Birth Advocacy, Switching Nurses & Breaking Cookie-Cutter Care with MamaNurseTina

This week, Nikki welcomes Tina, aka MamaNurseTina: a labor and delivery nurse, mom of four, content creator, and aspiring stand-up comedian who's on a mission to empower women through birth and postpartum. With years of experience in emergency and labor & delivery, Tina brings an insider's perspective on hospital birth culture, patient advocacy, and why "be kind but firm" might be the most important advice you'll hear. Together, they dive into the reality of cookie-cutter hospital births, why asking questions doesn't make you a difficult patient, and even tips on switching nurses if you're not vibing in the delivery room. Tina shares practical scripts for advocating in labour, why cervical exams aren't always necessary, and how proper prep work can transform your birth and postpartum experience. This is a fun one! Tina shares: The reality of "cookie-cutter" hospital births and why interventions become automatic You can switch nurses—here's the exact script for how to ask without being "difficult" "Need to know" vs. "nice to know" cervical exams and the two questions every provider should answer How to be "kind but firm" when advocating and why the BRAIN acronym helps with decisions Consent can be withdrawn at any moment—even mid-exam—and why this needs to be in training Why Black moms face unique challenges advocating (3x maternal mortality rate) and how tone matters The failure of breastfeeding support: we promote it but don't provide accessible lactation services or adequate maternity leave Why prep for postpartum and breastfeeding matters just as much as your birth plan Ways to Connect with Tina: Instagram: @mama_nurse_tina TikTok: @mama_nurse_tina Breastfeeding Course: bumptolatch.com