On Irish land, Laura sits in sacred conversation with birth keeper Ailtín Rose—weaving story, ceremony, and the quiet power of undisturbed birth.

Laura speaks with Ailtín about restoring the sacred nature of birth, supporting undisturbed physiological labour, and holding women through life’s powerful thresholds. Though not a biological mother, Ailtín brings profound maiden energy to her work, offering intuitive, ancestral, and holistic support to women birthing both within and beyond the system.

She shares her journey from academia and yoga into holistic midwifery, including immersive training at the Da-a-Luz School in southern Spain. Living in community, she learned to embody the role of the wise woman – honouring ceremony, holding space, and tending to birth as a rite of passage.

This episode is a rich exploration of the descent of Inanna, the quietude in labour, the power of community, and reclaiming our ancient ways.

Topics Covered:

• Ailtín’s path to becoming a birth keeper

• Living and learning at a holistic midwifery school in Spain

• Why she no longer uses the word “doula”

• The myth of Inanna & the initiation of motherhood

• The sacred pause – quietude between dilation and pushing

• Freebirth and undisturbed birth outside the system

• Ceremony, community, and postpartum care

• Managing fear and honouring sovereignty in the birth space

• Ireland’s maternity landscape and the return to village care

• Ailtín’s original birth poetry and her vision for the future

Ailtín Rose is a birthkeeper from Ireland who is lovingly tending to thresholds and walking the path of traditional, holistic midwifery. 

After hearing the call to be of service to women for many years, Ailtín finally decided to step into the realm of birth work. Little did she know her calling would completely transform her life as it led her down a path of remembering the ancient ways of tending to women in birth and beyond. 

For Ailtín, birth is a sacred right of passage and an incredibly important initiation for women becoming mothers. She wants to see that mothers are supported during this time, that they are trusted to know what is best for themselves and their babies and that they are at the centre of their care. 

Ailtín is now working with women and families all over Ireland in their pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. 

Connect with her on Instagram here

✨ I’d love to hear from you—how are these episodes landing with you? Would you like to share your story on the podcast? Contact me ⁠⁠lauraguinnane@gmail.com⁠⁠

Find me on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’ve experienced a caesarean birth, I offer 1:1 online support to guide you in your healing journey. Through birth story listening, scar tissue remediation, and somatic reconnection, we work together to support your return to wholeness and embodied presence. You can email me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠lauraguinnane@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow my musings on motherhood on Substack ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠

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Laura x