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Jen Hamilton
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Jen Hamilton
Craving something specific? From global flavors to viral snacks, TikTok has it all. If you can dream it, you can make it right at home. Find your next favorite dish on TikTok.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning the Internet lost its mind and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you friends. Funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Where does your group perform?
Jen Hamilton
We do some retirement homes.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jen Hamilton
But she looked like she was not having a good time and she's like, get this thing out. I was like, okay. So I go to pull it out and I pull it out. I was like, oh my goodness, you probably feel so much better. And she's like, no.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Today's guest is Jen Hamilton. She is wildly popular. She's a labor and delivery nurse with over a decade of experience and a massive Online following. I told some of my friends that I had Jen Hamilton coming on and they freaked out. She's that popular and her whole goal is to pull back the curtain on what really happens in the delivery room. She has a new book out now called Birth Vibes, and it's all about ditching the perfect birth plan and learning how to actually advocate for yourself when things maybe don't go the way that you expected. And so we're going to talk about a lot of that. And I just had a baby. And again, I cannot emphasize to you how excited so many of my friends were about this interview. And you'll see, she's awesome. We talk labor, surprises, postpartum realities, and the biggest myths about birth. And let's do it now. Here she is, the great, the funny, the hilarious, the knowledgeable, Jen Hamilton. Hey, Jen, I'm Bobby. How are you?
Jen Hamilton
Hey, Bobby, nice to see ya.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I want to start with, we just had a baby. First baby.
Jen Hamilton
So congratulations.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Thank you. We're six weeks. Six week baby. Very, very small baby.
Jen Hamilton
You're in it. You're in it right now.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah, we're in it. Which is how you came into my world is my wife is a massive fan and we were just talking about what I found interesting and she said, you should really talk to Jen Hamilton because I have to tell you, I have a fascination now with labor and delivery nurses because we had the greatest one. So that is still what you do, right? Is that your everyday job?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, that's my everyday job. So I still work, I still do this stuff. And it's just like the thing that I love doing the most.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
We went into the hospital and I didn't really know what to expect other than what friends had told me. And I never realized how important and how comforting a great labor and delivery nurse is because I thought we had all these appointments with the doctor and the doctor was great, but the doctor just comes into the close. It's the closer. Like it's you guys that do all the work, all the making us feel comfortable, all the being there. I did not know that until this trip. And so we had the greatest labor and delivery nurse. Is it my first question to you? It's kind of a selfish one. If I wanted to send a gift up to her because she was awesome, is that okay?
Jen Hamilton
Absolutely. I mean, I think that's something that I didn't expect whenever I kind of switched from ER to labor and delivery, because we never got gifts in the er, I'll tell you that. But yeah, I think that it's such a nice thing to do. I'll tell you what means probably the most to her is if you have any pictures with her in it. I think that that's so. I love getting pictures of, you know, of me in action. So if you have any pictures. And then also you can nominate her for, like, a Daisy award if, you know, if she really made your experience awesome. It's kind of like a. A way that labor and delivery nurses can get recognized. But then also, if you just want to give her something tangible. We do. We do, like, snacks and things. And so sometimes people will do that, but you absolutely don't. I know that she would have me tell you, you don't have to do any of those things, but it's so nice that you're thinking about that.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah. I don't feel like I have to. That's why I want to. I'm the kind of person, if I'm told I have to, then I definitely don't want to do it at all.
Jen Hamilton
Right.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
But she was such a game changer because, one, she was great for my wife, meaning it was always calm. Her bedside manner was amazing. But when it was time, like business time, and I did a lot of learning over the past six or seven months, I didn't even know what, you know, being dilated. I know any of that.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
Right?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And so whenever it was, like, time to go, like, 10 centimeters dilated, like, she was, like, focused business, like she did the work. Not that the doctor didn't, but she was there the whole time from the beginning until the end. How many do you think you've done births?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, man, I've been doing it for eight years and, you know, working every weekend. And so sometimes. And sometimes you're in birth that it's not actually your patient either, so maybe like, at least three a day that I. That I'm in. So I don't know. I don't even know the math on that. A whole bunch of babies, for sure.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I feel like everyone thinks their baby is cute. Are there cuter babies than others?
Jen Hamilton
I'll say that some babies have a rough ride. You know, they come into the world and they. They've. They look a little road hard, put up wet kind of thing. Sometimes they're a little swollen in their face or bruised or, you know, and then some babies just shoot out and they look like they, you know, were sent by an angel, you know, but, yeah, some. Some babies have. Have it rough coming in.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
You did ER before labor and delivery. Not. And I understand it's not the same, but not the same at all. Were you doing a completely different kind of. Anybody that comes in, you were taken care of as a nurse?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. So in the er, I. I did not want to take care of anybody who is pregnant because I was afraid that they were going to birth in front of me, and I knew nothing about that. So. ER nurses are very allergic to pregnant people. Like, we very much want them to go somewhere else. So being on labor and delivery, it was very much a learning curve and having to figure out this whole new specialty. But that's. I think the beauty of nursing is that you can go from doing one thing to doing something completely different, still have the same degree.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Whenever you started doing labor and delivery, did it feel like something that you had always been meant to do, or was it something you were good at?
