Resources for Preparing Siblings for Baby

by Kate Saumweber Hogan, CPM, LM

*Update: I have been offering this class every few months. Please email me if you would like to join my next class or if you would like to schedule a private class and I will get you the details. (Next class is 9/16/2017, register here: http://bit.ly/Sept16PreparingSiblings)

I had an amazing time offering a presenting “Preparing Siblings for Birth” at the Twin Cities Birth & Baby Expo on Saturday. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful birth community here in our area, and getting to have everyone in one spot for a few hours is quite a treat.

Brother Love!

I loved getting to discuss this topic with families and offer some tips and tricks for making the process of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum time easier on older siblings. I promised to share the resources we discussed here on the TCM Blog for future reference (and Twin Cities Midwifery clients are welcome to borrow them, as they are all part of my lending library). If you are reading this and feel like there are any that I’ve missed, please let me know!

by Megan Crown Photography

Prenatal Involvement and Development:

• Mommy Is Pregnant Coloring Book
• There’s A New Baby In My House Coloring Book
• Life Unto Life Fetal Growth and Development Charts
• Baby Egg Countdown Calendar (Actual Fetal Size)
• What’s Inside Your Tummy, Mommy? by Abby Cocovini
• When You Were Inside Mommy by Joanna Cole (hospital birth)
• Tell Me My Story, Mama by Deb Lund
• Before You Were Born by Jennifer Davis
• Childbirth Model Set: Pelvis, Fetal doll, Perineum, and Placenta
• Mother Layer Puzzle 
• Baby on the Way by Martha and William Sears
• Hello Baby by Lizzy Rockwell
• Being Born by Sheila Kitzinger

Getting Ready to Be a Big Sibling (what to expect life will be like once baby arrives):

• Mama, Talk About Our New Baby by Toni Olson
• Hello in There!: A Big Sister’s Book of Waiting by Jo Witek
• We Have a Baby by Cathryn Falwell
• On Mother’s Lap by Ann Herbert Scott
• Mama’s Milk/Mama Me Alimenta by Michael Elsohn Ross
• I’m a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
• I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole
• My New Baby by Rachel Fuller
• My New Baby by Annie Kubler
• One Special Day by Lola M. Schaefer
• One Busy Day by Lola M. Schaefer
• What Baby Needs by William Sears
• I Am a Big Brother by Caroline Jayne Church
• I Am a Big Sister by Caroline Jayne Church
• There’s a Baby song by Linny Simkin
• Baby Born by Chih-Wei Chang
• Best-Ever Big Sister by Karen Katz
• The Big Sibling Book: Baby’s First Year According to ME by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

by Megan Crown Photography

Getting Ready to Attend the Birth!

• MamAmor Dolls
• Welcome With Love (Hello Baby!) by Jenni Overend
• Mama, Talk About When Max was Born by Toni Olson
• Mama Midwife by Christy Tyner
• Our Water Baby by Amy Maclean
• Look at Photos of siblings at births together, talking about what your child’s role may be at the birth
• We’re Having a Homebirth by Kelly Mochel

A big brother at his baby sister’s birth!.

Books for older children, about birth and other various aspects of bodies and sexuality:

• It’s Not the Stork by Robie H Harris
• It’s So Amazing by Robie H Harris
• Amazing You by Dr, Gail Saltz
• What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
• Changing You!: A Guide to Body Changes and Sexuality by Gail Saltz
• Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg
• The Bare Naked Book by Kathy Stinson
• Your Body Belongs to You by Cornelia Spelman
• The Human Body by Carron Brown
• Beautiful Girl by Christiane Northrup
• Moon Mother, Moon Daughter by Janet Lucy (in preparation for a girl’s first period)
• Off Limits: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse by Sandy Wurtele (a book for parents to read)
• And a few more we haven’t reviewed yet.

Sibling Rivalry:

• While we don’t have these in our library, here is a great list to review if you are looking for sibling books as kids get older.
• Here are additional ideas to make this transition smoother, which includes a suggested book list at the end.

Videos:

• This blog post compiles 30 photo slide shows and videos appropriate for children.
• “Birth Day” by Naoli Vinave is a DVD showing a water birth with children present (Spanish version available on You Tube)
• There’s a Baby by Penny Simkin is a DVD that shows an older sister’s joy and excitement as she learns about what the baby can do before birth, sees her baby sister be born, and shows a bit about life with a new baby.
• Births on the Blooma Prenatal Yoga DVD
• This sweet 15 minute video called Welcoming Theodore
• A sweet 10 minute video showing a birth center birth plus sibling bonding time with baby after birth.
• This non graphic slide show of labor, immediate postpartum, and even a shot of tandem nursing called Home Birth of Baby Boy
• This birth video at a freestanding birth center with a big brother there to cut the cord, Natural Childbirth: The Baby Place Birthing & Midwifery Center
• This 6 minute video of a home waterbirth with older siblings present, Gus’ Home Water Birth (not very graphic).
• The home water birth of our Rainbow Baby on July 17, 2013 shows siblings preparing for baby, and then them meeting their little sister at the birth. (The sound seems like it wasn’t quite edited correctly, so you may want to turn your volume down a bit.)
• This Natural Home Birth is a very sweet video with an older sibling very involved. It is a bit more graphic, so as with all videos, be sure to preview them before you show your child to make you you are comfortable with the content.
• This homebirth video shows a waterbirth with the older siblings present. There are additional videos on this blog as well that are great!
• Another sweet homebirth, welcoming Macklin, with an older sibling present.
• This is a sweet home waterbirth with big sister in the tub helping welcome baby! The lighting is low, so be sure to turn up the contrast on your screen to see it!
• Not a homebirth, but a sweet animated video about labor, birth, and midwives.
• This is a 3 minute unmedicated hospital waterbirth showing a peaceful, laboring mama.
• Here is a sweet home waterbirth. You can read more about the mama’s story here on the Blooma blog.
• Another sweet home waterbirth of Baby Sloane. It includes the newborn exam following birth, baby bonding with dad, and a sibling meeting baby for the first time.
• This is a home birth welcoming sweet Baby Elizabeth. The siblings have a sweet, first meeting with Elizabeth after the birth.
• Another sweet home waterbirth with mom catching baby. The siblings are in the video, too, when they meet baby Ivy Claire after the birth.
• The home waterbirth of baby Elovie, and includes immediate postpartum.
• The home, VBAC waterbirth of Baby Harlow.
• This is a sweet home waterbirth welcoming baby Lemma Maria and immediate postpartum.
• Here is a series of videos that were gathered with a child audience in mind.
• Search for home births and animal births on You Tube

I hope to offer the class again in years to come! If you are looking for additional information, other than just the resources above, or if you would like me to present the full class, please feel free to contact me (MidwifeKate@TwinCitiesMidwifery.com)!

by Megan Crown Photography