Chlyni Grööggeli u gschickti Häng

Emma has always known what she wants to be: a midwife. Born in 1901 in Muri as the eldest daughter, she takes on responsibility for her younger siblings at an early age. In 1918, she begins her training at the Women's Hospital in Bern. There is no ultrasound; the position of the baby can only be felt by touch, and the only tools for delivery are her hands and a suction cup.

Before becoming self-employed at the age of 25 and working as a freelance midwife in Muri, she accompanies experienced colleagues in the Aare and Worblental valleys up to the Bernese Oberland. She travels by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage – in winter by sled – and later with a small car that her family nicknames the "midwife tractor." Along the way, she encounters various challenges: superstitions in the Emmental, the Spanish flu, stillbirths. With her expert assistance, hundreds of newborns come into the world.

The author Verena Blum-Bruni recounts striking episodes from her aunt's life and weaves historical events with vivid scenes, allowing readers to immerse themselves directly in this era.