The Birth Nurses
Episodes
107 You don't have to be afraid of your baby!
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz and Shaina discuss the patterns they're seeing in new parents: anxiety and fear about doing something wrong instead of playin...
106 Postpartum Care and the Nursing "shortage"/crisis
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz, who is on the bargaining team and represents her nursing union, discusses the challenges that nurses face especially in the post...
105 D-MER. When Breastfeeding is the Source of Dread
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
D-MER or Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex is a condition where the let down reflex, which typically causes feelings of love and bonding toward your baby...
104 - Review of THE PIT episode with the obstetrics scene
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you watched The Pit? We, especially Liz, are fans! BUT there were some problems with the episode that had the obstetrics scene in the ER. Take a ...
103 Bottle Refusal-- what it is and what to do about it!
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shaina discusses how in her practice recently she has seen an uptick in babies refusing bottles! As an IBCLC, she talks about why this might happen, h...
102 "Wait, What did you say?" -- The dangerous side of social media
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We took an entire episode to unpack an instagram post. Yep, you heard that right! We read an upsetting thing on a social media post and wanted to set ...
101 Atoosa Benji -- Interview with Midwife and Doula Trainer
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What a treat for us to interview Atoosa Benji! She is a prominent part of the birth community in Los Angeles because of her compassion, cultural aware...
100 Maternal Mental Health-- Interview with Mincy Moody, Part 2
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here's part 2 of our interview with Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Mincy Moody. This episode focuses on medications, obstetrics + mental health, P...
099 Maternal Mental Health --Interview with Minci Moody, Part 1
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz and Shaina interviewed Mincy Moody, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner about maternal mental health. The landscape is changing for ...
098 Antidepressants and Breastfeeding
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about answering the question: is it safe to breastfeed and take antidepressants? Shaina and Liz discuss this and go through an imp...
097 Antidepressants in Pregnancy. Are they safe?
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and Shaina discuss the prevalence of clients taking antidepressants in pregnancy as well as the protocols and standards of care practiced at the h...
096 Interview with Midwife Naomi Drucker, Los Angeles Midwives
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode has been a long time coming! Liz and Shaina interviewed midwife Naomi Drucker of the Los Angeles Midwives. She explains her journey to be...
095 Tests After Baby Is Born
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes lab tests are run AFTER the baby is born to determine what happened during birth, especially if there was an unexpected illness or the baby ...
094 Does AI have a place in Birth and Breastfeeding?
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI....we're all trying to figure out how it can enhance our lives or perhaps negatively impact our lives. Liz and Shaina discuss what they WOULD u...
093 Postpartum Things...(A Pain in the Butt)! Everything you ever needed to know about Hemorrhoids
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Has there ever been a podcast episode about hemorrhoids? If not, then this is the first one you'll listen to! This is a common postpartum occurrence, ...
092 Nurse Strikes-- the RN kind ;)
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When there's inappropriate staffing or unfair compensation at a hospital, unionized nurses may strike outside of their hospital. Liz explains so w...
091 Nursing Strikes--The Baby Kind ;)
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shaina explains that some babies will refuse to breastfeed, also known as a "nursing strike." She talks about why this happens and what to d...
090 Reminder: What nurses do
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps we're feeling a bit underappreciated?? But nevertheless, we wanted to talk about all the things your labor and delivery nurse is doing whi...
089 Be Our Guest
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a patient or a guest at the hospital? Liz and Shaina discuss this new vernacular that is entering the hospital world and their thoughts/ feeli...
088 Violence/Safety in the Workplace
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What better way to start off the new year than with an episode about workplace violence!! Ha! Liz and Shaina discuss how nurses currently deal with vi...
087 Our Holiday Wish List
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a little bit of sass ;) Shaina and Liz say what they wish for this holiday season. Maybe you can give them something on their wish list!! Take a ...
086 MASTITIS dun dun DUN!
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The holiday season is amongst us, which means if you're lactating, you may be at risk for mastitis. Listen to this episode (and take notes!) to know h...
085 Ultimately, All About Ultrasounds
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and Shaina use research to discuss the routine use of ultrasounds and if frequent ultrasounds are necessary or perhaps harmful for the pregnant mo...
084 Does Your Nurse Have the Skillzzz??
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz and Shaina discuss their ongoing education and certifications needed to maintain their nursing licenses. We invite you to email ...
083 Nurse chat/Informed consent.
02 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This one is for the nurses! But even as a patient or future patient in Labor and Delivery, it's helpful to know what your nurse is thinking about and ...
082 Gadgets and Tools, and Apps, Oh My!
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Shaina and Liz discuss the ever-growing market of baby gadgets, tools, and apps that new parents buy or are tempted to buy. Listen to...
081 The "C" word: Colic
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Has anyone ever "diagnosed" your baby with Colic? News flash! Colic is NOT a diagnosis. It's a symptom. There's likely something else going on. Shaina...
