Mama Nurse Tina on Birth Trauma, Breastfeeding & the Truth About Postpartum

0:04 I always say something will come out of your body and I won't be able to tell you which hole it came out of. Welcome back to the Running wind Mom podcast. I'm your host, Samantha s Lindsay to the Running Wine Mom, they say that in life, there are people who see the mess and walk away, and then there are those who see the mess, grab a pery bottle and find a way to make you laugh through the chaos. My guest today is the latter. She's spent seventeen years in the front lines of the er before finding her true calling in the beautiful, unpredictable world of labor and delivery. Today, she is the mother of four, a certified breastfeeding specialist, and the hilarious, unfiltered voice behind Mam and Nurse Tina. With a community of over one point five million people, she is stripping away the pincher's perfect facade of motherhood to give us raw, blunt and much needed truth about birth bodies and the healthcare system. So here to help us decrease birth trauma and increase our own power, Please we'll come to the show. The woman who makes us feel in our messiest moment, Tina Potanko Oh.

1:06 That was quite the intro. I feel like it was just my head and it's just getting larger and larger. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. You know, we met at the Prago Exo and I just you're hilarious and I can't believe, like the world of nursing and humor is just something that everybody needs. I feel, hm, I do too, like some people, I think, I mean, you can tell right away if they're like such a straight shooter, but I think for the most part it's appreciated. Like nursing, we see people usually in some of their most stressful times in most departments emergency for labor and delivery for sure. So I think that little like sprinkling of comedy or humor can really make it a little bit, a little bit more palatable for them in those moments.

1:46 Yeah, so let's get into it. So you spent seventeen years in the er before transitioning into labor and delivery, and in the er people are usually trying to stay in their bodies. Labor and delivery, they're trying to get someone out. What was that like aha moment where you realize your heart belonged in the delivery room. Yeah. Yeah, So I've been nursing seventeen total. The first chunk of it was and then since twenty twelve, I went to labor and delivery. And when I was in school, it was always like I wanted to be either labor and delivery or emergency and you get to the end and you sort of have to pick which way you want to go, And so I ended up going the emergency room wrote which I'm actually really glad is that's the one I went to first. It was incredible, like it gave me a ton of experience, It gave me sort of more ability to speak to people in those really stressful, vulnerable moments, really good head to toe, great stuff going on, and emerged. It just became like I really wanted to give people the time and the care that they deserved. And the way that our emergency rooms in Canada work, it's like you just don't have the luxury of that with each person, Like you just can't spend that much time with them because there is a lineup of people that need your help. So what would happen is people would come in to have a baby, and most people in an emergency and you are saying they run away. They're like, don't we don't do the pregnancy stuff down here, No, thank you. But I would always run to it. I was able to, like go, I would hear it over the and I would run to it because I just thought it was so incredible, Like it was it was so cool, right, and I said, you know what, it's maybe it's time maybe, Because then they would leave the department. I'd be like, oh, look, I want to I want to go to come back.

3:15 Yeah. I went to labor and delivery in twenty twelve, and it's just been the most incredible thing. Like it's I'm like, this is it? Like this is it for me? I'll die here. I know. It's always funny watching the videos of people going into trauma, the nurse videos of what you end up doing where it's like going in trauma, they're like, you know, that's going to labor and delivery now, and how you kind of have to choose your you know, your area because especially cool. I think those two have a lot of similarities in that gets usually quite fast paced. You never know what you're going to be doing, even in labor and delivery, like you're you're helping people have babies. But there's different areas of labor and delivery within it's like a little ecosystem of its own, similar to emergency, like you see all sorts of things. There's you're not just helping people have babies. You're seeing them in triage, if they're having concerns in their pregnancy, they're doing unwell, you're in the operating room, you're scrubbing it on C section. So it's a really cool, diverse area to work and that's I think why a lot of people find it and they stay with it.

