My thoughts on Birthing Liberation by Sabia Wade
Healing Personal Trauma to Support Collective Liberation
One of the most impactful aspects of Birthing Liberation is its emphasis on personal trauma work as a necessary part of collective liberation. Wade makes clear that systemic change cannot happen without individual healing—and doulas are not exempt from this process.
Ironically, Sabia was my first doula. She finished up her certification process with my first birth—which wasn’t the most rock steady experience. I’ve never had the most normal births. I was in a hospital with a man who had previously abused me. The hospital didn’t really know how to handle it, and Sabia didn’t know the background—she had been a back up for my original doula Kerrie.
For doulas, this book encourages reflection on:
Personal bias and internalized systems
Trauma responses in birth spaces
The emotional labor of care work
Boundaries, burnout, and sustainability
By addressing both systemic oppression and individual healing, Birthing Liberation helps doulas become more grounded, self-aware, and resilient practitioners.
How This Book Shapes Birth Doula Practice
Reading Birthing Liberation can directly influence how birth doulas show up for clients. It supports doulas in:
Holding space without centering themselves
Advocating ethically without overstepping
Recognizing when systems—not individuals—are causing harm
Supporting clients navigating fear, mistrust, or medical trauma
This book also deepens understanding of why birth outcomes differ across communities and why advocacy must extend beyond the delivery room.
How Birthing Liberation Supports Postpartum Doula Work
Postpartum doulas often witness firsthand how systemic inequities affect families after birth. Wade’s work provides language and context for what many doulas observe but struggle to articulate.
For postpartum doulas, this book strengthens:
Trauma-informed postpartum care
Support for marginalized families
Awareness of long-term safety, housing, and resource access
Understanding postpartum mental health through a justice lens
It reminds doulas that postpartum care is not just about recovery—it’s about whether families can safely and sustainably thrive.
A Book That Expands Beyond Birth Work
While rooted in the birthing world, Birthing Liberation intentionally expands beyond it. Wade frames birth as the starting point for broader social and systemic change, making this book relevant not only to doulas, but to anyone committed to equity, justice, and liberation.
For doulas, this reinforces an important truth: birth work is political, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Birthing Liberation by Sabia Wade is not a light read—but it is a necessary one. For birth and postpartum doulas seeking to ground their education in reproductive justice, trauma awareness, and collective liberation, this book offers clarity, challenge, and purpose.
Reading it will not only shape how you support clients—it will shape how you understand your role within the larger birth justice movement.
If you are serious about ethical doula work, Birthing Liberation deserves a place in your education, your reflection, and your practice.
