TAKING BACK BIRTH

A Birthkeeper is someone who holds space for women to find the fullness of their power, to learn to truly trust, connect and listen to their bodies and to give birth in a way that makes you feel seen, heard, safe and respected. She holds space for the spiritual, the physical, the emotional transformations held within the birth journey. She helps the birthing person navigate their way through the thresholds and gates that mark the birth labyrinth.

I consider myself a Radical Birthkeeper. I encourage women and birthing people to own their pregnancy and birth by knowing their rights and becoming educated about pregnancy and the birth process so they are empowered to make informed choices that are best for their families. I also support women and birthing people in reconnecting with their ancestral wisdom - intuitive knowing - and trust it as a guide throughout pregnancy, birth, and parenthood.

As a Birthkeeper, I believe in you and your ability to birth. I believe that every birth is sacred. Birth is not a medical event; it is a rite of passage. I respect birth and the many ways that it can unfold. I will provide you with evidence-based information regarding your options in pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period and respect the choices you make. I will serve as a guide and witness as you navigate the internal preparations for childbirth. I will respect your birthing choices and bodily autonomy. I won’t - and can’t - empower you on your journey, but I will support you as you reclaim and embrace you own internal power.

There is confusion in some circles regarding the use of the term ‘birthkeeper’ to describe what many think is the work of a doula. It’s not about semantics and the actual role, but rather the philosophy and ethos that underpins the work of each. Doulas are bound and limited in how they can support women by whatever scope their certifying organisation has set. Birthkeepers, on the other hand, see themselves as protectors of the sacred rite of passage known as ‘childbirth’. They often provide evidence-based information to help those giving birth to make informed decisions; they may offer physical, emotional, and spiritual support throughout the childbearing year. They can help with understanding feeding options and addressing basic feeding concerns. At the centre, however, is the birthkeeper’s support of the woman or birthing person. She does not have any agenda of her own. She is not regulated by any outside authority and believes in supporting the primacy of the pregnant/birthing person’s personal authority. I describe myself as a birthkeeper, but I also perform the more commonly understood roles of a doula.

The term “midwife” today encompasses a wide range of people who attend births. The most distinctive difference is that a midwife has undergone additional training, either through a formal university setting, a midwifery school, or traditional apprenticeship route, to attend births. While there is a great degree of disagreement on this topic, it is important to recognise that a formal education is not required to have expertise in supporting birth; indeed, many midwives in traditional cultures have attended thousands of births without ever having set foot in a formal educational institution.

The most commonly cited distinction between midwives, doulas, and birthkeepers is that midwives have an additional level of learned skill to undertake clinical assessments during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. However, I subscribe to a more “radical” definition of midwifery, one that I learned from two of my mentors, Maryn Green and Margo Blackstone of India Birth.

“A midwife is there as a trusted guide, an educator (to the extent needed or wanted), a sounding board, an experienced friend, a counselor, and a coordinator/planner. During pregnancy, a midwife’s job is to listen intently, hear where you are at, offer information about those things which interest you, help you problem-solve issues, call to your attention the appropriate possibilities that exist in each mode of healing (lab tests, observations about your body and baby, ways you could be nurturing yourself, referrals to others, etc) and help you find the tools you want and need in your unique situation. That might mean that they tell you about a lab test that would be offered in the medical model, discuss the pros and cons, offer resources, listen to your concerns, make suggestions, and help you find where you could have the lab test performed if that is something you want… They listen to the continuous changing emotional journey you are experiencing as you go through your pregnancy… The midwife responds to what you need on all different levels, not just the physical. You figure things out together. You are not a box to be checked, or a form to be filed. You are a living, breathing person who is smart enough to make your own choices, and ask for what you need, and a midwife should treat you as such.”

Do you want to learn all about birth, your options, your rights and make informed decisions?

Do you want to increase your chances of having the birth you desire, without trauma?

Do you want a support person who will sit with you and bear witness to your journey from a place of calm confidence?

Do you want to tap in to your intuitive knowledge and ancestral wisdom to birth?

Do you dream of a wild, healthy, ecstatic birth where you are in total connection with your baby and your body?

Are you worried your birth plan might not be respected in the medical system, or by your midwife?

Do you dream of a natural birth but feel you don’t know how to make it happen?

Do you want individualised physical, mental. emotional, and spiritual support?

Do you want to take pressure off your partner or help your partner become more in tune with you throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period?

Do you want to reclaim your voice and ownership over your pregnancy and birth?

I will support you to make your own birthing decisions. Accessing ancestral wisdom, empirical evidence, and trusted natural birth resources, we will learn about the realities of physiological childbirth, and talk directly & honestly about your fears.

A healthy, joyful birth experience is not as complicated as it’s made to seem. It is entirely within every pregnant woman’s reach. We will listen to your birth dreams, and help you set up the optimal home birth experience for you.