Welcome to the
True Midwifery Study Spirals
My name is Ruth Ehrhardt and I am a mother, traditional midwife, and birth attendant from South Africa.
I invite you to dip your toe into the warm and nourishing waters of True Midwifery by joining our monthly study spirals. In these monthly gatherings, we endeavour to create a safe space for birth keepers from around the world to gather, share, study, discuss and learn in a non-judgemental and oxytocin-rich space.
True Midwifery Study Spirals for 2025 are:
- SESSION 1: 30 January - Birth Story Medicine - Healing the Story with Jenni Jones
- SESSION 2: 27 February - Childbirth, Eros and Sexuality with Debora Stenta
- SESSION 3: 27 March - Yoni Massage with Hannah Nichols
- SESSION 4: 24 April - Ritual and Ceremony for Rites of Passage of Womanhood with Samara Hawthorn
- SESSION 5: 29 May - Pre eclampsia - Prevention & Treatment through Nutrition with Nina Rinkes
- SESSION 6: 26 June - Breech Births with Joy Horner
- SESSION 7: 31 July - The Ancient Witch Hunts continue.. (are the smear campaigns of today’s midwives and birth attendants reminiscent of the ancient witch hunts?) with Lana Petersen & Ruth Ehrhardt
- SESSION 8: 28 August - Soul connections to the Uborn Babies with Robyn Sheldon
- SESSION 9: 25 September - Supporting IVF Pregnancy and Birth with Vera Dubrovine
- SESSION 10: 30 October - The Role of Indigenous Midwives in Countering Obstetric Violence with Mmatshilo Motsei
- SESSION 11: 27 November - Traditional Mexican Closing of the Bones with Jodi Jade
NO SESSIONS IN DECEMBER
The Study Spirals fall on the very last Thursday of the month from 11 am – 2 pm SAST (South African Standard Time) – although subject to change due to illness or births - but we will make up sessions that are missed!
All calls are recorded and uploaded to the platform for you to access for the duration of your subscription.
Topics include herbs and homeopathy for pregnancy and childbirth, childbirth and sexuality, traditional midwifery from across the globe, topical issues for birthkeepers, a myriad of birth stories, grief and loss, unusual births, etc. The schedule is an ongoing and organic meeting of what is being called for by the True Midwifery community. Remember, these are YOUR sessions. If you feel called to discuss of share a certain topic, please let us know and we will make a plan. Some sessions will have guest teachers and others will be run by myself or one of the members of the True Midwifery team.
All the sessions are underpinned by a strong foundation in honouring the basic needs of pregnant, labouring, birthing and new mothers and their babies.
If you would like to join our circles you can subscribe for one session (to try it out) or one year (at a discounted rate)
These study spiral sessions are
for anyone who wants to deepen their learning in nourishing, nurturing, honouring and guarding birth.
Be part of the ripple effect...
ACCESSING TRUE MIDWIFERY STUDY SPIRAL COMMUNITY AND ARCHIVES
- What are the True Midwifery Study Spirals?
- How do the True Midwifery Study Spirals Work?
- Participating in the True Midwifery Study Spirals
- The True Midwifery Thinking Environment (15:17)
- The Eleventh Component: Confidentiality
- The Basic Needs as the Foundation for all our Learning
- True Midwifery Study Spiral Testimonials
- Schedule of Sessions 2024
- Session 1/2024: DANCE FOR BIRTH with Kali Satyagraha Widd (25 January 2024) (186:44)
- Session 2/2024: Exploring Traditional Midwifery in Ecuador with Alexa Dean (174:30)
- Session 3/2024: Reflections on lessons learned during South African Indigenous Midwifery Retreat 2023 with MMATSHILO MOTSEI (354:38)
- Session 4/2024: YONI STEAMING with Nicky Silawu (314:40)
- Session 5/2024: PLANT POWER with Samara Hawthorn (331:46)
- Session 6/2024: TWIN HOME BIRTH with Deborah Faye Rhodes (253:08)
- Session 7/2024: Supporting Grief and Loss in Pregnancy and Childbirth with Nadia Maheter (330:31)
- Session 8/2024: Boundaries in Birthwork with Ruth Ehrhardt and Lana Petersen (311:04)
- Session 9/2024: Homeopathy in Childbirth & Pregnancy with Rebecca Sturgeon Part 1 (174:52)
- Session 10/2024: Homeopathy in pregnancy & childbirth with Rebecca Sturgeon Part 2 (184:06)
- Session 11/2024: (GROUP DISCUSSION) Is Birth Truly Free Anywhere in the World? (182:59)
- Session 1: Setting Intentions and Pregnancy Care (26 January 2023) (152:30)
- Session 2: Connecting with the Unborn as Parents and Caregivers (23 February 2023) (165:26)
- Session 3: Abortion as a Rite of Passage (30 March 2023) (162:36)
- Session 4: Listening to and Understanding Fetal Heart Tones (20 April 2023) (166:46)
- Session 5: VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) (29 June 2023) (178:41)
- Session 6: Holding Space for Grief and Loss as Caregivers (10 August 2023) (188:53)
- Session 7: Grief and Loss part 2 with Nadia Maheter (31 August 2023) (173:29)
- Session 8: Traditional Midwifery in a Modern World with Mmatshilo Motsei (28 September 2023) (186:59)
- Session 9: Surprise Breech with Joy Horner (19 October 2023) (742:44)
- Session 10: Tending the Seedlings of True Midwifery next to the highway of the modern birthing culture (11 November 2023) (344:44)
- Session 11: Going Beyond 42 Weeks (14 December 2023) (175:09)
- Session 1 (27 January 2022) (165:21)
- Session 2 (24 February 2022) (180:18)
- Session 3 Cultural Competency in Childbirth with Lana Petersen (31 March 2022) (187:11)
- Session 4 (28 April 2022) (177:10)
- Session 5 (30 June 2022) (185:42)
- Session 6 (28 July 2022) (163:40)
- Session 7 A Basic Introduction to Homeopathy for Childbirth (26 August 2022) (170:06)
- Session 8 VBAC (29 September 2022) (169:42)
- Session 9 (27 October 2022) (169:57)
- Session 10 (24 November 2022) (155:56)