The Birth Nurses

If there's anything we want you to gain from this podcast, it's that you (pregnant person/future patient/nurse/anyone!) have the right to advocate for yourself. In this episode, Liz speaks from her knowledge and experience that advocacy is a skill to develop and takes courage! A major role of the Labor and Delivery nurse is to advocate for her patient to have the birth story that they'...

This is THE MOST common question new parents are wondering with their newborn. Listen to Shaina and Liz on this episode of The Birth Nurses to hear a quick and easy way to know if your baby is getting enough, especially in the early days when you're still "learning" your baby. Go to Shaina's Amazon shop to see her recommended products for breastfeeding and parenthood. https://www...

The Bishop Score is an important tool for healthcare providers to determine how likely someone is to have a vaginal delivery. A low score means someone may need medication to be induced. A higher score means spontaneous labor could be approaching. Listen to this episode to get Liz's top tips on understanding the Bishop Score. We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other wa...

Sometimes we do short episodes like this called "Birth Bits" or "Breastfeeding Bits." Today's episode is about Informed Consent. This is a hot topic in the healthcare world, but ESPECIALLY in labor and delivery. There are so many decisions for you to make while you're in labor and it is important that you have all the information you need to make a wise choice for you a...

Did you know that pumping shouldn't hurt? Shaina Brickner, IBCLC discusses a relatively new concept in the breastfeeding world--- getting fitted for your correct flange size! This will CHANGE THE GAME for pumping and has several benefits such as increasing your milk output and decreasing discomfort and pain while pumping. Take a listen and apply what you learn to your breastfeeding journey. We...

This might be one of the most intimidating parts of deciding to breastfeed--- choosing what breast pump to get!! Shaina and Liz talk about the evolution of breast pumps and how to choose one that best fits your lifestyle during your breastfeeding/pumping journey. We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other way to contact us and tell us your thoughts. For more information abou...

This is a different kind of episode here on the Birth Nurses podcast! Shaina interviews Jeff Pauls and Grace Lee who work for New York Life and want to help new parents prepare financially for parenthood! Listen to this episode to hear about trends Jeff and Grace have noticed in new parents as they financially prepare (or not) for parenthood. They'll give their top tips for getting ready for b...

Have you heard of power pumping? This is one of those breastfeeding things that you wouldn't know unless you need to know it! It's a technique for pumping that could help you if you are dealing with low milk supply. Listen to this episode to determine if it's something you'd like to try. Remember, this is not medical advice and you should always discuss your personal health and bre...

The majority of our episodes are about hospital birth, but what about someone who is planning a home birth or a birth center birth and then has to be transferred to the hospital? Here's a quick episode explaining what that process would be like so that you can be prepared for anything. We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other way to contact us and tell us your thoughts...

Engorged breasts are the most surprising thing about lactation! They're 3x as big, firm, and painful! Listen to this episode to hear some tips and tricks for dealing with engorgement, especially in the early days of breastfeeding. Bonus: find a lactation consultant who accepts your insurance that can meet with you prenatally and postpartum to guide you every step of the way of your breastfeedi...

If you have ever had a newborn, then you probably know about cluster feeding. It's exhausting. It feels like it's going on forever. It makes you doubt your milk supply. It's also natural and helpful for you and your baby! Take a listen to this episode to find out why. We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other way to contact us and tell us your thoughts. For more...

Liz and Shaina interview Deb Flashenberg from the Prenatal Yoga Center in New York and host of Yoga Birth Babies podcast. She is a prenatal yoga instructor, childbirth educator, and creator of the Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Program. Deb explains the benefits of yoga during pregnancy and birth as well as poses and moves to avoid during pregnancy and labor. Check out her yoga center and podcast...

We want to give you bite-sized information to take with you on your pregnancy and breastfeeding journeys...and we want to make you laugh too!! We are starting a new little series called Birth Bits and Breastfeeding Bits where we're going to share funny stories from our time in the Labor and Delivery unit and lactation visits. To protect our client's privacy, these stories will be as genera...

