Hello Baby. Jenni Overend, Julie Vivas

by Jenni Overend

Book Overview

A family helps Mom deliver her baby at home. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845071107
• ISBN13: 9781845071103
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln
• Length: 31 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Bought this book to read, didn’t know it would also serve as my guide

I bought this book when my son was just 18 months old. I had delivered my son in a hospital setting (via emergency c-section) but thought the “old school” method of being born at home would be an interesting read. The pictures in the book are beautiful and illustrate such a sweet message. Fast forward nearly two years later and covid hit. I had zero desire to deliver in the hospital and so out popped this book again (along with other educational materials). My son and I read Welcome with Love probably daily. It brought comfort and normalcy to our lives as we prepared to deliver my second babe at home. I welcomed my second child with love at home and couldn’t have a had a better seed planted in me just two years earlier. This book is excellent for adults and children alike. Exceptionally well written and comforting to read.

What birth can mean for a family

Welcome With Love talks about childbirth with love, feelings, and great respect. It is about the kind of birth that all women are entitled to have -- and all families are entitled to be part of.This wonderful children's book depicts a gentle, natural home birth on a windy, fireplace-lit night. The whole family participates in welcoming the new baby into the world. The story of a mother's fourth baby being born, is told in her young son's voice. He speaks of his mother's great noises during labor but he's not afraid, because she had told him beforehand that she "might make a lot of noise", he mustn't worry because "that's what it's like when babies are being born," and that she'll feel better if she yells and screams. The book shows the mother in full naked splendor pushing her baby out, the family watches with great love, tears in their eyes and excitement in their faces. The pictures were illustrated with absolute respect and regard for the birthing woman's privacy and dignity. The book describes childbirth with touching honesty and realism. This is a perfect book to prepare children for the homebirth of a sibling. I found this beautiful story at our local library and enjoyed reading it so much I purchased a copy for my family. I love this book and highly recommend reading it to children of all ages.

Home Birth Momma

As a home birth mom myself I adore this book! I needed a "how was I born book" for my daughter. So many books talked about the hospital birth and I did not want to imbed that into her precious mind. Co sleeping, brestfeeding, labor and love are all beautifully portrayed! I nerer noticed the rusticness until I read it in these other reviews. BUY IT, KEEP IT FOREVER!

Beautifully illustrates natural birth in a family

It seems like every book about the arrival of a new sibling tells a child he should be jealous -- do we set them up for this? This book, instead, illustrates wonder and love as it tells the story of the birth of a family's fourth child through the eyes of the third, while acknowledging subtly and honestly that young Jack is aware of the change in his place in the family, through a single sentence near the end ("[The baby]'s between Mum and Dad, which is where I'd like to be.") In this home birth, though a midwife attends, family is central: Julie Vivas depicts the girls holding a hot water bottle against Mum's back and bringing her towels; an aunt arrives bearing flowers and soup; Dad holds Mum tight during contractions. Breasts and nursing and naked Mum are illustrated naturally and beautifully. Yes, the setting is rustic (as some reviewers note) but the book takes place in Australia, which probably accounts for cultural differences. Homebirthing, breastfeeding, and family-bedding folks will find content that supports these practices. My 15-month-old loves to turn to the page with a large illustration of a wrinkly, naked boy baby with the cord still attached. I plan to use this book liberally with my son when we begin preparing for his first sibling in a couple of years.

Wonderful, tender account of a homebirth for children

I bought this book on the recommendation of a midwife in the homebirth practice I used with my 2nd child. I was amazed by the beautiful story & lovely pictures. My 3 year old loved it too - especially the pictures of the little children meeting the new baby. I was so happy to have this book to introduce this topic to my daughter so she wouldn't be afraid by what was happening. It really prepared her well.

moving and realistic child's-eye view of a homebirth

I wish this book had come out before my last homebirth! The text and illustrations evoke perfectly both the events and the emotions of a homebirth. Moments such as the mother's moaning through labor and the birthing of the baby's head are depicted and described naturally, with neither undue vagueness NOR excessive clinical detail. I also love that "mum" is shown and said to be actively birthing her baby.