Jen Hamilton
I think it was something that I didn't expect to be good at. Whenever I was in nursing school, I remember on my labor and delivery, clinical thinking like, this sure is a wet place to work. You know, that was. That was. What I remembered most is like, holy cow, there's a lot of fluid here. So I wasn't particularly, like, excited about it whenever I was in nursing school. And me going from the ER to labor and delivery was really, honestly just try to. Trying to escape the er because it was just so emotionally, physically, everything, a lot. And so I think that going into labor and delivery was something that I was unexpectedly excited that I was okay at, because I think that what I was looking for was that connection that I had with people that I didn't really get to do in the er,
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
do you feel the need to make it special for every person, even though you're doing three a day? And to you, it is not. It's not just a job, but you're doing a lot of them, so they all aren't so precious. But to make sure they know how precious it is. Like, is that something you have to do?
Jen Hamilton
I absolutely feel it's such an honor to be with every single person, and I really take. Take it seriously in order to make it special for especially the people who may feel neglected or like, that they wouldn't normally get that experience. So, for instance, someone who doesn't speak English, one of the things that I love to do is I. I give every patient that I care for promises, and one of those promises is I promise to speak to you in the same way that I would someone who speaks my language so that you feel cared for as a friend. So I know that the interpreters where I work sometimes get a little probably frustrated with me because I. I don't just want to know, like, what. How was your pregnancy? Do you have problems? I want to know, like, what's your favorite color? Like, what do you like to eat? What do you like to do? So that I can make that experience as special for them as I possibly can.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Have you had people come in and you were their nurse and they knew who you were from social media?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, it happens so often now. Whenever it first started happening, it was kind of like that moment where I was like, oh, man, this is. This is real. Like, I, you know, there's a lot of people who know me now, but now I'd have to say that in all the. The rooms that I go in, because I'm also a charge nurse and I work in the or, like, I work in a lot of different places, I'd say that there's at least three patients that I'll see at some point in my day that, that do recognize me. And I. I find that such an honor, like, to see on the back end, like, the effect that, you know, me talking about labor and delivery has on people in real life. And so it's such an honor to. To. To meet these people.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
How did it start for you online?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, yeah. So in the pandemic time, I had a lot of boredom, and I was just trying. I mean, I think we were all kind of just like, homeschooling our kids at home and really bored. And so I had a friend that said, hey, why don't you download Tick Tock? Like, this is a really fun app. And I really didn't have any interest in downloading another app because I was already too much online. But since we had a pandemic, I was like, okay, I'll do that. So I first just wanted to be just watching videos, and then my very first video was me pressing the plus button to see what that was all about at the bottom. But it never started with labor and delivery either. I just kind of started making silly videos about being a mom or being a nurse. And then I recognized how many patients were getting their prenatal education from TikTok. And I saw the effects of when they were getting that from somebody who maybe didn't have their best interest at heart, and then thought, if they're getting it from TikTok, I might as well be here helping them. So I started talking more about labor and delivery, too.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Did you have a specific video that popped off the most that made you feel like, there is something to this that you can help people.
Jen Hamilton
Well, I think that the videos that have popped off along the way definitely are videos that maybe didn't have a lot to do with labor and delivery. But then they helped me find people who, who needed some labor and delivery content. So I think that one of them was me swaddling my chickens because I like to swaddle things as a labor and delivery nurse. So, you know, one of those videos had like, I don't know, 43 million views or something crazy. And so a lot of people find me in other ways that don't have to specifically do with the labor and delivery education of it. But then they're like, oh, she also does this other thing. So I did a poll on my Instagram. I was like, hey, how many of you guys follow me because labor and because of labor and delivery? And then how many of you follow me for something else? And it was like the split was like 13% labor and delivery, 87% something else. So, like, other people, people find me mostly through other things and then figure out later that I do labor and delivery.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I see a lot of things about parenthood now that I am a brand new dad in my algorithm and we swaddle our baby and she loves it. But I will see people say swaddling is bad because it restrains them. We don't subscribe to that. But what are your thoughts on that?
Jen Hamilton
So I think everything in moder, there are, there's new stuff coming out right now that, that says that swaddling is not the most awesome. However, it is cute. It is very cute. And sometimes it can help your baby to at least be soothed or comforted, like if they're not having a great time. So I think that as long as you're not, like, you know, swallow them every moment of every day, you know, I think that there, there can be some, some nice stuff with it too.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I'd say we're probably about a total 30 minutes a day in the swaddle.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, yeah, sometimes I just like, I like to be swaddled. You know, somebody swaddle me.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I was watching a video that I thought was really compelling, pretty moving, and someone had, I guess, left a message for you or maybe in DMs about, like, postpartum. They weren't doing well. And again, I have no experience with this until the last few weeks or so. And so I've actually been talking about it with my friends too. And I have one friend whose wife was extremely depressed. We've Been very fortunate as my wife's been very emotional postpartum. But hers has been very, very, very positive, like, so happy that it makes her very, very emotional. I guess my question is, with someone who deals with it a lot, is it just a crapshoot on what's going to happen after you have the baby?