We want to give you bite-sized information to take with you on your pregnancy and breastfeeding journeys...and we want to make you laugh too!! We are starting a new little series called Birth Bits and Breastfeeding Bits where we're going to share funny stories from our time in the Labor and Delivery unit and lactation visits. To protect our client's privacy, these stories will be as genera...

Liz and Shaina discuss this question and the dilemma that they're seeing recently in the hospital. More and more patients are coming into the hospital to have their baby, and they're wanting their experience to have home birth vibes. Why is this happening? Is it realistic in the hospital institution to expect a home-like birth experience? Take a listen to hear what we think and email us to...

This is a fun episode! Listen to Liz and Shaina ask questions (from you all!) about birth and breastfeeding. Did you like this episode? Want more like it? email us and tell us! We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other way to contact us and tell us your thoughts. For more information about us, our birth education businesses, and the classes we teach, visit our websites and...

This was a different kind of episode for the Birth Nurses, but so much fun nonetheless! Shaina interviewed Anhoni from Mrs. Patel's. Mrs. Patel's is a company that makes lactation treats and teas to support women going through pregnancy, postpartum, lactation, and more! Listen to the episode to hear about the ingredients used to make these special treats and use code BIRTH20 on www.mrsmilk.com for...

If you haven't listened to the first 2 episodes in this 3 part series, go back and listen to the other ones right before this. Liz and Shaina are discussing different relationships in the labor and delivery room. The relationship between the nurse and the OBGYN,  between the nurse and the patient, and between the nurse and a 3rd party (family member/support person) in the room. We hope this s...

This is part 2 of our series discussing relationships in the workplace. This episode is specifically about the relationship between the labor nurse and the patient in labor and delivery. This is such a unique relationship that's built within the time frame of about 12 hours usually! The nurse is trying her best to establish a rapport and prove herself trustworthy to the patient. When conflict aris...

We're getting into a more serious and possibly controversial topic! This will be a series where we discuss the relationships between nurses and OBs, nurses and patients, and patients and OBs. Stay tuned and if you'd like to share your story as a guest on our podcast, email Shaina at shaina@preparented.com Liz and Shaina are nurses and birth educators in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, CA. ...

We are people with muscles, bones, ligaments, connective tissue, and most importantly, FASCIA. Our guest Marya Eddaifi, serving as a military nurse in Germany and working in the labor and delivery unit, explains what fascia is and how it relates to the laboring woman! She is the creator of Dysfunctional Labor Maneuvers (DLM). This course is designed for birth professionals such as midwives, RN's,...

Our working title for this episode was "Liz's tips for pushing," but after listening to it and editing it, the "tips" here are truly best practices for a smooth pushing stage in the labor and delivery unit of the hospital. We hope that after listening, you'll feel empowered and prepared to CRUSH the second stage of labor and be an awesome pusher :)  For more episodes on "Pushing" refer to epi...

Have you ever thought: "If I have a c-section, I won't be able to breastfeed"? Well guess what? That's a myth! In this episode, Shaina gives 5 tips + an encouragement to labor and delivery nurses about breastfeeding after having a c-section.  Disclaimer: Mentioned in the episode is prenatal colostrum expression/harvesting. Please discuss this with your doctor or midwife before doing it yourse...

Liz, our resident birth consultant here at The Birth Nurses Podcast, is such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to labor and delivery nursing. She has been in the field for over 30 years and has seen several patterns regarding induction of labor. She wants to share her tips about how to AVOID induction, unless it's for a medical cause.  DISCLAIMER: this is for educational purposes only and n...

If you are planning to breastfeed, take a listen to this episode where Shaina (an IBCLC lactation consultant) lists out her top tips for breastfeeding. Even though breastfeeding is a skill that needs to be practiced, understanding the "theory" behind lactation certainly helps A LOT.  If you're interested in getting a breastfeeding "gadget" to help you catch your let-down milk, check out The K...