The Birth Nurses

Trigger warning: This episode mentions miscarriage and infertility issues. I (Shaina) interviewed Liz and her cousin Lauren about how Liz was a gestational surrogate for Lauren who was unable to carry a baby to term.  If you've ever thought about what this experience is like, I invite you to listen to their story. Perhaps it will encourage you to view infertility in a different light.  W...

If you're a healthcare professional, then you've probably heard of HCAHPS and are collectively groaning with your colleagues throughout America. HCAHPS = Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. This is the means by which hospitals are given money and are "rated" on their customer service and overall quality of care for their patients.  Liz and Shaina discuss if this...

Have you heard this buzz word: "Evidence-based practice" or "evidence-based birth"? In this episode, Liz and Shaina break down what that actually means and how you can be sure that you are getting evidence-based care prenatally and during labor and delivery. You should never feel bad about asking your healthcare provider "for evidence" or "the research behind" a particular intervention or bir...

Having a hospital birth almost automatically signs you up to have some interventions done during your birth. There's evidence to show, though, that disturbing physiological birth with multiple interventions can lead to even more interventions and perhaps more harm than good. In this episode, Liz and Shaina give you 7 practical tips to follow to help you have a low-intervention birth in the hospita...

Sunny thought she was going to be having her 4th baby in the hospital, just like her first 3 babies, but around 30 weeks along, she changed her mind! You may recognize Sunny's voice because we interviewed her last year toward the beginning of her pregnancy with baby #4. She had never even considered a home birth! Her pregnancy was textbook with no complications, and with everything going on in the...

Liz and Shaina discuss how to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for birth. We are very strong advocates for taking a birth class, but there are many other ways to prepare your body and your mind for labor and birth too! Listen to the episode to hear how your preparation during pregnancy can directly affect your birth experience.  Here are some resources and referrals mentioned in...

Liz and Shaina interview Lindsay Hammond Stoddard in this episode of the Birth Nurses Podcast. Both of her parents are nurses, she has a sister with autism AND she is a mother to two young boys, one of whom was a premature baby. Lindsay shared about what life was like growing up and how that impacted her motherhood journey.  01:30- Lindsay's childhood and growing up with 2 nurse parents as we...

On this episode, Liz and Shaina talk about how they got into the Birth Education world and why it is so important for a pregnant person (especially if it's your first baby) to take a birth class. Find out what makes Shaina and Liz's classes unique and consider taking one of their classes virtually or in person (if you're in LA)! We invite you to email us, DM us on instagram, or find some other way...

We had so much fun interviewing Lori Hammond, RN and learning about her nursing journey! She started off her nursing career kind of standing on the sidelines, but by the end she had found her voice for her patients, amongst her colleagues, and the nurses in her whole community! Listen to this episode to hear her thoughts on how nursing changed over her 35 year career and what nurses can do ab...

Liz and Shaina talk about the new phenomenon they've noticed over the past couple of years of many new nurses transferring from other departments to the Labor and Delivery unit. Listen to this episode to hear their advice to these new nurses.  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...

Shaina and Liz interviewed Shaina's friend and fellow labor and delivery nurse, Jessica who works in Los Angeles, CA. With 7 years of nursing under her belt, she shares with such wisdom about what drew her to labor and delivery nursing and what keeps her there and what she'd like to see change. Take a listen and learn what is the appeal of hospital bedside nursing as opposed to being a nurse admin...

Are you in a completely different profession from healthcare, but you've been thinking about becoming a nurse? Well, we have THE episode for you! We interviewed one of Liz's friends who did just that. From contractor to ER RN, Fred Hammond changed it up at age 40! This is also our first episode with a male guest! (not sure how that didn't happen sooner) So make sure to take a listen. You will defi...

Intro to our new season! We're switching gears a bit and we're going to be talking about nursing in general, and of course we'll add in our experience as labor and delivery nurses too. If you're a new nurse (no matter the department/specialty), you're going to want to listen to this new season! What drew each of us to nursing? What drew us to labor and delivery? And what is expected of nurses in 2...

