Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth

by Jen Hamilton

The delivery room decoded—by the internet’s favorite labor nurse.

Childbirth is one of life’s most powerful experiences—but it can also be overwhelming. Too often, expecting parents are prompted to create their perfect “birth plan,” only to feel disappointed or even traumatized if things go differently. That’s where Jen Hamilton comes in. 

A labor and delivery nurse, ER veteran, and mom herself, Jen has been a steady presence at thousands of births (and on millions of screens). In Birth Vibes she uses both humor and heart, sharing her own stories to guide readers expectations about what happens in the delivery room. Instead of unyielding checklists, she encourages parents to learn their birth vibes—a blend of values and vision—which unlock the tools to advocate for the personalized care they need.

Birth Vibes is the ultimate companion for anyone preparing to give birth—or supporting someone who is. Warm, funny, and deeply grounded in real-life experience, this is the guide every parent allowing them adapt to whatever birth brings with confidence and calm.

“I highly recommend Birth Vibes for pregnant women who plan to have hospital births.” —Ina May Gaskin, CPM  

“This book doesn’t just prepare you for birth; it changes how you think about it." —Hadley Vlahos, RN

 “Compassionate, real, and reassuring.” –KC Davis, LPC 

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Parenting, Health, Memoir, Science, Education

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Bailey Barrett Snowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen is truly an angel. She gave me early access to her book ahead of my induction next week due to a cancer diagnosis, and I’m incredibly grateful.

This book left me feeling prepared, empowered, and confident to make the best decisions for me and my baby. Jen’s trauma-informed, evidence-based approach makes birth feel straightforward and digestible, especially for first-time parents who don’t know what they don’t know.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never given birth and I will never give birth, but I love Jen Hamilton, and I find pregnancy and birth fascinating. I contemplated not rating this because it wasn't written for me (the second half of the book is about creating a birth plan lol) but she has such an awesome average rating right now and I want to support her, so five stars! She deserves it. (The audiobook was great.)

[Charlotte Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen Hamilton is a MASTERCLASS in patient centred care and empathy. My eyes were watering at the end. All of her patients are so lucky to have her🥹

[Lia Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry multiple times and I do feel a lot more prepared than I did before. I do think that these types of books can be challenging to write because everyone’s experience is so unique but I think Jen really takes that into account and gives a wide range of stories, advice, and comfort to a first time mom who is lowkey freaking out lol. Highly recommend.

[R.F. Gammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flew through this! It was just as good as I anticipated. There is so much fear mongering in the world of pregnancy and birth online. I am not pregnant and don't plan to be anytime soon, but I feel constantly bombarded by the internet's takes on Correct Ways To Do Birth, and it was so refreshing and comforting to read this book. Jen has such a sweet auntie vibe, coupled with immense knowledge, and I am starting to feel like I will be able to have the experience I need when I do give birth someday because of her.

[Kelly Fulkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Could be a decent book—but I couldn’t get past the first chapter due to all the politically correct “pregnant person” and “pregnant friends” lingo aimed at including anyone but women in the birth experience.

[Katie Runyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every single healthcare worker needs to read at least the first half of this book. It is a masterpiece in modeling empathetic, patient centered, holistic, consensual care, regardless of your specialty. The language she utilizes to explain things in a way her patients can understand is something to marvel at.

[Sara Kaner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed listening to this at 33/34 weeks pregnant. It provides a great guide for preparing for birth, and I appreciate the way that Jen tackled each topic with kindness and pragmatism. Helpful read for any soon-to-be birthing folks!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a labor and delivery nurse, THIS is the book I wish my expecting friends and family would read. I read it on audio, and Jen was fantastic.

It holds your hand through informed decision making and includes not-so-scary explanations of the (at times very) scary complications that can arise during labor and birth. I whole heartedly agree with every single statement and recommendation in this book.

And I’ve been there. I’ve held that hand. And the epilogue still made me sob on a plane.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Hi to all my friends and loved ones: not pregnant, simply adore the author.)

[Gretchen Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely practical guide for giving birth peppered with humor and stories along the way. If you’re not familiar with Jen’s excellent short-form video storytelling, you might be a little bemused by some of her Jen-isms (such as “coming through the sunroof” as a reference to being born by c-section), but this is largely for her fans. (Even though I hope it gets a larger audience than that!)

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy. Good timing so I could prepare mentally before Baby Girl shows up.

