Not Your Midwife, Not Your Savior: My True Role as a Birth Keeper | Moyock, NC Birth Support

The term Birth Keeper has stirred up a lot of conversation—and confusion—in recent years. As someone who has chosen to use this title, I want to be crystal clear about what I mean when I call myself a Birth Keeper… and what I don’t.

This blog post is written for the families who are exploring support options for an undisturbed, unassisted birth and want to understand exactly what I offer—and just as importantly, what I don’t.

A Birth Keeper, Defined

To me, a Birth Keeper is not a care provider, a midwife, or a medical professional. A Birth Keeper is a woman who comes alongside a birthing mother with reverence, steadiness, and support—not to lead or manage her labor, but to guard the space in which she births.

My role as a Birth Keeper is not clinical. I do not monitor vitals, perform cervical checks, catch babies, or assess complications. I do not offer medical advice. I do not carry equipment for emergencies.

What I do offer is deeply intentional, mother-led support. I prepare with you. I listen to you. I trust your design and your decisions. I stand beside you in labor—not as a savior, but as a sister.

Birth Doula vs. Birth Keeper

“What’s the difference between a Birth Doula and a Birth Keeper?” The short answer is: not much! Here’s how I break it down:

As a Birth Doula at a midwife-assisted home birth, my role is purely non-clinical. I offer physical, emotional, and spiritual support—holding space, offering comfort measures, prayer and encouraging you and your partner through labor. I stay in my lane while the midwife tends to medical care.

As a Birth Keeper at an unassisted birth (a birth without a care provider), I still do not step into a clinical role. I’m not a midwife-in-hiding or a backup care provider. My support may look a little more involved in prenatal prep and birth logistics, but I never cross the boundary into medical tasks. I bring a birth bin with some helpful items (like a pool, a CUB stool, some herbs/tinctures) and I support you in whatever way you ask so long as it's within my scope—setting up your space, holding your kids, offering a hand during contractions, or quietly observing with a camera in hand.

In both roles, I stay rooted in non-clinical support. But the distinction matters. My presence does not replace a provider. If you are birthing unassisted, you are your own provider—and you take full responsibility for every choice and outcome. I’m simply a companion, not a caretaker.

Let’s Talk About the Term "Birth Keeper"

Over the past few years, the term Birth Keeper has been adopted—and, in many ways, distorted—by a particular radical free-birth movement. I want to be clear: I do not fully align with this movement or its philosophy.

This movement tends to glorify women above all, idolize the body, and reject all forms of intervention as inherently harmful. Many within this circle deny the possibility of abnormality in birth, dismiss any need for outside support, and often root their practices in New Age ideologies. While I deeply believe in a woman’s God-given ability to birth, I do not worship the woman—I worship the Creator who designed her.

Birth is sacred, yes. But sacred doesn’t always mean perfect. Sometimes, birth requires gentle redirection. And in rare cases, intervention. Not because women are broken or incapable—but because we live in a fallen world where complications can arise. Ignoring that truth does not make us stronger; it makes us irresponsible.

As someone who has birthed unassisted and supports others doing the same, I still hold space for the reality that some births may need more help. I call myself a Birth Keeper because I keep birth sacred. I guard the threshold. I protect the atmosphere. I follow your lead. The role of a Birth Keeper, in my eyes, is not to shame women for needing help or to push ideology over intuition. It’s to uphold women as image-bearers of God, not goddesses of their own making.

What to Expect From Me

If I attend your unassisted birth, you can expect:

• A supportive presence, not a manager or rescuer

• A calm, grounded witness

• Extra hands for setup, cleanup, and logistics

• A camera in hand, if you'd like your story documented

• Warm food, cold rags, soft words, and steady encouragement

• Someone to help with your children, if needed

• A woman who honors your intuition and autonomy

I will not:

• Monitor your or your baby’s health

• Catch your baby

• Perform exams, assessments, or interventions

• Make decisions for you

• Offer clinical advice or assume authority over your birth

A Note on Midwifery

Though I have plans to pursue midwifery in the future and am currently studying traditional birth through courses and mentorship, I am not a student midwife and I do not serve as a provider of any kind.

I also invite every mother to consider: What do you believe qualifies someone as a midwife? Is it a license or certification? Is it experiential knowledge passed down through apprenticeship? Is it rooted in the medical system—or outside of it?

These are important questions when choosing your birth team. But if you’re choosing to birth without a provider, know this: a Birth Keeper does not become your provider. Not even unofficially. Your birth is yours. That’s the radical responsibility and freedom of unassisted birth.

Why I Chose This Work

When planning my second unassisted birth, I was saddened that I couldn’t find a doula who aligned with my values willing to support an unassisted birther. I didn’t need someone to manage my birth. I just needed someone to help set up the birth room, hold space, watch the kids, make a smoothie, or lend a quiet hand—so my husband could stay present with me.

That’s the kind of support I offer now. That is my heart in this season. I am a mother, a birth worker, and a forever student of physiological birth. I am still growing, still learning. But I know how to serve with reverence.

So, what is a Birth Keeper?

In my eyes: A sister. A helper. A space-holder. Not a care provider. Not a midwife. And never the authority over your birth.

If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d be honored to walk beside you.

Stay Connected

Thank you for reading and walking with me on this journey of reclaiming sacred, undisturbed birth.

Follow along on Instagram for more reflections, real birth stories, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of life as a birth servant: @untamedbirthkeeper

The Birth Room Podcast is coming this September! Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and/or Spotify, and sign up for emails and follow along on Instagram to be the first to know when new episodes drop.

If you’re on a personal journey in birth work, I highly recommend exploring the Hearthmother Journey—a Christ-centered course and community created by women for women. If you choose to join, you can get $50 off by using my affiliate code: UNTAMED

With fierce faith and gentle hands,

Sydney