Reviewing children books like this one is full of joy!

Iris Groschek editory offices www.kinder-stadt.de, Hamburg
"What a wonderful book!…..A sensitive suitable children’s book full of suspence and happiness

From the Publisher
Runa's Birth will be despatched within 2 days after receipt of order.

Customer Reviews

Story of Home Birth
This is practically the only home birthing book in story form around, so if you've got one planned or even if you didn't but had one anyway as is sometimes the case, this is going to help any siblings/friends/relatives both undertsand what went on and what to expect or use if they are unable to be present at the time. It could also be used generally to explain birth to young children. It generally centres around a story by four year old Lisa from Hamburg retelling the days up to and after her sister's birth in her house. It's more geared to the planned home birth/alternative angle as in it has a picture drawing of topless mum to be, baby's head being delivered with father support, sitting having a massage in the bath, using a birth ball and cool looking midwife and the girl saying she's going to play babies with her friend next day holding a doll with cord around it's tummy for the cord. There's lots of garden shots, playing with animals and dolls, cuddling, flowers and candles ie nature symbolism and caring. It is natural but some parents although probably not those contemplating a Home Birth to be fair might be a bit prudish about this. Pictures are large and very colourful. It's loving, informative and involves the family and friends and it's about time that Home Birth had a book to positively support and publicise it. I read this with my 2 year old and think it could go up to 10 years maybe if they read it themselves. Really great for girls and even boys whose parents want to involve them in the family's growth and deal honestly with their questions.

Great for preparing siblings for a birth at home
When my older children announced that they didn't want to be packed off when I went into labour, and the midwives were happy for them to be around, I knew I should try and prepare them for birth at home. In every way this is book is superior to the usual new baby book, which revolves around "Mommy" going to the hospital and nearly always feature bottle feeding which is not helpful for my kids. Although the translation is a bit clunky sometimes, the illustrations are fantastic (my four year old spent several days doing her "contraction face") and the birth is presented in a realistic but straightforward way. Unfortunately this book is really hard to get hold of but in the end I found it on www.madeinwater.co.uk. Hopefully a big UK publisher will reprint it and give it the airing it deserves.