4:13 Awesome. And so you're a nurse to thousands and a mom to four. If your kids had to give you a performance review of your parenting, maybe let's just say this week, what would the top pro and con bey the. Pro would probably be. So we have the same We have this thing where it's called the trifecta. So if we're out driving around and in a ten second span of time we see a Tesla, a Mini Cooper, and a BW Bug or a punch buggy, then we get ice cream. So we'll see one and then we'll see a second one. It's always the third one that causes us problems. It's usually the punch buggy, so we'll start like really slowly counting down to ten. Anyway, twice in the last week we've actually hit the trifecta and it's been really sunny and lovely out so we've been able to kind of walk and go get ice cream twice. So that's that's I mean, that was my I don't know what their highlight was. And then usually throughout the day, you know what. Actually, yesterday I had to take my little guy for a fill, so that's probably his like f on my report Carding's like, how dare you take me to get a filling in my mouth? But I usually I am pretty crusty towards the end of the day, like I'm tapped out, I'm really tired, So we try to make that as fun as possible. But sometimes I think probably bedtime is probably an F grade after we do the fun stuff and I'm like, it's okay, that was it. That was my last my last squeeze of like I'm a great mom. Now I'm a tired mom, and I'm yeah, or nine.

5:25 Nights, I get it. Bedtime is my least favorite, and I always that is like the one time I do feel like guilt around parenting because I'm like, I just hate putting you guys to bed. It's just not I do everything else, but bed time is not. You're just like you're just tapped out. There's like literally minus five in the take. I'm like, come on, and it's like, oh, this is so nice. But then for me it's like, Okay, that was nice. Now you need to go to bed. So anything after that is like. Oh lord, I know thinking I'm going to take the car thing into consideration. I'm definitely gonna do that with my kids. That'll be really fun. It's fun. Yeah, we from another family and I was like, I love that, right, and it's it is pretty like it is rare to see all three of them for some reason.

6:07 But yeah, twice, we hit it twice in the last week. So I love the Smores blizzard from dry Heart like in a grip hold. So I love that. So so good. Now, so you have built a following of over a million people for being hilarious. What is one thing that about I know about childbirth that is so ridiculous we might have to laugh about it or else you will never do it again. Yes, I think really the whole like as a whole. It's it's pretty wild, like if you think about it as a whole, like you you are growing this person, and it's sort of like it's so calm and it takes so long until it doesn't and then it's like, oh my god, I'm going to give birth in like a week. What the hell? How did that happen? Because in the beginning it takes so long. But I think I think you have to laugh about the whole of it because it's so unpredictable that people, I think will get in their own heads about it and I'll be like, this is how it has to go, and then it doesn't maybe go that way, and then it's like just a whole, well a little bit of a circus, a little bit of a circus, and there's body fluids and sounds, and I think the sounds are what people need to Like, I always say, something will come out of your body and I won't be able to tell you which hole it came out of. Could be either either one.

7:14 I don't know. I love that, but it's good. But it's like it's very it's like it's unmistakable. You're just like and everyone just kind of looks at each other. So usually I'll just be like, oh, excuse me, excuse me. I love that you need someone like you in there, saying that I will be able to. Tell you which one. I don't know which hole came out of one of them, yeah, one of the two. But it's good things moving down, moving out. We like it down and out come on. Yeah, Oh my gosh, I love that. So we are the running wine mom. If Mom and Nurse Tina with a type of wine, would you be a bubbly prosecco, a bold cab or a chilled rose that has been sitting on the counter for three hours because you got distracted or something else. That's probably it's probably the third. I was gonna say that.