Jen Hamilton
It really just honestly depends. And you never know how it's going to affect you until you meet yourself postpartum. I'll say that I think, at least in my personal perspective, I think that there's a lot of postpartum depression and anxiety that begins from not having an awesome birth experience or one that you truly understand, or having a lot of questions around what happened to you. So I try to do my part with the patients that I take care of and not only making sure that they fully understand what's happening, that they have autonomy over their choices and over their body, but also helping them understand what things they may experience in the postpartum period. As far as looking for those signs of, you know, those intrusive thoughts. And sometimes you think of things that you never, ever thought you would. Like, what if I put my baby in the freezer? Like, of course that's something you're not gonna act on, but it could be if. If you kind of let these things linger. So I let that kind of be like the. The trigger to say, hey, I'm having thoughts that I never thought that I would. Or like, if you feel like you're not even able to relax or you're not able to. To feel joy in these moments that you feel like you. That you normally would, that letting your people around you know how you're feeling, especially letting your care team know how you're feeling and that there are resources available for people. One of the resources that my sister had to use was something called Postpartum Support International, or psi. They have an incredible network of resources to help new moms who are struggling with these feelings be able to get connected to those resources and find a way out. Because, yes, postpartum depression and anxiety and sometimes even psychosis does affect a lot of people, but it doesn't mean that it has to take hold and become such a huge part of your life. Like, there are resources, and the sooner that you recognize that you're feeling off and the sooner you get help, the sooner you can feel better.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Is that something, too, where if you go and you're pursuing medication that there's not, like, a single medication that fixes it? Right. Is it something that at times you may have to bounce around until you find the right thing.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, I mean there's definitely some that they that they can start with or that are more popular than others. But the beauty of getting help is that your care provider can work with you to figure out what the right combination, if there is a combination, or the right medication, the right resources that are available so that you can find what works for you. It's not always a one size fits all.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Let's take a quick pause for a
Jen Hamilton
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Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group? The worst? Yeah, me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
to the group the Yard Birds. Right. That's the name.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
The Harvard Yard. But they're open if you have a name suggestion.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
We're open.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Jen Hamilton
Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions. The stuff we nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls. We break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way, with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kier Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we done enough. Because people, scoreboard wide life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns. Dustin Ross. Cause you find it important to be a good person while you're here on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Cause that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kier Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the Hard Way and listen now.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And we're back on the Bobbycast. We were talking about your book. So when did you decide you wanted to write a book? And how do you know where to start?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, that's a good question. I didn't know that I wanted to write a book. And it wasn't until I had publishers reaching out saying, like, hey, we think you should write a book, that I kind of. My first reaction was like, I don't even write in a journal. I don't know that you want me to write a book. And through that process, I had a friend, had a few friends that had written books and kind of got me with the right people to kind of have my back through this process. And I wrote a sample. And so that sample was just like one chapter of a book that I hoped to write. And. And through that, being able to kind of think about stories that I would want to tell or themes that I would want people to know. And it was so cathartic in being able to write down things that had actually happened to me in real life. Of course, everything is like, HIPAA compliant, but they're. These are all real things that I've experienced as a nurse. But being able to, to write those down and be able to get those out of my head, I feel like is a form of therapy for me. And then also my publisher giving me the freedom to talk in my book, how I talk in real life was so awesome because, like, one of the first things that I had written in my book that got edits back. So what I did, what I would do is, like, I would write a chapter, and then I'd send it to a book coach who would go through and kind of edit it for, you know, Graham and structure and everything. And one of the first edits I got back from her was that I had written Titties in the Wind, and she. She crossed it out and put naked. And I was like, absolutely not. Absolutely not. It is Titties in the wind. Okay? So I write how I talk. I write how I talk to my patients. And so having a publisher that could see past, like, the formality, the professionalism of what you might normally see in a healthcare book, to be able to talk to people how I normally do, was so awesome and so freeing. So I'm very happy with what we. What we ended with.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Where did you grow up?
Jen Hamilton
I'm in North Carolina, so I've always been born. Raised here in central North Carolina.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And where did you go to college for nursing school?
Jen Hamilton
I went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, which has a lot of controversy.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Oh, is that the. Is that the Falwell. The.
Jen Hamilton
Yes. I'm not like. I'm not like them. Okay. I need to say that.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Were you there when that happened?
Jen Hamilton
I was there when the. The little one, Falwell Jr. Yeah. When he took over. Okay. And I knew that when we. So every. Every week, we'd have to go to church, like, three times a week. That was mandatory. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday called convocation, we'd have to go there. So I get there, and bro gets up in front of everybody and says to the boys, look around. If you can't find a wife here, you're a loser. I was like, oh, this is different. So I knew that. I knew there was some weirdness going on from the jump, but you never know to, like. If you ever watch those documentaries or listen to the podcast about it.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah, yeah.
Jen Hamilton
They have some hobbies.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah. That's the pool boy thing, right? The.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah.
Jen Hamilton
Huh.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah. That's wild. Did you meet your husband there?
Jen Hamilton
I met my husband at Victory Junction Camp. Have you ever heard of it?
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
No.
Jen Hamilton
So it's a. It's a camp for kids with chronic and terminal illnesses, and we were both camp counselors there. It's a NASCAR camp. So it's. It was made by Richard Petty's son, Kyle Petty, in honor of. They're of Kyle Petty's son, Adam, and it's like Disney World. So, I mean, the amount of time and money and resources that's put into this camp gives these kids that wouldn't normally have, like, a summer camp experience because they have cancer or diabetes or kidney failure. It gives them a medically safe summer camp environment, and it was amazing. I worked there for three years, and that's where I met my husband and then found out that we actually went to school together.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
As in what school? High school, college.
Jen Hamilton
As in Liberty, as in. As in that place.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
So he did look around and did find a wife, just maybe not at school. Yes, he did.
