Tag: midwifery and birth conference south africa

Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Ruth Ehrhardt

Post author By Leah
Post date February 17, 2016
No Comments on Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Ruth Ehrhardt

The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

This is a portraiture project, documenting the “gatekeepers” of a growing movement regarding positive birth experiences in our country. My aim: to promote those who are enabling women to identify with their power and femininity and therefore normalize birth and the body.

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

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Ruth Ehrhardt is a midwife and a doula. She’s been working in birthing for 8 years now of which 4 have been as a midwife. She specialises in out-of-hospital births. She works mainly in the South peninsula area.

“The births are incredible and there are too many that stand out but one of the things I love is how time seems to suspend itself at a birth…how the world almost has to groan to a halt to make space for this woman and her baby.”

“I do feel that part of women’s disempowerment in this arena stems from a lack of a sense of autonomy and ownership of their own bodies. So we really need to begin work with young girls and women.”

• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).

Tags birth in south africa, birthing professionals south africa, doulas south africa, home birth in south africa, interviews with doulas, interviews with midwives, midwifery and birth conference south africa, midwives south africa, natural birth, normalizing birth, portraits of doulas, portraits of midwives, positive birth movement, positive birth south africa, pregnancy south africa, Ruth Ehrhardt, sarah meder, south african midwives, woman's issues in south africa

Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Caitlyn Collins

Post author By Leah
Post date February 14, 2016
No Comments on Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Caitlyn Collins

The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

–

Caitlyn Collins is a doula and a midwife, and has been practicing for 10 years, she works in and around Cape Town and the peninsula.
I know Caitlyn from School times and always found her so serene, strong and beautiful.

“The first person a healthy women should see when she knows she is pregnant is a midwife. Pregnancy is not an illness.”

“Women should have their rights respected in pregnancy and childbirth – they should be provided with holistic information and be the leaders in their journey to becoming mothers with informed choice that is fully respected by care providers. Birth should not be ruled by fear of medical litigation.”

• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).

Tags birth in south africa, birthing professionals south africa, doulas south africa, home birth in south africa, interviews with doulas, interviews with midwives, midwifery and birth conference south africa, midwives south africa, natural birth, normalizing birth, portraits of doulas, portraits of midwives, positive birth movement, positive birth south africa, pregnancy south africa, sarah meder, south african midwives, woman's issues in south africa

Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Janine Doerheit

Post author By Leah
Post date February 13, 2016
No Comments on Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Janine Doerheit

The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

–

Janine Doerheit is a doula who works from the CBD to the deep South in Cape Town. She’s been in this profession for 2 years now and specialises in hypnobirthing and is a qualified paramana doula.

“Something I try and instill in my clients is the effect that the mind has over the whole labour and birth process. Most of us focus very strongly on the physical preparation, be it yoga, exercise or correct diet, however almost all of us put hardly any effort into the mind/body aspect. We all know the sayings; “you reap what you sow”, etc but are not fully aware of how much the stories in our minds control our birthing experience.
The mind is our most powerful tool and when we have control over our mind and are able to switch it off, to disengage the neocortex (our thinking brain), when we are able to well and truly relax, we will be able to birth with ease. This applies to alleviating our fears and anxieties too, which are mostly unfounded. If we are fearful or anxious we create tension which hinders the birthing process.”

• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).

Tags birth in south africa, birthing professionals south africa, doulas south africa, home birth in south africa, interviews with doulas, interviews with midwives, janine doerheit, midwifery and birth conference south africa, midwives south africa, natural birth, normalizing birth, portraits of doulas, portraits of midwives, positive birth movement, positive birth south africa, pregnancy south africa, sarah meder, south african midwives, woman's issues in south africa

Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Natasha Stadler

Post author By Leah
Post date February 11, 2016
No Comments on Positive Birth in South Africa: This is Natasha Stadler

The Gate-Keepers: A Portraiture Project

These are their stories / anecdotes / opinions about what they do and how they see it…accompanied by my portraits and some general information on each sitter.

–

Natasha Stadler is a midwife with 28 years experience up her sleeve. She works from Somerset West and specialises in water births at home. She as her own mini-clinic and birthing room for her clients.

“The ongoing journey of witnessing women in their transition from victim to victor, from fear to loving forgiveness, is an absolute privilege. To see and assist their partners and assist them to reclaim their place as protectors and providers of strength, love and safety is an honour and all of this I am humbly grateful for.”

“My “work” as a midwife: Having trained in hospital and being exposed to the “mechanics” and pathology of child birthing, my approach to child birth was rather practical. Through the many opportunities throughout the years I was able to see and to learn from wonderful professionals and parents in various parts of the world bringing birth from a place of chaos to a place of peace, from a place of illness to a place of love.”

• (I invite more participants to join the project, you are welcome to email me for more information).

Tags birth in south africa, birthing professionals south africa, doulas south africa, home birth in south africa, interviews with doulas, interviews with midwives, midwifery and birth conference south africa, midwives south africa, natasha stadler, natural birth, normalizing birth, portraits of doulas, portraits of midwives, positive birth movement, positive birth south africa, pregnancy south africa, sarah meder, south african midwives, woman's issues in south africa