7:56 Don't don't hate me, but I don't actually like wine. I know, I know, I know. I haven't tried the right wine. I love though. Vanilla vodka. That is the drink that I would be. It's like it's like, uh, like calm on the surface, sassy underneath, and then it would be like she'll really screw you over in the end if you if you have too much abrig you'll be like that was too much, that was too much of that booze. That's kind of how I am. Like, that was too she was too much. That is I love it though with a dike I was gonna say that is what I am tasting with a diet coke, like it is the scariest combat. And then you just, yeah, just drink it because at first you're like I love this, and you're like, oh my god, I may have had too much of this. Yeah, it goes down too weirdly. So something something that you talk about a lot, is decreasing birth trauma. When you see a woman walk into the hospital, what do you think one thing you wish you could say in her ear to make her feel more powerful and maybe less like a patient.

8:53 Yeah, I think sometimes with how tight people can make their birth plans, it sort of takes the spontaneity out of the event. And I know that we love I'm a planner. I love planning. We love to plan. It's great. But sometimes really really tight birth plans can lead to birth trauma on their own, not because it didn't go your way, but if you have such tight parameters on your expectations and something maybe goes slightly different, maybe it's even a better outcome than it could have been because it didn't go like you tightly planned it. That can lead to birth trauma. So I always say, like, you know, it doesn't take a huge catastrophic event for someone to walk away with birth trauma. In most cases, it's like they didn't feel like they were part of the story, part of the communication, and that led to birth trauma even though everything went amazing, but it just something happened in the way that felt like they weren't a part of it. So I always love so. Jen Hamilton is one of my favorite labor and delivery creators. She's a lovely human being, and she said something that changed my career, Like early on in my social media she said, like she'll look at a patient who is maybe nervous or scared, and she just says to them, it's okay that you're scared, because I'm not. And it's like she said that him, he's like God, Like, so you know, right, well, you can use that for patients in any department, but you can use it as a teacher, as a police officer, as a paramedic, as a parent. Like it's so I think it's so reassuring for someone to just be told like point blank outright like I got you, Like, it's okay that you don't got you because I and then they like they can just like take a breath and be like, oh well, okay, let's all right, let's do this.

10:23 Then she said that I call it a Hamilton hack. I just put it right in my bucket and I have used it in so many places in life. And my husband is an emergency room position. I remember one day he came home. He's like, hey, I used your Hamilton hack today. I told this young your gun And I said, and how did they react? And he said yeah, it was like almost like he looked at me and was just took a big breath and you could see it like exiting his body and he was like, okay, man, all right good. So that's something I love to say. Yeah. It's so simple, but it's so powerful because that is sometimes all you need is someone just like I'm I got you, like and you're like, okay, you're right. Let you are an expert. You got it. Yeah, Like now you focus on taking it in and I'll focus on everything else, you know.

11:05 Yeah. So what is the most common fear you see in first time moms today that you think is actually like a social media lie group or just see. Sorry I got you. I'm like the baby. It does happen. It definitely do just me. It just means a baby is moving down. I think that their social media is tricky, I think in all aspects of life, but in healthcare especially just because you can get into a bit of a rabbit hole. So if you search up like it's One example is the vitamin K shot after babies are born. There's like this this huge dialogue going on online that this is a terrible thing for your babies. But I think if you were to search up like vitamin K black Box Morning or vitamin K bad for babies, you would get like one video and then you would just get video after video after video of people supporting that narrative. It's like almost that that that's right. So I think it's great for information, but I also think it can be really really hard. So the biggest things that I see that are that are a floating around online is the vitamin K injection for babies and it's terrible for our babies, which is not true at all. The glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes. Again, there's been groups of people online who have latched onto this and are telling people it's just terrible for you, and that can lead to like mis cases of gestational diabetes, which is really serious. So those are two big, big ones that I see that that are fears that are unlike, that are not based in truth, that are not based in evidence. So I always say to people, if you have concerns, please take the information that you see and you hear, and take it to your trusted provider and then use that as a place