Jen Hamilton
It wasn't exactly there, but we went back there. Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
What is his relationship with your notoriety now?
Jen Hamilton
He's such, like, a private guy. And the other thing is, I have never wanted to or tried to put my family out in the wilderness like I am. So he interacts with my social media stuff in the way of, like, silent support in the background. You know, like, he. He listens to me. He goes with me to my stuff. But he is very much like, protector and quiet support in the background, but he is definitely not a forefront guy.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I know you guys, when you're doing your job, you're. You're dialed in, you're focused. Have you had an incident? I want to say incident. An instance that it was so positive that it made you emotional?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, for sure. All the time. All the time. And not just, you know, at work, because, like, at work, I'll have those moments all the time. Something that really gets me is when the dads cry. Oh, so sweet. Especially if you have a dad that's, like, really stoic the whole day, and then the baby comes out and they start boohooing. Gets me. But then also, like, seeing people out in the wild who have interacted with my social media stuff, if there's anything that they've had happen to them that I help them through and hearing their stories, it's so. I mean, what an honor it is to hear people's stories when they have had something that I said impact them in any way.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And I'm sure you've done it all. But when a baby's coming out the opposite way. Is that breached? Is that. Is that breach?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, there's a few different ways that they can come out, but breach is the. Is the butt first or feet first.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
So when that's happening, how does protocol change?
Jen Hamilton
Well, a lot of obs in our country are not as comfortable with a baby coming out that way. If you've had a baby before vaginally, and their breach, you may have you may be able to find a doctor who's like, hey, I'm okay with us attempting a vaginal delivery. The. The concern is that the biggest part of a baby is their head. So if you're coming out butt first, you can get, you know, every part of the baby out except for their head. And then obviously, that's an emergency, but there's a lot of doctors who will go straight to, okay, your baby's breech work. We need to have a C section. So I've been in plenty of vaginal breech deliveries. I think they're beautiful and awesome. Of course, they come with risk. C sections also come with risk. So it's just about having a confident OB provider who's going to help you through that process and being able to make the decision that's right for you.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
One of my friends is a singer named Lauren Elena, and her and I were talking about her having her baby, and she said, and there's a clip of it, but she said when her baby was coming out, that it was wrapped up completely in the umbilical cord, like, around her leg, around the baby's neck. How common is that where that happens?
Jen Hamilton
30%.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Oh, it's that common?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of people who, you know, come in to the hospital with very traumatic stories of, like, my baby last time had a cord wrapped around its neck, and it's so, so common. So I think that there can be some trauma from hearing, like, because I think that people think that the baby's being strangled or choked in some way. And it's not necessarily that that's the danger. It's how. So the. The umbilical cord is like the baby's hose of life, right? So it's got three vessels inside. And think of it like. Like a scrunchie. Okay? So, like, it's nice and fluffy here. If I pull it tight, then it. There's less. There's more constriction on those blood vessels. So they can't. They can't get the blood. The oxygenated blood through and the deoxygenated blood back. So it's more about how tightly wrapped that. That cord is. But 30% of babies have a cord wrapped somewhere. And usually what will happen is, like, baby's head comes out. And if we feel. I say we. If the doctor or midwife feels that there's a cord right there around the neck, what they'll do is they'll just gently untangle, and usually all is well. I'm not saying that it can't be dangerous. Right. So if they're tightly, tightly, tightly wrapped in there several times, or if the cord is really short and they're, like, basically bungee jumping from the. From the placenta, like, obviously, that could be not awesome. But most of the time, if a baby has a cord wrapped somewhere, it's not a huge deal. Can be, but not most of the time.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Have you been a part of one where it was surprise twins?
Jen Hamilton
No. But it did happen at my hospital one time. I wasn't in there, but it was somebody that came in with no prenatal care, and the first baby came out, and they said, oh, there's another one.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah, that's crazy. So what do you think? And you may not have official records on this. Have you had a. That's the fastest delivery we've ever had.
Jen Hamilton
Oh, man. I mean, yes. I mean, sometimes people come in and they're riding on what, one butt cheek coming up, and then they. They deliver. Like, as soon as they get there,
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
it just comes out.
Jen Hamilton
Just comes out. I did have the fastest induction I ever had was someone who had been. Sometimes you get put on hold, like, if you're. If you're scheduled for an induction and the hospital doesn't have either the staff or the room, they'll leave you at home for your induction. But there was a girl that had something called a Foley balloon placed in the office to prepare her for her induction. It kind of just gets you going.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Does it open? I learned about this.
Jen Hamilton
It helps open it up. And usually when you're like, 3 to 4 ish centimeters, that Foley balloon will fall out. And they tell you, all right, come to the hospital if it falls out, because that means that your, you know, making change. Well, she came to the hospital for her scheduled induction, and it was still in, but she looked like she was not having a good time. And she's like, get this thing out of me. I was like, okay. So I go to pull it out, and I pull it out. I was like, oh, my goodness, you probably feel so much better. And she's like, no. And then the baby came out right after the Foley balloon. So it. It was just in there, not in place. And then the baby came out right after that. I was like, oh, okay, there's the baby.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
So the balloon was kind of clogging the hole until the baby was ready to come out.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
What about on the opposite side? Have you had any really long ones?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, man. Yeah. The longest induction I ever had was five days. Oh, yeah. Five days. And ended In a C section.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Oh, my goodness.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. I think that there's a lot of people who think that obs are just itching to get you a C section. In my experience, it can be the exact opposite. And sometimes, like, we're not doing them when you might expect someone to have a C section. So a lot of the providers where I work will give you the. The best chance at a vaginal delivery that you can have. While, you know, there's other. It just depends on the doctor. Right. So sometimes you'll have a doctor that goes straight for that at the first sign of trouble, and then you have other doctors who will give you the. The biggest chance at a vaginal delivery. But, yeah, that was a long one I felt for.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And you. But you went home multiple times, Right? Like, you weren't there at beginning and end, right?