We interviewed Bre Stuhlmuller PT, DPT about pelvic floor physical therapy, especially as it relates to labor and birth. Bre works at Origin in Brentwood, CA. You can go to their website www.theoriginway.com for in person or virtual appointments that are covered by insurance. You can also check out their instagram page for informational posts! We answer some important questions in this episode. Wh...

Dr. Paula Shulman graciously joined our podcast so that we could interview her about collaborative care--what is it? Who is a part of it? And why is it so important when we're talking about labor and delivery in the hospital setting?  Listen to this episode and let us know your thoughts! We want to hear from you. Did you experience collaborative care during your labor and delivery experience?...

We continued our interview with one of Liz's friends Sunny Barach. She lives in Los Angeles and is pregnant with her 4th baby! We wanted to hear from a "real life mom" about how she dealt with the difficult postpartum/newborn period. Listen to this episode and you'll hear her raw, real life experience. Liz and Shaina are labor and delivery nurses and childbirth educators in Los Angeles. To contact...

In this episode, we interviewed one of Liz's friends Sunny Barach. She lives in Los Angeles and is pregnant with her 4th baby! We wanted to hear from a "real life mom" about how she prepared for parenthood, prepared for birth, and how her birth experiences were.  The first part of the episode, we hear a lot about Sunny's life pre-kids and how she and her husband developed a sweet friendship a...

Dr. Phabillia Afflack (Dr. Phabby!) is an OBGYN that is on her way to changing the world of obstetrics through her holistic and family-centered care. She is what's called a "Concierge OB," which means that she makes house calls to do your prenatal appointments! Her goal isn't only to monitor the mother and baby's health through pregnancy; it's to help you transition, trimester by trimester, into t...

What an honor to interview Brittany Sharpe McCollum of @blossomingbelliesbirth ! She is based in the Philadelphia area and is a doula, childbirth educator, mother of 4, and an expert at pelvic biomechanics--which in lay terms means how the bones and ligaments of the pelvis move. Of course, she relates her knowledge on this subject to labor and birth. Brittany helps us understand ways that the labo...

In this episode, Liz and Shaina interview Nicole Barkhordari of @nicolecolleencoach and focus more on the postpartum period. How do you talk to your partner about sex after you have a baby? Nicole brings her expertise as a sex therapist and psychotherapist, as well as her personal experience of being a wife and a mom to the conversation. Her simple techniques and strategies on how to talk to your...

In this episode, Liz and Shaina interview Nicole Barkhordari--an LMFT/sex therapist in LA County. She specializes in helping couples "Level Up" their relationships, especially after going through major life transitions like having a baby! Before adding a new baby to your family, your relationship with your partner should be set on a firm foundation. During pregnancy, most people focus on the day o...

Thank you for your patience as we've been working behind the scenes to record more episodes of The Birth Nurses Podcast.  Please share this podcast with your friends or family who are pregnant, experiencing new parenthood, or labor and delivery nurses!  Both Shaina and Liz are labor and delivery nurses and childbirth educators in the community. We teach virtual birth, breastfeeding, and...

This is an extension of the last episode about your rights as a pregnant and laboring patient. What happens when there is conflict in the labor room? Shaina and Liz discuss the steps that the nurses and the patients can take to resolve that conflict.  For more information about us and the classes we teach, visit our websites and instagram profiles Shaina instagram.com/preparented www.preparen...

Did you know you have rights as a pregnant person/patient? In this episode, Shaina and Liz discuss the "Pregnant Person's Bill of Labor Rights" as summarized by Baby and Company (2019). This is Part 1 of a 2 part series. A more in depth exploration of these rights and navigating conflict surrounding these rights will be discussed in the next episode.  For more information about the classes we...

In this episode, Shaina and Liz explore the stereotypical idea that the laboring patient MUST be restricted in labor at the hospital. Is this true? Why are there restrictions in labor? Where do the restrictions come from? Listen to this episode and let us know what you think about it by finding us on Instagram and sending us a DM.  Find us on Instagram and the web for more information about the bi...