How Do We Actually Fix the system & Change Birth for the Better?
- The WombSisterhood
- Jun 24
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Right now, there is a lot of noise in the birth world. People are shouting about regulations, doulas being silenced, letters being issued from hospitals and whether or not doulas should be medical advocates in the birth room. But we need to pause, breathe, and ask the bigger question:
Where does the real power live?
Because what we’re seeing, the reactionary noise, the online drama, the exhausting pressure to “advocate in the birth room”; is not the root issue.
It's a symptom of something deeper.
And it's time we finally address it.
Truth: The Birth Room Is the Stage, Not the Arena
When a woman screams that she’s not numb and is cut anyway…
When a nurse shrugs off a mother’s birth plan and forces her onto her back or injects her with pitocin anyways…
When a birth worker sees a mother ignored, dismissed, rushed, drugged, or left alone in her fear…
When a midwife witnesses a hospital staff inject the wrong medication into her patient during a transfer..while she’s not fully numb and no one acknowledges her pain.....
When a father stands feeling powerless & hopeless to it all...
These are horrifying, unjust, heartbreaking moments..
But they are also the end-point of a much larger problem.
The real issue is not simply the lack of advocacy in that moment.
The real issue is:
The lack of policy safeguards.
The lack of truly educated patients.
The lack of trauma-informed protocols.
The lack of consequence.
The lack of unified public pressure on hospitals to improve.
We’re shouting inside the delivery room because we didn’t fight hard enough outside of it.
Where Change Actually Happens
It doesn’t happen in a Facebook group. It doesn’t happen in an angry Instagram post. And it doesn’t happen in a moment of adrenaline when a woman is actively giving birth.
It happens in legislation.
It happens in policy meetings.
It happens when families, providers and advocates work together to rewrite the rules of care.
TRUE ACTIVISM.
It happens when we stop trying to rescue and start trying to rebuild.
Here’s What That Looks Like:
State-Level Action
Collaborate on Policy Drafting
Join public comment periods. Submit evidence-based birth policies. Draft bills that reflect informed consent and trauma-informed standards.
Attend and Testify at Hearings Share real-life stories as subject-matter witnesses. Help legislators see the impact of broken protocols.
Build Relationships With Lawmakers Set meetings. Follow up. Send research. Become a known, trusted voice.
Hospital Policy Reform
Submit Risk Management Reports Document what went wrong, where systems failed, and how it could be prevented.
Request Formal Debriefs Midwives, birth centers, and providers should be asking for quality improvement reviews, not remaining silent.
Host Joint Training Forums Create interdisciplinary events where birth workers and hospital staff learn together.
Federal Advocacy
Mobilize Local Voices for National Change Coordinate efforts for federal maternal health bills. Share your district’s stats. Ask your representative where they stand.
Push for Informed Consent Enforcement Advocate for a national standard of informed consent and maternal rights.
Campaign for Hospital Oversight Reform Shift the public narrative. Build bipartisan support. Educate communities.
Your Next Steps
Action | What to Do |
Join your State Birth Justice or Doula Coalition | Google your state + "doula coalition" or "birth equity coalition." |
Ask your certifying body or birth school to host lobbying workshops | Offer to help coordinate. Make it happen. |
Learn how to testify | Watch public hearings. Read past testimony. Practice yours. |
Host a community policy night | Gather stories, educate parents, and write a shared policy ask. |
There is one Savior in the birth space and it's not us.
Our job is not to become louder saviors, but stronger builders.
When the system fails, don’t scramble to fix it in the moment, build a better one before that moment even arrives.
And that means taking the fight higher.
Not just to hospital doors.
To capitol steps.
To courtrooms.
To the lawmakers who can change it.
And it starts now.
If you are ready to be a Change Maker, grab our FREE Legislative Advocacy Toolkit for Birth Justice Reform (U.S.)
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