Jen Hamilton
Correct. Correct. Yeah.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
You're also toothpicking your eyes open to stay for five days. That would be crazy.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Okay.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
One of my really good friends, Amy, has asked me to ask you three questions. So these are from her. Number one, how did you get the best personality in the world?
Jen Hamilton
Oh, my goodness. That's so sweet. I think that other people have much cooler personalities than I. That's so kind. I guess I have to attribute anything that I have to my. My parentals. I think they did a good job.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Number two.
Jen Hamilton
And then. And then also ER trauma. I think that going through stuff kind of gives you a different kind of sense of humor that other people might not understand. So I think that going through stuff can also make you who you are.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Number two, how excited were you to meet Dr. Beach, Jim 10, on your book tour? I don't know who that is.
Jen Hamilton
It hasn't happened. It hasn't happened yet.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Okay.
Jen Hamilton
I'm so excited. So she is a TikTok pediatrician. She's lovely, and I cannot wait to meet her. She's going to be, like, hosting one of my book tour stops, so I'm very excited.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
The third question is, tell her I'm sorry to hear about her grandmother. Loss is so hard. And her story about her hanging on for life for so many times made her smile on the inside and then cry because she doesn't know you, but she felt like she does.
Jen Hamilton
Oh, that is so sweet. Yeah, I. My grandmother, she passed away last year, but we called her a possum or the possum lady, because this lady kept acting like she was going to die and then pulling through. But not just pulling through, like, okay, I'm going to. I'm going to eat a Bojangles biscuit. You know, like she got kicked out of hospice. I don't know how, how often that happens, but like she was in the hospice house. They're like, oh, she's going to pass away tonight. She stayed there for months. And they're like, okay, you got to go. So, yeah, it was, it was awesome to have that extra time with her. But yeah, we called her the possum lady.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
The Bobby cast.
Jen Hamilton
We'll be right back. Want to keep up with everything trendy?
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
From breaking news to shareable jokes, pop
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Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Singer in the group the Worst. Yeah, me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation?
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
The Yardbirds, right? That's the name.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
The Harvard Yard. They're open.
Jen Hamilton
Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Jen Hamilton
Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions. The stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the hard Way with me, your Host and your favorite therapist, Kir Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we done enough. Because people, scoreboard wise, life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns. Dustin Ross. Cause you find it important to be a good person while you're here on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Cause that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kier Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the Hard Way and listen now.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
This is the Bobby Cat. More kind of clinical, technical questions. What's something you wish that every first time mom knew before going into labor? Something fundamental.
Jen Hamilton
I think that, and this is kind of like a group of things, but I think that having understanding of different intervention choices that you may be offered can help help you inform your decisions going forward. There's so many people who sign up for an induction who have no clue what that means. Sometimes I'll get somebody who signed up for an induction and they, they say, this is going to take like 20 minutes. And I'm like, oh, Lord, we are in trouble. Oh, you have no idea what's about to happen to you. So I think that having some basic understanding of both inductions and then also interventions that may be offered to you can help. If that intervention gets offered, you kind of have some sort of basic understanding of it. So it's kind of like a group of things.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
How long do you think it takes? This is all general, but until after someone has a baby, they start to feel like themselves again.
Jen Hamilton
So individual. But for me, at least for me, I had preeclampsia with my second one, so I look like a sweaty Danny DeVito whenever I was having a baby. So the moment that I was unpregnant and began peeing out the fluid that had plagued me for so long, I felt like Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman. Okay. I felt amazing almost immediately to the point where my husband was like, damn, like, you all right? I felt incredible. I may not have Looked awesome, but man, I felt so good. But then in other, in another pregnancy it took me several weeks to feel like I could put pants on or. And they were still maternity pants. But I think, and I also have, have friends that take months to feel like themselves. And sometimes you just adapt to the new normal of what it means to be the new you. And it doesn't mean that that's anything wrong or bad, but sometimes there is some grief associated with learning who the new you is and kind of grieving the, the old you. Whether that's your body or your lifestyle or the, the things that you enjoyed before, it's. Sometimes it just changes and you get out new things that you enjoy differently.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Do you ever see parents semi panicking when they have to leave because now they have to take the baby home?