080 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Insurance Coverage for Lactation
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shaina discusses with Liz what it looks like to accept insurance for lactation services. There are many positive things about this, of course! But Sha...
079 Postpartum Support- Who is right for you and your family?
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and Shaina care SO MUCH about postpartum support. There are many options for who you hire/invite into your home. How do you know who is right for ...
078 Trigger Words in Labor and Delivery and Breastfeeding
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are certain words in the birth and breastfeeding world that are triggering, right?! Liz and Shaina talk about each of those words and strategies...
077 Expectations in the delivery room. What's realistic for YOU?
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, we've noticed that some unrealistic expectations have been creeping into our client's minds in regards to what their birth story wil...
076 Precipitous Birth. How fast can labor ACTUALLY be?
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably heard a story or two of someone giving birth in 2-3 hours start to finish, but are they ACTUALLY telling the truth? Listen to Liz ...
075 Bottle Feeding a Breastfed baby
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shaina, IBCLC (lactation consultant) explains her top tips for introducing a bottle and maintaining a baby's bottle feeding skills who is primaril...
074 All about Oxytocin--the hormone and the medication
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and Shaina discuss all the ways that oxytocin affects your labor. How do you encourage your natural oxytocin? What necessitates synthetic oxytocin...
073 Nipple Pain OUCH! Why it happens and How to deal!
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shaina Brickner, the resident lactation consultant of The Birth Nurses, discusses the not-so-pleasant subject of nipple pain as it pertains to breastf...
072 Behind the Scenes of Labor and Delivery: Acuity and Staffing
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nurses talking about Nursing. In this episode, Liz and Shaina give a sneak peak of the behind the scenes on the labor and delivery unit. They discuss ...
071 Deep Dive Into Induction of Labor
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you are thinking of being induced or already have an induction planned and scheduled, LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE FIRST! It's one of our longest ep...
070 I just don't want to get sued! Interview with Attorney and Author Gina Mundy
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Calling all L&D NURSES!! Listen to this episode!! Gina Mundy is an attorney who specializes in childbirth cases. She defends the labor and deliver...
069 Birth Bit: C-Section Recovery
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As most of you know, Liz is currently working as a full-time staff labor and delivery nurse. With her years of experience, she shares everything you n...
068 Breastfeeding Bit: LOW MILK SUPPLY
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked about over-producers, but what about those who struggle to make enough milk? There is always a reason, and that's the main takeaw...
067 The Partner's Part in L&D
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is probably the most awaited episode in this series! What should your partner be doing while you're in labor? In this episode, Liz and Shaina...
066 The Partner's Part in 3rd Trimester, with guest Isaac Brickner
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This was a VERY special episode because Shaina's husband Isaac joins the show to talk about how he supported Shaina in the 3rd trimester of her pr...
065 The Partner's Part in 1st and 2nd Trimesters of Pregnancy
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We talk so much about what to expect during the birth process, but what about pregnancy?! And what about how your partner can help? This episode zooms...
064 Breastfeeding Bit: Tongue Ties
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This may be a new topic for you or maybe you've heard people talk about it like it's a "fad." In this episode, Shaina Brickner IBCLC...
063 Birth Bit: C-Section Prep
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a short and sweet episode about c-section prep! If you're expecting to have a c-section, you're going to want to listen to this epi...
062 Does Birth Education Change Birth Outcomes? Interview with Suzzie Vehrs
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and I had the privilege of interviewing a fellow birth educator and doula, Suzzie Vehrs! She was WONDERFUL and even taught us some new things abou...
061 All About Pushing-- Q&A with Liz and Shaina
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We took a hint from our audience-- you all--and saw that the most listened to episode of ours was the one about pushing! Here's a brand new episod...
060 Combo Feeding--What is it and How Does it Affect My Milk Supply?
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're planning to breastfeed, you most likely want to know a way for other people to help and participate in feeding your baby with a bottle. ...
059 Birth Bit: Advocacy
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 advo...
058 Breastfeeding Bit: Is Your Baby Getting Enough Milk?
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
057 Birth Bit- Bishop Score. Do you have a "favorable cervix"?
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 someon...
056 Birth Bit- Informed Consent. Are you being FULLY informed before you give consent?
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we do short episodes like this called "Birth Bits" or "Breastfeeding Bits." Today's episode is about Informed Consen...
055 Breastfeeding Bit-- Flange Sizing for your pump!
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that pumping shouldn't hurt? Shaina Brickner, IBCLC discusses a relatively new concept in the breastfeeding world--- getting fitted f...
054 Breastfeeding Bit- How to Choose a Breast Pump
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 evoluti...
053 How to Prepare Financially For a Baby, with guests Jeff Pauls and Grace Lee
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
052 Breastfeeding Bit: Power Pumping. Is it necessary for you to do?
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
051 Birth Bit: Hospital Transfer--Unexpected, but Prepared for Anything
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
050 Breastfeeding Bits: Engorgement! Could these things be any bigger???
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
049 Breastfeeding Bit: Cluster Feeding. Will this ever stop?
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 y...