12:36 to start a conversation with them, because if you've chosen them and you have rallied with them, like, they will have your best interest at heart, and they will know what is appropriate for you and your specific pregnancy. And then hopefully they're open and receptive and they can discuss as to why that is, yeah, that's supported with some evidence, or that's supported with anecdotal evidence, or or that's totally belogny like, so they'll be able to sort of sift through it with you. But I think it's important that people realize that they shouldn't be sifting through it necessarily alone. When it comes to big medical decisions. A lot of people don't realize that there are people online that have no medical credentialing, which is fine, like you're I mean, you're allowed to sing your praises from the rooftop. But I mean, if something happens because you've taken that advice, like there's absolutely no nothing on them, Like, nothing will fall back on them. There's no liability, there's no responsibility, there's no license to remove because they gave you information that was falsified. So I always caution people to sort of look at who they're talking to. I tend to be very very cautious about things I talk about online because if somebody did take that advice and then they decided that I was at fault for their negative outcome, like that could be a massive problem for me in my life.

13:43 Yeah. So yeah, just yeah, be cautious, Be cautious. So how does that like work as you as a you know, certified professional, if like one of your videos, like someone could kind of come to you and say, oh, I learned this from you know. From Yeah, that's solid question. That's the crazy A little bit of a yeah, we well west out here. I mean, people can lodge complaints. There's people out there saying all sorts of all sorts of wild things. But again there's no they're not They're not regulated or monitored by any sort of a governing body. So it's like they could just say what they want when they want to, and it's like okay, But then because somebody people say things with their whole chest and then people are like, yes, they are so right because they sound right. But I'm like, you gotta do just a loud boy. Oh yeah. So most people that I know that are that have medical degrees or they are licensed, or they are a licensed professional, even though nurses aren't professionals anymore. Let's just so you know.

14:40 But anyway, I don't think are I also teach don't worry chiropractice chiropractors are don't worry. We're gonna be ever in alignment that chiropractors are professionals. So yeah, I think you have to be cautious because if you just spew information that can cause harm to you or your baby, like there's no there's nothing to fall by. So yeah, I would say bring it to your trusted professional, who is going to be a licensed professional that is regulated, that is run code of ethics. Yeah. Question, So not to stay on the negative but we know healthcare system is strained from the inside. What's one thing about modern maternity care that kind of keeps you up at night and you wish maybe it could change. Yeah.

15:25 I really struggle with like systems that are bulging at the seams. So when we have these departments that are just there's just so many people giving birth and the communities around those the facilities have expanded, but the resources have not expanded to match the population, because then we run into issues with I think situations where maybe people are being induced that maybe didn't need to be induced, or maybe we're rushing the process when if we just gave the body a little bit of time, things might progress differently. So yeah, I struggle with being told, you know, like you gotta, yeah, what's what's happening with her? Like what are we at? What are we doing? Like how is she progressing? And I'm like, I don't know, Like she's she's comfortable, she's contracting, she's moving, like she's doing all the right things right, It's like, yeah, but we three people over there that need to come over to have babies, So that like stresses me out a little bit.

16:15 I don't It's not my favorite thing in the world. So I do my best to sort of push back where I can within reason. It's tricky because it sort of ends up being a bit of a cookie cutter situation sometimes where it's like everybody's going to do this, and then everybody's going to do this because that's just what we do, that's how we roll, and I think there are a lot of situations where people would benefit from coming outside of that cookie cutter and really experiencing things the way that their body wants to experience. So that's where I sort of feel like it's important for people to prepare. Of course it's important. Information is power, but it's also important for you to build a really strong village that you're going to have with you when you give birth. Because a lot of times I said, I always say I have a really strong personality, but like when my blood pressure's seventy and forty and it's in the toilet, I'm not very loud or strong. So having with you who know your goals, who know what you would love to have happen, who know what's really important to you. Having strong people who are not afraid to utilize their voice to sort of allow you to have a more positive experience is really important because there might come times where people sort of blow in and they're trying to push things along and that's really going against like what is going to give you the biggest amount of peace with your birth experience. And I think that they need to be there to speak up in those situations because then, I mean, then what are they gonna do. They're gonna fights you on it. You're always say no, I don't, I don't want that. We are not about to hold it down and do something against their will. So I think it's important to have a really supportive environment with you. And it doesn't have to the baby daddy or the or your labor birth partner.

