Dearest Silent Birthkeepers,

The following outlines our projected itinerary over the 12 month immersion.

The course will run from 7 November 2024 when our learning environment opens on Teachable until it closes on 15 January 2025.

ZOOM PLATFORM

Please ensure you have Zoom downloaded and set up on a reliable device and access to an internet connection for our once-monthly calls.

We will meet monthly (EXCEPT AUGUST) as a group via Zoom from November 2024 to November 2025 between 11 am - 2 pm SAST (SOUTH AFRICAN STANDARD TIME).

The only exception is that we will not be meeting in August 2025, this will be an opportunity for you to have a bit of a holiday and to catch up on any material on Teachable you may not have gotten to.

To double check your time zone again this time slot please see HERE: 

The intention of the monthly calls it to check in, dive deeper into the subjects covered, answer questions and support one another.

TEACHABLE PLATFORM

Please check that you can access the course on the True Midwifery and Well Mama Collaboration on your Teachable platform. 

You will find our school here:

https://true-midwifery1.teachable.com/courses

You will need to create your account with a password if you haven’t already done so. The course materials are not yet available but when you are logged into your account you can see the curriculum we will be following.

If you have any questions about getting into your account at the True Midwifery and Well Mama Collaboration, please contact the support team at Teachable and they will guide you through the process. 

Here at this link to find their contacts:

https://support.teachable.com/hc/en-us/articles/220752368-Teachable-Support-Resources

In your account we suggest that you go into your profile icon on the top right of the screen and click “edit profile” from the drop down menu. Under “notifications” you can click on the toggle to “opt in” to school emails so that you receive our email communication that comes out each time a new section opens. You can also choose to receive emails when someone responds to a comment you made or a discussion you have contributed to. If you have any questions about “opt-in” or “opt-out” options please refer to this page on the Teachable support site.

https://support.teachable.com/hc/en-us/articles/7688848595597-Email-Opt-in-Opt-out#overview-0-0

OUR PROGRAMME

THESE ARE THE SCHEDULED DATES FOR OUR CALLS:

1. 14 November 2024 - Opening call and orientation
2. 12 December 2024 - Walking this Path of True Midwifery
3. 16 January 2025 - Taking care of ourselves and one another on this path
4. 13 February 2025 - Creating our Learning Container
5. 13 March 2025 - The Basic Needs of a Woman In Labour
6. 10 April 2025 - Birth Stories
7. 8 May 2025 - Pregnancy Care
8. 12 June 2025 - Attending Births
9. 10 July 2025 - The Baby and Postpartum (MotherBaby)
10. NO SESSIONS IN AUGUST 2024
11. ** 11 September 2025 - Disability and Death**
12. ** 09 October 2025 - Sexual Abuse Triggers in Pregnancy, Labour and Birth**
13. 13 November 2025 - Project Presentations// Closing of our Bones

**Please note the highlighted Programmes - the material for ‘Birth and Death’ and ‘Sexual Abuse Triggers in Pregnancy, Labour and Birth’ - are potentially triggering and we recommend that you make space for yourself when accessing this content to digest and possibly process it. You may want to make space on a weekend, or take some time away from your family or work to digest, journal, rest, spend time in nature.

If you are unable to make a call please note ALL calls will be recorded and uploaded to the Teachable platform for you to view and listen to within 48 hours of the call. At this stage Ruth only has a few birth commitments - if these coincide with our scheduled time together the meeting will be moved to the next available Thursday at the same time.

New material and modules will be released via Teachable the week before we all meet on zoom to give you an opportunity to get a sense of the topic we will be discussing when we meet live. Teachable should send you an email (if you have opted in for emails) on the day of the release. 

SILENT BIRTHKEEPER GENERAL INFORMATION FORM

We have created this form for you to please fill in so that we have all your details captured and have a bit of a better understanding of who you are, where you are and what brings you into this space. This helps with planning the first session.

https://forms.gle/sB1u5foBhwaFLUsw7

Please also make sure that [email protected] is in your contacts so you can receive all our communications.

PRIVATE TELEGRAM COMMUNITY

There is a private Telegram group for ongoing check-ins and discussions. Interaction on the Telegram group is optional but we would like to encourage you to use this space to share what you are learning, what inspires you and to evoke discussion. It is also a good place to lean into for support as a birthkeeper.

 If you do not already have Telegram on your phone, first download this free App which allows us to have a private group chat space. Once you have this app set up you can join by clicking this link:

https://t.me/+tbU7_kBn5Ok4MDM0

When you arrive in the group, send a little hello, perhaps a photo and a short little write up or a video of yourself sharing who you are, what brings you to this course and what inspires you about it. We have set it up so when you arrive, you can scroll up to read anything that has come before - so you can ‘meet’ the others who may have joined before you.

We are a small community of women from around the world who have chosen to journey together for 12 months to unravel and relearn the mystery of womanhood, birth and motherhood.

We do our best to hold one anther in a safe container.

Whilst we maintain structure we also allow for what arises to unfold.

Your feedback and guidance are very welcome.

This is YOUR course.

Together we are creating this space. 

DISCLAIMER

This course will not qualify you to practise as a midwife. This is purely an explorative journey for those interested in pursuing a path of birthkeeping, or deepening the learning of those walking this path already.

Recommended Reading List for the course (subject to addition and change):

Books

The Basic Needs of a Woman in Labour by Ruth Ehrhardt

Do We Need Midwives? by Michel Odent

The Scientification of Love by Michel Odent

Primal Heath by Michel Odent

Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin and the Farm midwives

The Babycatcher by Peggy Vincent

A Book for Midwives by Susan Klein

Heart and Hands by Elizabeth Davis

Practical Skills Guide for Midwifery by Pam Weaver and Sharon Evans

Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage: Weaving Ancient Wisdom with Modern Knowledge by Dr Rachel Reed

When Survivors Give Birth by Penny Simpkin and Phyllis Klaus

Invisible Earthquake by Malika Ndlovu

Pathways to Midwifery - Midwifery Today

Time to Think - Nancy Kline

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

Vagina - Naomi Wolf

Our Bodies Ourselves - Boston Women’s Health Collective

Websites

The Primal Health Research Database – http://www.primalhealthresearch.com/

Sara Wickham – https://www.sarawickham.com/

Dr Rachel Reed/Midwife Thinking – https://midwifethinking.com/

Evidence Based Birth – https://evidencebasedbirth.com/

Midwifery Today - https://www.midwiferytoday.com/