What is a Birth Keeper /

Traditional Birth Guide?

A birth keeper (also can be known as a traditional birth attendant, birth keeper, birth witness, birth companion) is a quiet guardian of the birthing space; a woman who sits with stillness and presence, not adrenaline and fear. She brings calm where others would bring noise. She observes, protects, and responds only when needed- and even then, with wisdom, intuition, and restraint.

A Birth Keeper, in some cultures like Pakistan and India, referred to as a Dai, also can be known as traditional birth attendants, is not a modern invention, but an ancient role that has always existed among women. Long before birth became confined to hospitals and regulated by medical institutions, women birthed in their homes, surrounded by other women who carried wisdom, experience, and gentle presence.

A Birth Keeper is not a doctor, nurse, or licensed midwife. She is a woman who has chosen to guard the sanctity of birth in its most natural form; undisturbed, wholesome, traditional, and rooted in trust. My work is not about managing birth as a medical event, but about protecting the space, holding presence, and supporting the mother as birth unfolds according to the design of Allah.

Across the world, every community once had women who served in this role. They were known by different names; dai in South Asia, sage-femme in France, partera in Spanish-speaking lands, but their essence was the same: women supporting women in one of life’s most profound transitions.

These women were not defined by certificates or institutions. Their knowledge came from witnessing birth in their families and villages, from the wisdom passed down through generations, and from lived experience. They were the keepers of stories, herbal remedies, and practical skills, but above all, they were guardians of trust; the belief that birth, when honored, unfolds as it was meant to.

Beyond the Medical Model

Today, when birth is often treated as a medical emergency rather than a normal, organic process, the role of the Birth Keeper stands in quiet contrast. I do not intervene, diagnose, or perform clinical procedures. She is not there to control birth but to protect and support it.

In this way, the Birth Keeper serves as a bridge, reminding us of how our foremothers birthed before industrialization and modern systems, and offering women today a way to reclaim birth as a natural, spiritual, and dignified experience.

A Role Rooted in Trust

The word keeper is intentional. A Birth Keeper is not someone who “delivers” a baby. She does not control outcomes, nor does she hold authority over the mother. She simply guards the space so that the mother may lean fully into tawakkul, reliance on Allah, and experience the unfolding of birth with patience, trust, and gratitude.

The essence I aim to embody is rifq (gentleness), sabr (patience), and hikmah (wisdom). My intention is to reflect the traditional ways of women, standing quietly in the background, present when needed, unseen when not.

A Birth Keeper is not a replacement for medical care when complications arise, nor does she deny the existence of such care. But in the truest sense, she is a witness and guardian of birth as it was always meant to be: natural, dignified, and filled with remembrance of the One who creates life.