Jen Hamilton
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Because you've got a new human and we are now entrusting you to keep that human alive. And there's so much about being a new parent that you don't know. You know, and having to figure that out on your own is terrifying. I remember even when I was, was, I was an ER nurse and we're leaving the hospital and I'm like, y' all trust me to do this because I don't know anything about this. And yeah, I think that in other countries there's a whole lot more support postpartum to kind of make sure that you're, you're getting everything that you need. But in the US we're like, here you go, take it home, it's yours.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah, rub some dirt on it, get back to work. It's crazy. I, I never really had a full understanding of, I think what a woman after she has birth should fairly get as far as being able to stay off work and be paid. Like we have a law that you can't be fired, but you're not getting paid. And if you have to work hourly, you're screwed. And also support. I never as a dude again just had my first kid, but I never really thought paternity leave was something I knew it was something I never really thought of. Something you needed? No. You really need good support there with you to help you for weeks. And you're right. We are so far behind as a country when it comes to covering our citizens maternity and paternity leave. And I had no idea until we had a baby.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. As a, even, I mean like I am a nurse and delivering at the hospital where I work, you know, whenever I had my baby because I had to go out early Because I had preeclampsia. I burned through, you know, a few weeks of maternity leave and ended up having to go back at like, four and a half, five weeks postpartum just because I needed to work to afford insurance. So I. I mean, and this is. I'm a nurse at the hospital where I have my baby. You know, it's so crazy that I needed to do that in this country where you would think that we have amazing, you know, care. And I think we. We have amazing care providers. We have amazing people that want to give the care, but the system is just so broken that, you know, I have patients that say, I need to be discharged tomorrow because I have to go to work tomorrow. Like, it's wild that, you know, some people can't even take a day off of work without feeling like they need to get back in order to make money.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Yeah, That's a whole conversation of, man, we sure do buy a lot of bombs. But we can't take care of our health, our people, with healthcare.
Jen Hamilton
Right, Right.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
That's the second podcast that we'd probably do. So a couple judgment things I'd like for you to judge me on. One, I chose not to cut the cord because. Okay, there's a judgment gap.
Jen Hamilton
Judgment already coming through. Okay, continued. Give me the reasoning.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
So they asked, would you like to cut the cord? To which I responded, is there any literal benefit to me cutting this cord? They said, no. I said, I choose not to feel metal going through human flesh, so I will not cut the cord. If you tell me there is a something about this. For example, I did skin to skin because they told. I learned why that was important. I said, if there's something about cutting the cord that is a bond to my daughter and myself, if I'm in. But if it's literally just me taking metal and going through human flesh about. So I did not cut the cord. I will now accept your judgment.
Jen Hamilton
Okay. Do you regret it? Do you wish that you did?
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
No, I don't want to cut through humans. I don't want to cut through skin. I don't know the benefit of skin, though.
Jen Hamilton
It's just like a rite of passage.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
It's me, you know?
Jen Hamilton
Okay, I'll give you that.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
If they would have said, you need to chew through it so you can really feel the love, I would have chewed through it before. I would have cut it with scissors. Because at least chewing through it, it had been something primal. Yeah, I. I totally passed. How many dads pass on cutting the cord?
Jen Hamilton
More than. More than you would think. But I do often talk them into it sometimes because I think that there's a lot of dads who aren't expecting that question. Or like, we're thinking about it, and then we're like, okay, time to cut the cord. You ready? And then they're like, whoa, whoa, that's not my job. And then we, you know, encourage. So what I like to do is say, where's your phone? We're. We're documenting this moment, you know, So I, I love to video that moment because it is sometimes funny because they're like, like making a face. But, you know, it can be a rite of passage. We had a dad last week or the week before that was like, well, I didn't cut it with the last one. I was like, new tradition, right? You can cut it with this one. So. But I'd say 5% of dads turn us down.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
That's all.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Oh, wow.
Jen Hamilton
I'm very persuasive.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
What if I would have said, I will chew through the cord? Is that allowed?
Jen Hamilton
I mean, I've never seen that happen. I think you would definitely get some looks. I mean, I don't think I can stop you from doing that. I might have my own thoughts about that, but I would keep them to myself. I'm all about informed and empowered decision making. So even if. Even if you decide to do something that I wouldn't, I'd say, you do you boo. That's what I'd say.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Man, that would be crazy to watch someone chew through a cord like through the damn bill. That would be. I would get my phone out and want to record that just for the sake of it. Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor. Protein packed meals in 10 minutes. TikTok's got millions of them. Could you whip one up in under eight?
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Grab the recipes on TikTok and start cooking
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group? The worst? Yeah, Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation to the group?
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
To the group, the Yardbirds? Right. That's the name.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
The Harvard Yardbird. They're open if you have a name suggestion.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
We're open.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Humor me.
Jen Hamilton
I need some jokes to make me seem funny.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions. The stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. With me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kir Gaines. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we done enough. Because people, scoreboard wise, life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Cause you find it important to be a good person while you're here on earth. Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Cause that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search. Learn the Hard Way and listen now.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And we're back on the bobbycast. What are the rules on phones in the room? Because I. I did get in our delivery. The baby landing on my wife's Chest. But I didn't know the rule, so I was just kind of wasn't hiding it, but I knew there were places I didn't need to be. Are there rules?
Jen Hamilton
There are rules. I will say this, I will say no one can make you do anything that you don't want to do. For me personally, so the rules around recording a birth are all about liability for the hospital and everyone involved. For me, if I see, and I might get in trouble for saying this, but like, if I see someone recording during birth, I keep my mouth shut. Like, I don't, I don't personally care. And what I'll tell them is like, hey, I'm not going to say anything. You might have other people that do. Now it does get a little tricky for me because I, I very much like to not be known where I work or like, you know, because that can put me in a, in a dangerous saf safety situation. So I, I'm starting to think more about, like, hey, if somebody puts you on the Internet like you wear in your, your outfit and your badge, like that can be a thing. But I try to hold myself to the standard where it doesn't matter if I'm being recorded or not, I'm going to act the exact same. I'm going to intervene in the way that I need to intervene if something goes sideways. And I feel like sometimes if you have a situation where something's going sideways and the people in the room who are working at are more concerned about whether you're recording or not, instead of doing what needs to happen for the patient, that can look a little yucky too. So I personally don't care, but a lot of people do.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Something I've had to learn about recently is safe sleep. I just thought if you got a baby and it goes to sleep, if you want to go to sleep with it, it makes sense. I can't because if I fall over on the baby, is it, I don't sleep at all. If I have the baby, it doesn't matter. I don't sleep at all. What are the rules of safe sleep?