048 How Prenatal Yoga Can Prepare You For A Smooth Labor and Birth. Interview with Deb Flashenberg
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 instr...
047 Breastfeeding Bit --Oversupply
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
046 Birth Bit --the admission process
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
045 Is it possible to have home birth vibes in a hospital setting?
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 hosp...
044 Rapid Fire Q&A about Birth and Breastfeeding!
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
043 Support through Pregnancy and Postpartum, Interview with Anhoni from Mrs. Patel's Lactation Treats
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
042 Relationships in the labor and delivery room pt. 3
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 disc...
041 Advocating for Yourself in Labor and Building a Relationship with Your Labor Nurse
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is part 2 of our series discussing relationships in the workplace. This episode is specifically about the relationship between the labor nurse an...
040 Relationship Between Nurses and OBGYNs Part 1
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, n...
039 What Does Fascia Have To Do With Labor and Delivery? Interview with Marya Eddaifi BSN, RN, RNC-OB, CPT
15 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are people with muscles, bones, ligaments, connective tissue, and most importantly, FASCIA. Our guest Marya Eddaifi, serving as a military nurse in...
038 Best Practices for the Second Stage of Labor: Pushing
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 fo...
037 Breastfeeding After a C-Section
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 + ...
036 Liz's Tips for Avoiding Induction of Labor
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ha...
035 Shaina's Top Tips for Breastfeeding
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
034 The Ins and Outs of Surrogacy: Liz and Lauren's story
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger warning: This episode mentions miscarriage and infertility issues. I (Shaina) interviewed Liz and her cousin Lauren about how Liz was a gestat...
033 Should A Hospital Be Rated Like A Hotel? A discussion about HCAHPS scores and if they truly reflect customer service at a hospital
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you're a healthcare professional, then you've probably heard of HCAHPS and are collectively groaning with your colleagues throughout America. HCAHP...
032 Evidence-Based Birth Education and Practice
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard this buzz word: "Evidence-based practice" or "evidence-based birth"? In this episode, Liz and Shaina break down what that actually mean...
031 Seven Tips for a Low-Intervention Birth
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Having a hospital birth almost automatically signs you up to have some interventions done during your birth. There's evidence to show, though, that di...
030 A Last Minute Change to a Home Birth After 3 Hospital Births, Interview with Sunny Barach
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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! ...
029 Preparing for Birth in Pregnancy
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Liz and Shaina discuss how to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for birth. We are very strong advocates for taking a birth class, but ther...
028 Interview with Lindsay about her childhood, motherhood, and more.
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
027 Birth Education for ALL!
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
026 Finding Your Voice in Nursing with Lori Hammond
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
025 Advice For New Nurses
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
024 Nurses on Nursing: The Appeal of Bedside Nursing, interview with Jessica, RN
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 he...
023 Nurses on Nursing: Late Career Change to Nursing-- Interview with Fred Hammond
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
022 Nurses on Nursing: We're Not Florence Nightingale
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
021 Your Pelvic Floor And Birth/Postpartum: Interview with Bre Stuhlmuller PT, DPT
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We interviewed Bre Stuhlmuller PT, DPT about pelvic floor physical therapy, especially as it relates to labor and birth. Bre works at Origin in Brentw...
020 Collaborative Care with Dr. Shulman, OBGYN
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
019 Postpartum Real Talk with Sunny
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
018 Mom Life Real Talk- Interview with Sunny
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
017 Holistic Care as You Become a Mother, interview with Dr. Phabillia Afflack, MD
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
016 Educating Yourself for Birth, Interview with Brittany Sharpe McCollum
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What an honor to interview Brittany Sharpe McCollum of @blossomingbelliesbirth! She is based in the Philadelphia area and is a doula, childbirth educa...
015 Intimacy With Your Partner in Parenthood, Part 2
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz and Shaina interview Nicole Barkhordari of @nicolecolleencoach and focus more on the postpartum period. How do you talk to your p...
014 Intimacy with Your Partner in Parenthood : Interview with Nicole Barkhordari Part 1
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Liz and Shaina interview Nicole Barkhordari--an LMFT/sex therapist in LA County. She specializes in helping couples "Level Up" their ...
013 A Brief Intermission
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 podca...
012 More considerations about your rights in labor (part 2)
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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? ...
011 What are your rights? (Part 1)
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 sum...
010 Why Must I Be Restricted in Labor??
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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? Wh...
009 A Picture of Postpartum
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're giving you a picture of the postpartum unit and helping you understand postpartum expectations. Please rate and review us on iT...
008 The Ethical Dilemma of Laboring Women
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This might feel like a little slap on the wrist to you pregnant ladies! There is a major issue that has been occurring in the labor and delivery units...