The article reports on a case in South Africa where a woman named Ernesta Chirwa gave birth to stillborn twins after attending a home birth with her husband. The baby's mother, Chirwa, and her husband, Cifundo Bingala, claim that the midwife, Collins, who attended the birth, provided substandard care and failed to disclose information about the pregnancy.
The investigation found that Collins had presented herself as a midwife, not a birth keeper, which is a different role. She had also told Chirwa that she was not a licensed midwife and did not provide adequate prenatal care. The stillbirths were linked to Circle of Elephants, a business run by Collins and her partner.
The investigation found that Collins's lawyers attempted to flip the script and argue that it was Chirwa and Bingala who were negligent in attending professional maternity services for checkups, which contributed to the death of their twin babies. However, experts reviewed Chirwa's medical notes and concluded that Collins's actions were "shocking" and that there was a clear breach of duty of care.
The case is ongoing, with civil proceedings issued in the high court of South Africa in March 2024. Collins has since left South Africa for an overseas trip but remains a senior figure in FBS (Radical Birth Keeper School), which she founded alongside Angela Wakeford and others, helping to organize their Matriarch Rising festival.
The article also mentions that Collins met Bingala twice after the twins died, with Bingala recording the conversations. In one of these meetings, Bingala challenged Collins about the care she had provided his wife, while Collins insisted that she had never presented herself as a midwife and claimed to be a birth keeper.
The investigation found that FBS views Collins's involvement in Chirwa's tragic loss through the same lens, with Angela Wakeford dismissing criticism from mainstream media outlets as "propaganda on behalf of the medical-industrial complex".
The investigation found that Collins had presented herself as a midwife, not a birth keeper, which is a different role. She had also told Chirwa that she was not a licensed midwife and did not provide adequate prenatal care. The stillbirths were linked to Circle of Elephants, a business run by Collins and her partner.
The investigation found that Collins's lawyers attempted to flip the script and argue that it was Chirwa and Bingala who were negligent in attending professional maternity services for checkups, which contributed to the death of their twin babies. However, experts reviewed Chirwa's medical notes and concluded that Collins's actions were "shocking" and that there was a clear breach of duty of care.
The case is ongoing, with civil proceedings issued in the high court of South Africa in March 2024. Collins has since left South Africa for an overseas trip but remains a senior figure in FBS (Radical Birth Keeper School), which she founded alongside Angela Wakeford and others, helping to organize their Matriarch Rising festival.
The article also mentions that Collins met Bingala twice after the twins died, with Bingala recording the conversations. In one of these meetings, Bingala challenged Collins about the care she had provided his wife, while Collins insisted that she had never presented herself as a midwife and claimed to be a birth keeper.
The investigation found that FBS views Collins's involvement in Chirwa's tragic loss through the same lens, with Angela Wakeford dismissing criticism from mainstream media outlets as "propaganda on behalf of the medical-industrial complex".
... I think it's really unfortunate that Collins's lawyers tried to shift the blame onto Chirwa and Bingala, when there was clear evidence that Collins had substandard care. It's like they're trying to cover their own tracks? 
anyway, I've heard of FBS before and their Matriarch Rising festival sounds pretty suspicious 
... what exactly are birth keepers supposed to do again? it just seems like another way for people to get involved in childbirth without proper training or qualifications.
. I've been living under a rock and only just found out about this case. It's absolutely shocking that Collins was able to profit off of her subpar care by running her own business and teaching others about midwifery without proper training or licensure. It's like she was more interested in building up her brand than actually helping people have safe pregnancies. The fact that the FBS group is so defensive and dismissive of criticism from mainstream media outlets just makes me think they're covering something up. And that Angela Wakeford is literally saying that criticism is "propaganda on behalf of the medical-industrial complex"... yeah, okay 
. I'm glad that Chirwa's medical notes were looked at and her care was reviewed. It just shows that there are still good people looking out for these things.
. Maybe they should focus on getting better training and following proper protocols instead of just pushing back against criticism.
. & now she's still out there spreading radical birth keeper ideologies w/ Angela Wakeford 
. hope justice prevails in this case 
South Africa needs better midwife regulations, ASAP. A birth keeper without proper training & licensing is a recipe for disaster 
so dis midwife collins is tryna play dumb about not havin a licence 2 b a midwife but experts r like "nope, ur clearly failed" 
and now shes tryin 2 shift the blame on ernestas & cifundos? thats so shady 
anyway i think its time 4 them 2 take responsiblity 4 their actions. collins is a birth keeper, not a midwife 
Stillborn twins, it's just heartbreaking. The midwife Collins seemed so unprofessional, presenting herself as a midwife when she wasn't even licensed or experienced enough to handle a birth like that. 
FBS is literally enabling this culture of recklessness and it needs to be held accountable. 
It's just unbelievable that her lawyers tried to shift the blame onto them, and that experts actually found Collins's actions to be "shocking" and a clear breach of duty of care. 
COLINS NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER ACTIONS AND PAY FOR WHAT SHE DID TO THOSE TWINS!!!! 
Can we just get some truth and figure out what happened here? 
. But wait, maybe Collins's actions were indeed "shocking" 
. I'm so confused about this whole thing 
...
. FBS is just trying to create a space for women to have more control over their own bodies & birth experiences 