Jen Hamilton
So they're. I mean, the main thing is not having the baby in the bed with you. There's all sorts of, like, different rules that, you know, people sometimes do, do try to sleep with their babies still. And so there are rules around that also. But I'll tell you that people who would never expect to have to have like a tragic thing happen, it happens. And so me as a labor and delivery nurse who also goes down to the emergency department when we have infants pass away, I go down there and help them kind of make shadow boxes or handprints and footprints of infants that, that, you know, they've. They've been born, they go home, they're with their parents, and then something tragic happens. They come back in and the baby has passed away for whatever reason. I will tell you that most of those are co. Sleeping accidents. Wow. And yeah, and it's. It's parents that never thought. Never thought that it would happen. So. And I'll say, like, before I was a labor and delivery nurse, I could have slept with my kids because I was like, oh, they're sleeping cool. And I, like, put them on my chest and then have, like, pillows on either side of me just so that I didn't turn over. I would never. If I had another baby, which I won't, but if I did, I would never do it just because of what I have experienced as a nurse in helping people memorialize those babies. So it's. It's absolutely tragic when that happens. And I think that the biggest thing is making sure that they're not in the bed with you, that they're on their back and you don't have extra stuff around them, like pillows and blankets and stuff like that, because they can, like, breathe in their own air and then lose some oxygen that way.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Wow. I have a couple more questions for you before we go. What do you think is the perfect hospital bag? I don't know what you've been called that. The birth bag. You know, what do we need?
Jen Hamilton
That's a good question. And it depends on who you are as a person. I talk about this in the book, but it can be so individualized. And you can also show up to the hospital titties in the wind, not a stitch of clothes on you. And we got you. We can take care of you. We've got diapers for you and the baby, you know, but biggest thing, Chargers, man. I can't tell you how many people come in and say, oh, I forgot my charger, and we don't keep chargers. But I'll say, if wearing your own clothes is important to you, you can bring your own birth gown. You can wear whatever you want. We have mama and baby diapers, so you don't really have to worry about that. If you have. I really love it when people bring in, they make these, like, little fans with like a, like, posable legs that you can like, wrap around the hospital bed or kind of, kind of stand up. Those are cool that people bring playlists and Also, if you're making a playlist, do not just do Kumbaya music that you think will relax you. Because I can't tell you how many people make a Kumbaya playlist and they get so angry at the playlist when it's not helping them get through. I, I mean, we need like dmx. We need something like something else, you know, some hype up up music. Make a few playlists in case you don't like the one that you've made. I did have a girl one time that played Twinkle, Twinkle little star for 12 hours.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
No way.
Jen Hamilton
Yes. Yes.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
That's like baby shark vibes over and over again. Like you can't shake it.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. I thought I was gonna go crazy, but I held it together. We got through it, but that was what, that's what got her through. What else can I tell you? We have scratchy towels, like smaller scratchy towels. If you want to bring your own towels, that's cool. You don't have to. Your own pillow. Our pillows. Our pillows are not going to cut it. However, you can make your environment in the hospital feel more like home. Whether that's pillows, blankets, fan scents. If you have like essential oils or whatever you want to do. I think that it, it's more about making your environment feel like home instead of having to make sure you bring 47 baby outfits or all that kind of stuff. All that after stuff. You don't really need it. Also, don't. Don't bring your stroller to labor and deliver. We're not gonna stroll. We're not gonna stroll. You can bring it late, you can bring it later, whenever you're, whenever you're leaving or whatever, but you don't need it. People sometimes bring in, like everything that they've brought for the first 18 years of this child's life into the hospital. We don't need all that.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
You're right about the blankets and the pillows. We luckily took those and very much needed. The pillows were small in the hospital. The blankets were kind of scratchy, but man, it is so cold. And I. It's not my job to complain, but I was freezing. I was trying to get a little nap in. It's hard for me to get a little nap in because it was so cold in that room.
Jen Hamilton
Yep, absolutely. And it's always freezing.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And the couches kind of sucked for me to sleep on, you know?
Jen Hamilton
It's true.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Not made for the man at all, apparently.
Jen Hamilton
No, they're. They make like, dad bed, blow up things now. Have you seen that?
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
No. That's something you buy and take with you.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Oh, I would recommend that then. Okay, here's my advice for the bag. Put in whatever she's talking about, because you'll get there. And they have like, this large pillow that flips down that's kind of the bed, but I'm pretty tall. And it was. Again, it's no comparison, but it's pretty miserable for me, you know? And so, yeah, for the dad. Take the little. Take the blow up.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. I also had. There's a dad that one time figured out that his gaming system would not hook up to our TV. He went out to Best Buy and got a 55 inch screen TV.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
No way. No way.
Jen Hamilton
Yes. And then Karma said, guess what? Because when he opened it up, up, it was cracked. I said, ha, ha. That's what you get. Don't try to bring your 55 inch screen TV in there so you can play your freaking whatever you play on there.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
That's wild, because you won't be there long enough.