17:41 It can be absolutely anybody. I mean, it could be like the checkout guy from Kroger if you're super close to him and he brings you peace and comfort, you know, like come on in and just But it doesn't have to be like it could be. It could be absolutely anybody as long as they are there as a united front with you to sort of help you to a your goals in your childbirth awesome. And what's one trade secret, like a small practical tip for new parents that you wish every hospital would hand out. Ooh you know what. I wish that providers would tell you to prepare for postpartum as hard, if not harder, than you prepare for birth. You have a baby and then with these like wonderful ideas, and I love it because it tells me that you've looked into things and you're really thinking about what you want. And then I had you a baby, and I'm like, here you go.

18:28 And then a lot of times they'll look at me and be like, well, what do I do now, And I'm like, well, really, whatever you want, because I'm not coming home with you, so I think it's important and I and a lot of this can take you off guard or I think that you might have, you know, different thoughts of what it's going to be like than what it actually is like, because it's really to like sort of knock you on your bum Yeah. Fortunately, in North America at least, we sort of have this expectation women, you have a baby and then you just carry on with your life the way you were baby and a huge hormonal shift and a stress response, which is unfortunate because there's so many beautiful cultures in the world and places where everyone sort of rallies around somebody who's just had a baby with females like in their village and in their communities, and they are just like, I want you to rest, I want you to feel better, I want you to feel supported. I want you to have all of this knowledge that all of your aunties and your grandmas and your great grandmas have to pass down.

19:17 And I think that that is a lot of times missing in North America, not to mention the garbage maternity leave that you get in the United States. It's like, I'm in Canada. We had a year. It's not full paid, but like your position's held and there's some money coming in. But when people tell me I took my baby to daycare at six weeks, I'm just like, like, how is this supportive of somebody on a mother head journey? You know? How is this supportive of somebody that's trying to breasteed their baby. It's really not, No, So I think preparing for postpartum is really important, and having things lined up to make your life eat once you go home is also super important. So I would like to stress that to new parents, like, think about what's going to happen because the birth. I mean, it's an important drop in the bucket, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to like what you're about to go through and and the stages and the cycles and the sleepless nights and the feeding issues. Like it's a whole thing. It's it really is. It's like a life all like there.

20:11 I don't think there is anything as life altering as having a baby and bringing them. So yeah, prep, prep, prep for postpartum. It's important. I always say I was not even close to being prepared. Literally, I thought I was gonna leave and have sushi and wine and like my baby. I was gonna sleep train my baby like right away. And then I was like, what is this. This is not I can't believe. I'm that had more right on the boom, and they're gonna latch and my milk's gonna be just glowing everywhere, like they're gonna be like, yes, I'm good, and I'm gonna know what my baby wants and yeah, no that's not it's not a things. Yeah. Prep and if you can, like rally the troops, I would say, like, rally the troops because you're gonna need them. And and and here's the other thing, if someone wants to help you, get out of their way and let them, like I think them yeah, because so many year after year after year were sort of like expecting women to just do it because that's the expectation. Then we almost get in our own head like, oh, I'm gonna what would you like me to bring you from the coffee shop before I come? Oh no, no, I'm good, I'm good.

21:10 Like no, no, like I'll have a coffee with two creams too sugars, thank you, a muffin, please eat it up, and then come over and take my baby so I can have an app you know, Like, yeah, we need to get more comfortable with being like yeah, no, I do need the help and it is good for me to take the help. So get out of their way and let them help you because they want to help. You, yes, and yeah you're like and as a helper, maybe just like don't ask and do it. I always think that, like I just will bring it. I'm like, I'm not going to ask. I'm just gonna bring you the coffee. That's you know, I do yeah, or I'll be like if I know, I'll be like, hey, what's your Like, what's your coffee or I don't say I do you want a coffee? I just say what's your Yeah? And then I'll be like, they have chocolate croissants and they have coffee cake. Which would you rather? I love that, Yeah, give me a choice.

