Refilwe Madumo



eTV Scandal actress and mother to 10 month old Makhosini Loapi.



"When I found out I was pregnant, I radiated with joy. I had been wanting a child for a while. Without even having to think about it, I knew I wanted a natural, wholistic process. But I left every appointment with the gynecologist doubting myself. Every time I discussed a natural birth with her, she would tell me about the disadvantages: my baby was too big(She could tell somehow at 8 weeks of gestation); I'm at risk of placenta-previa; the pain is unnatural, barbaric even; if I complicate, theres a chance I might die. Obviously,  all these things frightened me. And that's what I didn't want. I knew for sure that fear couldn't be the base of this journey for me. I needed to feel like I was somehow in control of how my baby would come into the world. I was responsible for him and I had to protect him against all the procedures the hospital was pushing on us. I couldn't  help feeling it didn't have to be that way. I shouldnt feel like giving birth was something I wasn't qualified to do. So I decided to do some research to find out what my options were.

That's when I found out about Genesis Clinic and the Midwive's Society of Gauteng. I felt like I had been sprinkled with fairy dust! Everything felt right..My midwife and doula gave me so much support and such a sense of peace. I found a community of mothers who believed in me. I found sisters who stood beside me. Warm hearts to comfort me and steady hands to hold on to. I wasnt crazy to want to birth my child myself! The foundation that I rested upon now, was Love.
And that is why I support BOLD. A movement that eradicates fear and empowers women to follow their instincts, to give into what comes to them naturally. To adhere to their unborn children's needs. And birth them the way that Mother Nature intended."