Jen Hamilton
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That stuff aggravates me, but it does happen. Don't do that. Don't be that guy.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Congratulations on the book. Like, what. What is it you want people to take from this book?
Jen Hamilton
So my goal is that this book helps you prepare for your birth in a way that builds this cocoon of safety you. So that no matter what happens, you still feel informed, empowered, respected, heard. I think that a lot of people plan their whole pregnancy for a birth that's going to check off a birth plan. And it's so much less about the checkboxes and more about who you are as a person, what you need to feel safe, what you need to feel heard and respected. And so each of the chapters in this book in the first half go over a different vibe that you can think about for yourself so you can personalize your birth experience so that if everything checks off, everything on your birth plan, awesome, Wonderful. We still have this cocoon of safety. That makes it even better. But then also, if your birth goes completely off the rails, that you still can leave that experience having had a more positive experience than if you didn't think about all those other things.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Hey, you said you swaddled chickens. You have chickens in your house.
Jen Hamilton
I have. Well, yeah, I have. Right now, they're outside. But I have a. I. I built. Not. I built. Someone built for me a very fancy chicken coop out there. But up until very recently, I had two chickens at my house. I've had them in my house for years. And then when we built this very fancy lady coop. I wanted to see if they liked it. And they've been having a great time out there, but they, they wore diapers. Did you know that chickens have diapers?
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
No.
Jen Hamilton
Yes, yes, I would give them baths, but they were like special needs chickens, so they got brought in for special needs reasons.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
And so you domesticated special needs chickens?
Jen Hamilton
Yeah, and I would have people reaching out to me because I knew that I, I would do that. And they, I had somebody give me a blind chicken who was being picked on and I, I loved on her up until she died and I had to had her. I called it her sister. Her, her sister was her seeing eye cat, you know, because they just act like cats in my house. They just walk around and so her sister Grits would show her where the food is. And they were just like at, at the hip all day long just walking around. So, yeah, I take in, I take in ones that have been maybe abused by their fellow chicken family members and then I bring them inside and they live a life of luxury.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
That's awesome, Jen. Thank you so much for the time. Congratulations on your book.
Jen Hamilton
Thank you so much.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
I can't wait for you to meet. Hold on, hold on. Let me find the name. Dr. Nope. Yeah, Dr. Beach. Jim 10. I'm really looking forward to.
Jen Hamilton
Yes, me too, Jen.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Thank you. Congratulations and hopefully we'll run into each other sometime soon.
Jen Hamilton
All right, thanks, Bobby.
Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
All right, bye, Jen. Thanks for listening to a Bobbycast production.
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Bobby (Bobbycast Host)
Come join our sweat sesh on TikTok.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Last night a blown call changed the game. This morning the Internet lost its mind and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story of behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
On TikTok, another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious kids guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and Head writer Streeter Sidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.
Timbo (Sports Slice Host)
Where does your group perform?
Jen Hamilton
We do some retirement homes.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
What's up guys? This is Clifford Taylor the fourth and on my podcast the Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an Internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, they know these kids. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.
Robert Smigel (Humor Me Host)
What?
Kier Gaines (Learn the Hard Way Host)
Time out quarterback on office blue 42. Hey ref, momma want you to weigh better. What? Where's she at? Hey Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the I iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Jen Hamilton
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed.
Episode: Labor & Delivery Nurse Jen Hamilton Shares Birth Stories, Judging Bobby for Not Cutting the Cord & New Mom Advice
Date: May 12, 2026
Host: Bobby Bones
Guest: Jen Hamilton
This episode features Jen Hamilton, a charismatic labor and delivery nurse, social media personality, and author of "Birth Vibes." The conversation explores the realities of birth, the role of labor and delivery nurses, postpartum truths, common myths, and tangible advice for new parents. Jen and Bobby delve into Jen’s personal experiences, viral TikTok journey, and how her new book empowers women to advocate for themselves during birth.
On making every birth special:
"I absolutely feel it's such an honor to be with every single person, and I really take it seriously in order to make it special..." — Jen Hamilton (09:17)
On postpartum self-discovery:
"You never know how it’s going to affect you until you meet yourself postpartum." — Jen Hamilton (15:09)
On parental panic leaving the hospital:
"Oh yeah...because you’ve got a new human and we are now entrusting you to keep that human alive." — Jen Hamilton (41:46)
On US maternity leave:
"I had to go back at like, four and a half, five weeks postpartum just because I needed to work to afford insurance. And this is—I'm a nurse at the hospital where I have my baby." — Jen Hamilton (43:11)
On the “rite of passage” of cord cutting:
"It's just like a rite of passage...But, I'd say 5% of dads turn us down." — Jen Hamilton (45:27, 45:48)
On safe sleep:
"Most of those [infant deaths after discharge] are co-sleeping accidents...and it's parents that never thought that it would happen." — Jen Hamilton (53:41)
In this enlightening and warm interview, Jen Hamilton demystifies childbirth, addresses social media misconceptions, provides direct and empathetic parent advice, and champions self-advocacy and personalized care. Her humor (“titties in the wind”), open storytelling, and practical wisdom make this episode both educational and comforting for new and expecting parents.
Recommended for: Expectant parents, new moms and dads, anyone curious about the realities behind birth, and fans of honest, funny, and empowering health content.