Local Events

Baby Loss Books in Schools

Sands Coromandel coordinator Leonie Kirwan has started a project 'Baby Loss Books in Schools' with the goal of having a copy of the book What's Happened to Baby in every primary school in New Zealand.

The book is a beautifully written and illustrated  book aimed at 3-7 year olds who have experienced the loss of a sibling, cousin or a baby that is close to them. It is produced by skylight (www.skylight.org.nz) 

Parents and families can pay $15 to have a book donated to a school in the memory of their baby or in their family's name. 

Here is an article from Nelson of a book being donated to a local school:  

If you would like to have a book (or books) donated, please contact Leonie

New Zealand book on baby loss recently released

Liz Tamblyn, a Sands Bay of Plenty member, has written and illustrated a beautiful book for children on stillbirth and the loss of a sibling - entitled Baby Sam.

The book was co-written with her son Jack, who was four at the time of her son's death.

Liz wrote the book because there were very few such books at the time Sam died, especially books that were written from a sibling's perspective.

To buy Baby Sam, please email or visit skylight at www.skylight.org.nz .

The article here was in the Bay Of Plenty Times

(NB: there are three corrections from Liz that need to accompany the article - 

1) ER was on my mind deciding to go into labour, but it wasn't my only knowledge of stillbirth. My cousin had a stillborn son 14 years prior to me.

2) The article says that ours is the only book on baby loss told through a sibling’s perspective. There is another book put out by Skylight NZ , SIDS Wellington and Sands Wellington called "What Happened to Baby". (which I highly recommend!) It is generic and could be any baby, for any reason at any age or gestation. The text has been carefully designed to fit a wide range of bereavement situations, including miscarriage, stillbirth, cot death and accidental or natural deaths of an infant or toddler. Ours is the only TRUE and PERSONAL story I have found on the subject.

3) Sands NZ supports families grieving the loss of a baby no matter the gestation or age or reason for death. (not just stillbirth and newborn death).