The Women Behind The Upcoming Silent Birthkeeper
As we prepare for the next journey of The Silent Birthkeeper — beginning February 2026 — I’d like to take a moment to honour and introduce the three women who will be holding and guiding this circle: myself, Lana Petersen, and Samara Hawthorn. Each of us comes to this work through our own lived experience, ancestry, and path of learning. Together, we share a devotion to birth, to silence, and to the remembrance of what it means to walk gently with life. RUTH EHRHARDT Traditional Birth Attendant, Midwife, Educator, Author, and Founder of True Midwifery My journey as a birthkeeper has been shaped by my lineage, by the women who came before me, and by the births of my own four homeborn children. I am a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Traditional Birth Attendant, and author of The Basic Needs of a Woman in Labour, a small book rooted in the understanding that when we protect the hormonal flow of birth, we protect humanity itself. For me, The Silent Birthkeeper is a space of remembering — a weaving of story, science, and soul. It continues to remind me that birth, in its simplicity, holds the power to transform. LANA PETERSEN Traditional Birth Attendant, Doula, and Founder of Lalilu Doula Services Lana and I have journeyed alongside one another for many years — through births, gatherings, and shared work within the birth community of South Africa. With over two decades of experience, she brings a grounded and compassionate presence to the families she supports. Lana’s work centres around physiological birth, self-responsibility, and trust in the innate intelligence of women and their bodies. She co-founded Home Birth South Africa in 2010, creating a vital community space for connection, education, and support. Her way of holding space is gentle yet firm — rooted in respect and a deep faith in the power of birth as initiation. SAMARA HAWTHORN Grandmother, Elder, and Founder of WellMama CIC Samara joins us from the UK, bringing nearly three decades of experience in traditional birthkeeping, herbalism, and rites of passage. As the founder of WellMama CIC, she has guided hundreds of mothers, families, and birthworkers through the seasons of womanhood, always grounded in ancestral remembrance and reciprocity with the land. Her work weaves together earth-based living, midwifery skills, and ceremonial practice — reminding us that tending to birth is part of tending to life itself. Together The three of us come together in this work through friendship, respect, and a shared love for women, babies, and birth. Our collaboration is not about teaching from the top, but about listening — to one another, to the women who gather, and to the silence that guides us all. It is a privilege to journey alongside one another and with the women who continue to answer the call of The Silent Birthkeeper. The Silent Birthkeeper 2026 begins 5 February 2026 – 11 February 2027.Only a few spaces remain for this intimate one-year immersion. Join The Silent Birthkeeper 2026...
Read MoreThe Silent Birthkeeper – The Art of Honouring Silence in Birth
“It will take a long time to rediscover the importance of silence and to accept that the dominant quality of a midwife should be her capacity to keep her mouth shut.”— Michel Odent, The Functions of the Orgasms (2009) I laughed out loud when I re-read these words from Michel recently. It felt as though he was shouting from beyond the grave — reminding us again of the impossible simplicity of creating the optimal environment for birth. He is, of course, speaking about the basic needs of the labouring woman, and how to create the ideal conditions for oxytocin to flow freely. Silence, a key component, connects to the understanding that when in labour, stimulating a woman’s neocortex (her thinking brain) will only “wake her” from the primal mammalian state needed for the rich cocktail of hormones to flow — allowing pure physiology to unfold. “You cannot manage an involuntary process, the point is not to disturb it.” Why do I call this an impossible simplicity? Because we humans love to talk. Even if we understand in theory that birth unfolds best in silence, it is difficult in practice. Whether to ask practical questions like: “How long since your waters broke?”“When did labour start?”“How far apart are the contractions?” Or to offer words of comfort like: “You’re doing so well.”“You can do this.” Each of these requires the mother to leave her primal state and re-engage her thinking brain. An important practice of true midwifery is therefore to learn to say little to nothing in the birthing space — unless it is truly required. The Basic Needs of a Woman in Labour To feel safeTo switch off the neocortex (thinking brain)SilenceDarknessNot feeling observedWarmthLow levels of adrenaline When these needs are honoured, the result can be the foetus ejection reflex — the natural, undisturbed unfolding of birth. Michel reminds us: “From a practical perspective we are now in a position to present authentic midwifery as the art of creating the conditions for a foetus ejection reflex.” Why The Silent Birthkeeper? The Silent Birthkeeper is a one-year journey into True Midwifery. It is for those who feel the quiet calling in their bones — who know there is more to birthwork than protocols and procedures, and who long to sit at the edges of birth, holding space with reverence, humility, and trust. Over 12 months, we will walk together through presence, knowledge, and practice — exploring the basic needs, the art of listening, self-care and community care, storytelling, ceremony, and the foundations of midwifery. This is not a course, but a year-long initiation — a space to soften, listen, and remember. Join the Circle The Silent Birthkeeper runs from 5 February 2026 – 11 February 2027.Bookings are now open, with early bird pricing until the end of November. Learn more and book your place...
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