[Ali | literary_delight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so helpful to read going into birth! This laid out a direct path to navigate the flawed healthcare system as a pregnant person. I’d recommend this to anyone going into labor/birth! As somebody with anxiety, this book communicated information in an empowering way rather than using fear-mongering or being dismissive. Jen was affirming that it’s ok to have and enforce a birth plan. She offered a balanced perspective of benefits and risks to medical
Interventions. There were also chapters/ parts of the book I skipped that could be triggering to some. I was appreciative that those sections were clearly marked with content warnings. I also loved that Jen herself narrated the audiobook.

[Maggie Roque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Jen Hamilton and her book was fantastic! I just had my daughter a few days ago, I was reluctant to read any birthing books before hand, but when I saw she had wrote one and could get early access I figured that’s the one to read. 10/10 recommend if you want to read a book on birth, this is the one!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Jen Hamilton for a couple of years at least. She is so funny and relatable and her compassion and kindness never ceases to amaze me. I strive to be a good kind human like her. Definitely recommend following her if you aren’t!

I wish I had this book when I was pregnant the first time. This book is real and raw and truthful and scary about the beautiful experience of giving birth. I would have felt so much more comfortable with this resource to prep me. I swear I ended up doing most everything mentioned and I had never heard of them before.

I had a 3 lb premie via C-section then 3 years later a 8 day late VBAC. I was getting high fives in the hallway and I was like okay, I did good?
I had a great nursing team for both of my births and they were very vocal with what I should be doing when and what my options were.

The chapter on making sure you have the right people in the room with you. The advice given is so thoughtful and given in advance different decisions might be made. I’m lucky I have a great support system with my husband and my mother and mother in law had experienced emergency csections so no judgement ever about anything.

There is so much practical advice, first hand stories, real life procedures to expect, lists, scripts, questions to ask in any situation, template to birth plans, etc.

This book is definitely going to help so many mamas and daddies navigating this super scary, super wonderful experience.

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm probably the smallest percentage of listener, I have never been pregnant, and I don't have any plans on ever being pregnant, but I love Jen and all her stories. I also work with kids and parents, so I thought it was fitting. I also like to learn things, and was curious.

I loved part one with all the stories. Part two was very informative. I think I had heard in passing of most of what she had talked about, but appreciated that it was all in one place.

I didn't realize it at first, but every time she said pregnant friend instead of woman. Jen is very thoughtful and inclusive. This is not only a great book for pregnant friends, but for nurses, and support people of those pregnant friends as well.

I absolutely loved that Jen read the audiobook herself, not every author can do that, but since she started with oral storytelling on social media it was all too fitting.

If I were to ever get pregnant I would definitely buy the physical copy to mark up with questions to start conversations with my Drs and care team. I'd probably also buy this for any friend too!

4 starts because she left me wanting even more, but I also understand that everyone is different and she provided a lot of information in bite size and easy to digest sections. Ultimately, she made the idea of delivering a baby seem less scary to someone who never really thought they would want to be pregnant. And I now also got a little taste of what it's like without asking everyone I've met how their experience was.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been around the topic of births and babies since I can pretty much remember and having two babies of my own, most of the information in this book was not new to me. However, I very much enjoyed Jen’s stories, recommendations, and accessible information that she offers about pregnancy, labor, and birth. I think that this is a great resource for any expectant parent who wants to be prepared for their birth experience particularly in a hospital setting. Jen has done a beautiful job of empowering parents through easy-to-read, yet thorough medical information as well as suggestions for preparing mentally and emotionally.

[Emily Koski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book only because I like the author. But also if anyone is going to explain the terrifying process of giving birth to me, it's going to Jen Hamilton with her calm yet goofy demeanor.

This book is full of powerful information and wonderful stories. It also has a few pieces of slightly scary information, but I think all the information in this book is important for people to know prior to giving birth. That being said, I took a few breaks when I needed them.

Jen also does an amazing job sharing a heartbreaking story of loss and how to get resources to help if you experience that loss. I cried through most of that story. If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, this is a good book to read (or listen to like I did). Just know there are a few triggers and scary pieces. I firmly believe knowledge is power.

[Emma Clark Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% recommending for all pregnant friends!! I learned a lot about what to expect with labor, pain management and potential complications. I feel much more equipped!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I appreciated the patient advocacy side of things, Jen also sets unrealistic expectations. One cannot simply keep switching nurses cause you don’t “vibe” with them. Hospitals don’t run like that. Sure if your nurse is egregiously rude to you, you can fire her. You can fire your doctor too for that matter. But the hospital doesn’t provide a menu you can choose nurses from based on personality.
Aside from that, not all hospitals have the same resources. I am not saying you should trust your medical professional team blindly, but she made it seem like all healthcare workers are out to get ya and nobody gives informed consent. Weird. Also every other sentence is “it’s important to know” did this book even have an editor?

