Mother of 4 home birthed children.

Ruth is a Certified Professional and Traditional Midwife (NARM), a doula (WOMBS (ZA) / Paramanadoula (UK)), and a Helping Babies Breathe facilitator and master trainer. She is also the author of The Basic Needs of a Woman in Labour, a book based on the work of Dr. Michel Odent and which explores the hormone oxytocin and the environmental factors that affect it. The book is available in English, Italian, Russian and Portuguese – with many more translations on the way!

With colleague Lana Petersen, she started Home Birth South Africa in 2010, a web database for those seeking information and advice on home birth in South Africa. Together, she also runs the Cape Town Home Birth Gatherings, a quarterly gathering for those seeking information and support on home birth in Cape Town and surrounds.

She's also one of the directors of The Compassionate Birth Project, a project aimed at addressing the abuse being experienced in South Africa’s labour wards.

Ruth currently works with midwives Lana Petersen and Caitlyn Collins and is registered as a traditional midwife in South Africa.