21:53 Yeah, treat them my toddlers, be like yes, this or that the blue pants and the pink pants like yeah, and be like what pants are blue or pink? Make a choice? So true. I also love that I'm taking that motto with me too. I feel like a lot of adults need that treatment, not just pos part I don't know what do you want to eat? That it's like nine pm, and like I don't want to eat anymore. My gosh. So you're also a certified breastfeeding specialist speaking of you know, Gil, what is the biggest guilt trip that we need to stop giving ourselves regarding how we feed our babies? O? My god. The breastfeeding is natural, Like I get it, Like our bodies are designed to make milk and feed babies, and babies are designed to latch on and suckle and know how to work everything. But I think breastfeeding is one of the hardest things that people do, but they expect it to be super easy, So then they have this sortal mishmash between like the expectation and the reality, and it really throws them for a loop. On top of all these other life changes that are happening right now, you have a screaming baby, you have sore nipples, you're struggling, You're not sure if your baby is getting enough, which is one of the most stressful things that I've ever been through, when your baby is crying and you're like, I don't know if they're hungry. Like someone told me I have everything that they need. I don't, you know, Like you just don't know, and you're bleeding and you haven't showered in three days and like you smell. But it's a whole thing. So I think that there are, like there are prep courses out there for breastfeeding. There's lots of things that you can read, there's lots of things you can watch. I have whole playlists on my YouTube for free dollars. Just go go there and like look it up. There's like a start here breastfeeding one on one, and then there's everything you can want to know.

23:25 Because I think that the idea that breastfeeding is easy because it's natural. Is a crocas shit, It's like it really is. And I wish people knew that because then it's like when you hit a roadblock, it's okay because I can guarantee you thousands of other women around the world have hit this exact same roadblock at this exact same moment. But people feel really alone when they hit it because they think everybody else just put their baby on and a baby lashed and did beautifully. I know a lot of people don't realize that it takes like three to five days for your milk to transition to like where you're having this copious breast milk and your baby is spitting it up when they're feeding, because those first three to five days they're stressful, like you don't know, you can't, you don't know if you have enough and your baby's okay. So yeah, again, I'm like, surround yourself with if you can, positive breastfeeding experiences or experiences of people who have struggled and been like, this is what I did. I phoned my sister. I remember my baby was screaming, and he did everything right. He hit a great latch, which is like ahead of a lot of people.

24:24 Some people have, you know, they're having troubles with their breast milks and they're having troubles with their babies latch. So I felt blessed that at least he was doing what he was supposed to do. But he was just like fussy and hungry. And I phoned my sister and I'm like, can my breast milk run out? I don't know, Like I don't know. I wasn't an educator at that point in time. And she's like, do you have anything pumped? And I said, yeah, I happened to have, like I don't know, an AWS pump. Right. She's like, I want you to feed that to him. He's going to go to sleep because he's going to be full and tired, and then I want you to have a drink of water and go to sleep. When you wake up, things will be different. And it was like, if she hadn't sort of topped me off the ledge in that moment, I think I would have just kept throwing them on the boob, which would have made my nipples even more painful, and then I don't know where we would have been. So you talk about Harry Bottles, mesh underwear, the stuff that people don't put the pinterest in their pinterest nurseries.

