The True Midwifery Study Spirals 2026 unfold across thirteen monthly gatherings, circling through a wide range of themes and teachings — from the basic needs of the newborn to herbs, movement, human rights in childbirth, and the sacred evolution of the midwife’s path.

Each session takes place on the last Thursday of the month, from 11am–2pm SAST (South African Standard Time) — though occasionally the rhythm shifts to honour births, rest, or holidays. (See below for our “gentle ripples” in 2026.)

All sessions are recorded and uploaded to the platform, so you can return to them anytime during your subscription.

The Study Spirals are an ongoing and organic meeting of what is being called for by the True Midwifery community. Some sessions are guided by guest teachers, while others are led by Ruth Ehrhardt or members of the True Midwifery team.

Every gathering is rooted in the same foundation:
Honouring the basic needs of pregnant, labouring, birthing, and new mothers — and their babies.

If you feel called to join our circles, you can attend a single session (to try it out) or subscribe for the full year at a discounted rate.
These are your sessions — if you feel drawn to explore or share a particular topic, please reach out. Together, we’ll weave it into the spiral.

🌀 The 2026 True Midwifery Study Spirals Schedule

Our Study Spirals gather on the last Thursday of each month from 11am–2pm SAST — a steady rhythm for connection, reflection, and learning through the year.

Gentle Ripples in 2026:

• September’s Spiral will be held one week earlier, on Thursday 17 September, to honour Heritage Day (a public holiday in South Africa) that falls on the 24th.
  
  
• October is a special “Blue Spiral” month 🌕 with two gatherings: Thursday 1 October and Thursday 29 October.
  
  
• December’s Spiral will also be one week earlier, on Thursday 17 December, so we can gather before the festive season.
  
  

As always, our spiral remains a living rhythm — if a speaker is called to a birth, becomes unwell, or faces an emergency, we may adjust by swapping sessions or moving to the next available Thursday at the same time.
All other sessions follow our usual rhythm, circling together on the final Thursday of each month.

🌸 2026 Study Spiral Schedule

SESSION 1 — 29 January
The Basic Needs of the Newborn
with Karin Slabaugh

SESSION 2 — 26 February
Breast Massage: Meeting the Heart Through Self Touch
with Hannah Grace

SESSION 3 — 26 March
Ancient Movement for Women’s Reproductive Health
with Samara Hawthorn

SESSION 4 — 30 April
Why Is the Position of the Reproductive System Important for Menstrual Ease and Fertility?
with Nicky Silawu

SESSION 5 — 28 May
Claiming Space: Women’s Rights and the Legal Terrain of Birth
with Marta Busquets

SESSION 6 — 25 June
Becoming a Grandmother: Ancestral Continuum and the Rite of Elderhood
with Samara Hawthorn & Nicola Thompson

SESSION 7 — 30 July
In the Earth of Our Bodies, Turning the Soil — Grief, Creativity, and the Cycles of Birth and Loss
with Malika Ndlovu

SESSION 8 — 27 August
The Reluctant Midwife
with Joy Horner

SESSION 9 — 17 September
To Be a Birthkeeper: An Act of Love
with Clara Scropetta
Note: This month’s gathering takes place one week earlier to honour Heritage Day (24 September).

SESSION 10 — 1 October
Freebirth: How Do We Who Serve Birth Feel About It?
with Deborah Faye (Debs) Rhodes

SESSION 11 — 29 October
Preventing Breast Cancer Is Possible
with Sally Welbeloved
October is a special “Blue Spiral” month with two gatherings.

SESSION 12 — 26 November
Love of Birth and Herbs
with Sophie Paulding Kopecky

SESSION 13 — 17 December
Reclaiming the Word Midwife
with Ruth Ehrhardt & Deborah Faye (Debs) Rhodes
Note: December’s Spiral will be held one week earlier so we can gather before the festive season.

✴️ Please Note

The Study Spirals programme is a living rhythm — and, as with birth itself, sometimes it flows differently than planned.

If a speaker is ill, called to a birth, or faces a personal emergency, we may swap sessions or move the gathering to the next available Thursday at the same time.
All changes will be clearly communicated via email and our Telegram group, and recordings will always be made available.