[Hanne Dragøy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best thing I’ve listened to in a long time!
Hearing it read by Jen herself made it a truly enjoyable experience! I laughed, cried, snorted and enjoyed every bit of it. I even learned a lot! Currently very pregnant with baby #3 and wish I could teleport Jen to my delivery room in Norway for my birth!

[Betsy Plowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a 5 star read if I was in fact giving birth, but I am not. It was very informative and practical and at times too much information for a non-pregnant woman. If you're wondering why I picked it up, honestly.... same!
I loved this book for the same reason I loved Nurse Hadleys. These nurses meet people in such vulnerable spaces and treat them with dignity, recognizing they're made in the image of God. These kind of stories just warm my heart 3.75 rounded up

[Emily Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only wish it had come out 5 months earlier!!

[Nicole Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is GREAT for someone with zero OB experience or knowledge! If you are expecting your first or even just expecting a baby soon in general it is fantastic for giving you an overview of what to expect, things that are normal happenings in L&D and postpartum.

If you are in the OB world there is no new info lol. I do enjoy her story telling so it was entertaining to listen to lmfao.

[Holland Villalobos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheesy title and some cringey millennial humor in here but loved the narrative approach of it and the ‘delivery’ of information. Helped get a good overview of what to expect and advocate for if the time comes

[Kristen Dorr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this book has really really good information for women who are interested in learning how to speak up for themselves in labor, and really gives great information on all the different facets of Labor and childbirth.

However it was entirely geared towards Hospital births and was obviously intentionally written to not "offend" the lgbtq agenda.

I was disappointed (but not surprised) at how woke the book was, never referring to a woman or mom, only a pregnant friend or birthing person. Which is ridiculous and stupid, as only women can get pregnant and have children. There were also some crude phrases that really didn't need to be included, and lgbtq examples, which makes it hard for me to recommend this book to anyone within my circle of Christian moms.

Very disappointed, bc Jen has so much knowledge and if this had been written in a different way, would have been such a fabulous book for getting solid information on birth out to new moms.

[Noelle Zoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m expecting my first baby and started reading Jen’s book at 23 weeks (5 months) and finished it when I hit 27 weeks. I really enjoyed having a book that included an even balance of solid medical information, humor, and true experiences! Jen also does a great job of making moms to be feel seen and their opinions/ questions/ concerns feel valued rather than ignored. Though this is directed towards the mother’s perspective, I feel this book holds essential and helpful information for the father to be as well. I will stress the clear trigger warnings (which Jen also provides) for chapter 11 and the epilogue, and encourage you to approach with discernment and read them at your own pace.
Once my husband finishes reading the book, we’ll be taking advantage of the provided practical materials and applying them towards our prep for labor and delivery. Thank you Jen Hamilton for letting us into your beautiful, encouraging world!!

[Kate Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only read about half of it before I ended up getting induced but I love her approach in this book, and I’m just a huge Jen Hamilton fan. Definitely recommend for anyone wanting to find a healthy approach to labor without stressing too much about having a step by step plan and instead just focusing on the vibes you want :)

[Annie Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for a lot of reasons! One, it was right in my niche for the kind of birth I’m hoping for. Two, I listened to the audibook and Jen was the reader and it was so fun. Three, her referral of unborn babies as “indoor cats” and born babies as “outdoor cats” was my favorite thing ever. I really enjoyed this book and how informative and nonjudgmental it was.

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone pregnant, planning on getting pregnant, wanting to support someone that is pregnant or working in healthcare should read this book (or if you’re friends/ family of an l&d healthcare provider, and want to better understand their job) it’s an honor and a joy to work alongside Jen. This book put words to so many of my thoughts. Love love love❤️

[Melody Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve seen any of Jen’s videos, her book sounds like her. Funny, informative, and encouraging. It’s divided into half story and half information, written from the perspective of a labor and delivery nurse. Especially if you plan to give birth in the hospital, she gives detailed explanations as to what will or might happen. It was interesting to read post two hospital births and one home birth and learn more about was going on during them that I didn’t know was happening or didn’t comprehend as they were happening. I wouldn’t recommend this to be the only book you read on labor/birth, but is a good option to include in your reading list!