Community Highlights: Meet Liesel Teen of Mommy Labor Nurse

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liesel Teen.  

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with all things birth and baby. I always knew I wanted to grow up and have a career involving those two things, and as I went into college, I quickly decided that nursing was the right path for me and that the labor and delivery unit was where I wanted to end up. When I graduated from nursing school, I applied to all the new grad L&D jobs in the area and never got a callback. I took a job as an emergency room nurse but yearned for the opportunity to move over into L&D. Within a year; I was connected to a friend of a friend who worked as an L&D nurse at WakeMed Raleigh. I knew this was finally my chance! Within a few months, I landed an interview in L&D and was quickly offered the job. 

Labor and delivery is everything I wanted it to be and so much more. I worked night shift for the first 5 or 6 years and truly found a second family in my coworkers. I met a group of women who were so supportive, uplifting, intelligent, and kind. At this point, I knew I had found my calling in my life and wanted to spend the rest of my career helping people welcome their babies into this world. 

I had my first son in February 2017. My birth experience was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. I delivered at WakeMed with my coworkers by my side, and the experience truly changed who I am and my care as a nurse. Returning to work after maternity leave, I felt so much more connected with every patient I took care of and really started to understand how important my job really was. I wasn’t just helping them deliver their babies, I was helping them become mothers, and that’s something that I still take very seriously as a labor and delivery nurse. 

Having my own baby was a dream come true. I struggled returning to work when my 12 weeks were up and found myself wishing for more time home with him and less time at the hospital. I was able to drop to a part-time status, but even that felt like too much. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a spot where I could work less so I started brainstorming ways that I could make some extra money. After a month or two of throwing ideas back and forth, it finally dawned on me that I should start a blog about all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and baby. I had seen a lot of blogs on these topics, but when I looked closer, I realized that my experience as a labor and delivery nurse was something unique that I could offer. This is how Mommy Labor Nurse came to be! 

I started an Instagram account, created a website on my own, and started writing some blog articles. I learned as much as I could about all things business, finance, marketing, and social media. I was so excited about this idea and spent countless nights staying up till 2 or 3 am getting it off the ground. Within about a year of MLN starting, things started to explode over on Instagram. In one day alone, I gained nearly 50,000 followers, and that’s when I knew something big was about to happen! 

Around this same time, I started thinking about what more I could do with Mommy Labor Nurse. How could I help even more moms have the birth experience they desired? I decided to make an online birth class – something that could be taken by moms anywhere in the world, from the comfort of their own homes. My blog wasn’t making much money yet, so I filmed the entire birth class on my iPhone in my bedroom! And while the video quality was a little low, the information in the course was so powerful! Within a year of launching Birth, It Up, over 10,000 women had already taken my birth class! 

Around this time, I realized that if I wanted Mommy Labor Nurse to grow and help even more people have a better birth experience, I was going to need some help. I brought in one of my best friends (and fellow L&D nurse) Tiffany as a business partner. With her help, I knew that we could make MLN everything I ever wanted it to be and so much more. I am creative soul but lack the ability to keep organized. Tiffany is the perfect balance to me, and came in and quickly got MLN organized and into shape! We are such a powerhouse team and truly believe the sky is the limit for Mommy Labor Nurse! 

It has now been 6 years since Mommy Labor Nurse started, and well over 40,000 people have taken one of our three birth courses! We offer a course for those moms planning for a natural, unmedicated delivery, one for those wanting an epidural, and one for those having a planned C-section. We truly believe that birth education is the key to having an even better birth, and we are on a mission to ensure that all moms receive the tailored birth education they need. 

I see the power of birth education every single day. Whether it’s through a DM or at the bedside, I can’t tell you the number of women who I have talked to who had a better birth because they were educated. Birth education decreases the rates of birth trauma, postpartum depression, and anxiety, increases breastfeeding rates (if that’s how you choose to feed your baby), can promote bonding with baby, and so much more. We’ve made it our mission at Mommy Labor Nurse to give all women the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to have an even better birth – no matter how they deliver. 

Even with the success of MLN, I still practice as an L&D nurse at WakeMed. While I love the work that Mommy Labor Nurse is doing, there is something about holding a women’s hand as she delivers her baby that is so powerful and special to me. I can’t imagine not being a part of these intimate moments, and truly feel that I will continue to practice as an L&D nurse no matter how successful MLN gets. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think one of the biggest struggles I deal with on the regular is my presence on social media. I know most people would kill to have 585,000+ followers on Instagram, but with that also comes a lot of pressure. Having to be “on” all the time, dealing with criticism, sharing my personal life with the world – it’s not easy. In addition to that, Instagram and social media in general is constantly shifting, and it can be really hard to adjust to the ever-changing needs. 

Fortunately, we now have a team of 5 wonderful women who work for MLN. They fully stand behind the mission of Mommy Labor Nurse and give it their all every day to make our mission come alive. With all the pressures that do come with being a bigger influencer on Instagram, as well as a business owner, I am so blessed to have such a supportive team to stand beside me through it all. Mommy Labor Nurse truly wouldn’t be what it is today without them. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mommy Labor Nurse equips pregnant women with the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to erase the unknown, feel in control, and have an even better birth – no matter how they deliver. 

With 8 years and counting as a bedside labor and delivery nurse, Liesel knows that knowledge is the key to an even better birth. To date, over 40k women have completed a Mommy Labor Nurse birth class, eliminated fear, and been empowered by Liesel’s comprehensive childbirth education. 

We offer three online childbirth classes (Birth It Up: The Natural Series, Birth It Up: The Epidural Series, and Birth It Up: The C-Section Series), so women can choose the class that is right for them and their birth goals. But the one thing we know about birth is that it can be pretty unpredictable. For that reason, all of our courses contain information about those unplanned events – just in case. So even if you choose The Epidural Series, your class will still contain information about what to do if you can’t get an epidural (or birth goes too fast for you to get one!) and a whole lesson on unplanned C-sections. We want all women to go into their birth experience prepared for whatever option ends up being best for them and their baby! 

What makes you happy?
First and foremost, my 2 boys. I have a 6-year-old (Walter) who just started kindergarten this year and a 2.5-year-old (Ryland). They are the light of my life ❤️ 

I just brought home a new puppy (Annie) who has quickly captured a big spot in my heart. I never had a dog growing up, so it’s been such a treat getting to watch her grow! 

Mommy Labor Nurse brings me so much joy in life. I am so blessed to have a business that I truly love to go to every day. The work we are doing is so, so important, and I love that I get to spend most of my time day empowering women to have a better birth. 

Besides that, I love to spend my time with my family and friends! 

Pricing:

• All of our birth classes are $139 for lifetime, unlimited access

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mommylabornurse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommy.labornurse/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbIDhDJ_FED90QnqYih3MQ
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mommy.labornurse?lang=en