25:09 Why it's talking about the men actually a form of self care because I think we need to hear it. I think we're so trained. I don't know we hit this this stride on social media where everything was so curated, but I think we, like, we need to see it. We need to see that you don't walk out with a flat stomach. We need to see that you're wearing a diaper for three or five days. And you know, I found that mesh panties were more comfortable than diapers. But I agree, you do whatever feels yeah. But we need to talk about what that feels like when you first sit up after you had a baby and like everything feels like it's out of you. Like it's these things that until you know what it feels like, you don't know what it feels like right, And then if you're like, oh my god, I had no idea, Like I have people that will be like my my Facebook mom's group didn't tell me this, and I was like, well, that's because not everyone's comfortable looking stuff. Like, I think it's important that we do. I need more we talk about it. The more we normalize it. It's the same as mental health. The more we talk about it, the more it normalizes, and that's where we need to get.

26:04 I think we're getting there, but it's like a slow it's a slow push on the needle. It's going, but slowly. I agree. And that's where like my platform kind of started because I was like, nobody is like nobody. I was older when I had kids, and it was like, I what is like this? What why are we just like glamorizing everything. It was kind of yeah, all right, let's do some quick Yeah, that's it. That's the post part of it. The hot that's it. That's all it is. Yes, the people have babies old. If you had babies older, and the people in your life it's been a little while since they had babies. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes you're like oh and then talk about it. You're like, oh my god, I remember that.

26:47 You're like, well, could you have remembered it? Like where it happened to me? Because I was horrified, Like thanks for nothing. Thanks for not all right, let's see some rapid fire questions. What is one thing every mom packs that she never used? This m. I wouldn't say every mom doesn't use it, But I would say, you know what's interesting, People pack like beautiful playlists, and I find people don't actually use them, which surprises me. I don't know if they just forget about it or it gets really intense and they forget it. So if you pack music, put it on I want I want to hear it. I want to jam to like it'll it'll ground you. It will if especially if you've listened to the playlist like when you weren't in labor, you'll like get it. So but yeah, people will be like, oh shoot, I didn't put the music on it, and I was like, girl, I didn't know you had music.

27:27 So now I just ask is there anything you want to listen to? They're like, oh my god, yeah, I have a little speaker. Yeah. Sometimes I feel like they might feel like awkward being like I have this speaker. Do other people do this? So that's nice? You could you could put a whole cagoke machine and I'd be like, let's get it. Let's I love that, just like pulling out all sorts of things, bike and everything you sing, you do one of your comedy honor. I love that. What's one thing that they forget that they actually the most people forget that they might and actually need. Also a good question a phone charger. People will sometimes forget a phone charger, which is the most important thing to put in your hospital bag. And the longer the bed.

28:08 Put a long ass the longest one you can find, like extension, because I'm telling the plug ins in the hospital they're in the most awkward, weird spots. It's like way down low behind the bed. So by the time you plug it in and run the cord up and over, you'd you'd be like talking like this on your phone. You're like a little bit and like, yeah, it's like your ear. It's just your ear. You're taking a photo. So the longest, longest phone cord that you could possibly have. And the other one that people don't put in there is like all of the really lovely things for your parentem like recall, like just remember what your parent he is about to do for you. She deserves love and support and all the furfre things. So a lot of hospitals will provide it for you, So ask your hospital if they do, depending on where you give birth. But I would pack like that the witch hazel phones and the sprays and the cooling sprays like this is money well spent because your parents is like your girl, you gotta take care of her.

29:02 So so you and your husband are both in the medical field. But who is calmer when one of your kids get a fever at two am? My husband for sure, Yeah, my husband, but personally because he's like he sleeps so deeply that if you wake him up, he just like is an autopilot. He's like, I'm just ruppy and like. But I think sometimes to his detriment, because I think sometimes he downplays things too much because he's just seen too many things. Your match. Yeah, there was one time, like spots in my dinner and like weird like floaties and stuff, and I was like, this is weird, and he's like, oh, it's probably it's probably nothing. He's like, just go to the optometrist and they'll look at it. I had two holes in my retina too, so I came. I come back out eyes like all dilated because he had to dilate my eyes. Yeah, and he's like, so it's nothing, and I was like, no, I have two holes of my retina and now I have to go get them laser. What in the pupil place anyway, he's like, oh shoot, sorry, it's Goh my god, I think I think too many things.

