Ruth Weston

 

 

My name is Ruth Weston, I am a mother, I am owner of Aquabirths Birthing Pools and a birth activist.

I am a birth activist because I care about women and birthing people getting the care they need for a safe and happy maternity.

I am a birth activist because to have this maternity care we need midwives to be front and centre as autonomous confident professionals.

I am a birth activist because maternity services need to structural change, to leave behind the patriarchal structures of the past so it can deliver care that heals rather than harms – both those receiving it and those delivering it.

As a young woman I wanted to change the world to make it a better place. As a mother, discovering the gaping holes in good practice maternity care I sought to make a practical difference to maternity. As an older woman I am faced with the reality that there are powerful interests keeping maternity structured the way it is, ensuring that mothers and midwives are deprived of the autonomy to structure the evidence based care they require. This is especially so for women and people of colour. But nevertheless we owe it to the generations of female activists before us, and to the women and daughters that come after us, to disrupt harmful patterns and engender positive change in our time.

Because of this, I want to hand on the skills, knowledge and experience, the strategic thinking and tactics that might enable another generation of birthing people and activists to effect change.  As with Women’s suffrage, we hand on the baton because one day we will succeed in getting the maternity services we need and deserve.

Until that day: Rise siblings! Courage calls to courage everywhere.