29:56 Yeah, that is too funny. What's your favorite favorite snack on night shift? Mm hmm. Anything crunchy like chips, nuts, talky nuts, like salted salty nuts. Yeah, salty nuts. Yeah, like absolutely get me kick labor nurse like salty yeah. Yeah, crunchy because it keeps me anything that I can like put in individually, so like Smarties, Skittles. And I was the same way in nursing school because I would get really sleepy and exams, so if I had a snack that I would eat too quickly, then it didn't help me out. But so I would just get like Smarties or Eminem's and just like one at a time because then it like it also kept my brain activated when I was doing your individual motion. I love the Starburst due you guys in the States, you have like the all pinks and favorite. Yes, I don't like the yellow, all the yellows, all the yellows. I'm telling you, so anytime I go to the States, a big bag of like the just bangs. Yeah, because I'm just pinking rut.

30:56 Just give me the They're great at night because then you have to unwrap them, which makes you be away and then you get the deliciousness. So yeah, funny, what's what's my favorite stack popcorn? Popcorn? Is like? Because yeah, like I actually just got like this random bag at like home Goods of popcorn, you know, like that I always make it on the stove, but like I got one. I always like their sacks the I need. I took a picture of it, but it was the best bagged popcorn that I've ever had, and I was like, I need like ten more bags of these, right, yes, that on my stocking list. What's one book that you would gift all new parents? You know what? Speak well? Speaking of Hamilton? Next, So Jen Hamilton, I'm not her agent. I promise I'm not getting any kickbacks from this. Literally two days ago just launched her her first book. It's called Birth Vibes. Okay, it's incredibly Okay, it's so insightful, beautifully written. Again, there's so many like real life things, just the way stock it's a It's an incredible book. It will be like on my list of books that now gift to expecting parents just so it's so good and for me, it's like it's not about the flowery like what to expect when you're expecting, right Like. I mean, that's great for some people who want that, but I don't think that that's real life.

32:14 I don't think it's as applicable now in twenty twenty six as it was you know, back in the you know, nineteen nineties, two thousands. It's been around. It has a time and a place and a person. It's got a ton of great information, but I think people are looking for more of the real life, nitty gritty, applicable hope. And I actually utilize this to have a more positive birth experience, and that is what Birth Lives will do for you. I love that, all right, Well, you have given us so much amazing information. If you could sit down with every tired, burnt out mom listening to this right now and think glasses, what would your toast be to them? I would say cheers to you, because I think we forget who did that, right. I would say cheers to you, Cheers to your family the things that matter the most in life, which is not going to be the tear that you had. It's not going to be the lack of a push present that your husband gave you. You know, it's going to be those moments with the snuggles, and it's going to be those moments moving forward where you are actually creating memories as a family as opposed to somebody carrying their baby inside.

33:17 That is great. I think that is the perfect place to end it. I cannot thank you enough. Oh my gosh, you reminded us today, really truly that the mess isn't something to hide. It's evidence that we are doing the work. So thank you for joining us today. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Thanks reving, thank you, Thank you to listeners for spending time with us today on the Running Wine Mom. Don't forget to subscribe and share this with a mom who might like to hear it. You can follow me on Instagram at the Running Wine Mom underscore And where can the listeners find you? They can find you know, I'm kind of all over the place. My website is Bump to Latch dot com. It's kind of a landing page where you can find me. But if you're looking on socials, it's going to be Mama, which is with one mma underscore, nurse Underscore, Tina.

34:04 And I will link all of that. Thank you again so much for coming on. This is great. I appreciate it. Yes, thank you so much for joining us today. Remember you are strong, you were capable, and you were all amazing. Until next time, keep running, keep sipping, and keep embracing the joy of parenthood. Thanks and I'll be back next Tuesday.