What do TikTok and Anesthesia have in common? Well, nothing really – unless you’re my friend Dr. Maggie Printz who joined me for this week’s episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast.
Dr. Magnolia Printz is a board-certified anesthesiologist from Wisconsin, and at the time of recording she has over 800k followers on TikTok.
On her page she shares everything from evidence-based info about anesthesia and epidurals to family life and will even jump in front of the camera for a TikTok dance or two!
In this episode, I sat down with Maggie to chat about all things anesthesia – especially as it relates to birth. You’ll learn more about epidurals, what it’s like to have a spinal placed, her call rotations, and so much more!
It was so refreshing to get to sit down with someone who places epidurals and assists with anesthesia in the OR during every single shift – she really knows her stuff, and that’s exactly why I wanted to bring her on the show!
Here’s a peek into what we talked about!
- About Maggie and what she does on social media
- What is your preferred social media platform?
- How did you get to where you are as an anesthesiologist?
- Let’s talk about planned C-sections and your primary role as the anesthesiologist (15:32)
- What about emergency C-sections?
- Let’s talk about epidurals
- About Dr. Magnolia Printz
About Maggie and what she does on social media
In the intro I gave you a quick overview of Maggie and her amazing TikTok page, but I wanted to have her tell you guys in her own words to kick off our conversation. Maggie shares that she is a board certified anesthesiologist that works in a private practice in Wisconsin, she’s married to another physician – and she’s a mom of four!
As far as what she does on social media – Maggie’s main goal is to debunk a lot of the viral myths and misinformation she sees spreading around! She presents the opposite stance with evidence-based content that encourages people to think critically and look further into the myths they’re subscribing to.
Beyond that she shares,
“I’m also there to kind of give a behind the scenes look on what it’s like to be a physician, married to another physician, what it’s like to be a woman in medicine, and all of the crazy things that go on with it!”
When you tune in you’ll hear me ask Maggie what it’s like being married to another physician, how they manage that with four kids, and the super-glue that is her amazing nanny!
What is your preferred social media platform?
It’s not every day that I get to interview another healthcare professional that also has a big social media presence, so I had to ask her what her preferred platform is! I know that TikTok is where she got big, but with Instagram reels taking off, I didn’t know where she was at.
Not surprisingly – here’s what she said,
“I’m probably gonna get hate – I love TikTok I do. It’s just so much easier. There’s not as much pressure to be perfect you can you know, put out a message like really quickly if you want to. Sometimes I’m like in my pajamas and I’m like oh, I want to do this or like I want to talk about this and I do it!”
How did you get to where you are as an anesthesiologist?
Next, I wanted to find out how Maggie decided on anesthesiology, what med school was like for her, and hear about her residency too! Maggie describes how during med school she went through all the major areas of seeing what it’s like to be a doctor in different fields, and anesthesiology was her last rotation as a 3rd year medical student.
She explains that she never thought anesthesiology would be her thing, and how she had so many preconceived notions about what it was all about. But then, when she was on the rotation something just clicked! Maggie explains how it was just a feeling and she knew this was it for her.
When you listen to the episode you’ll hear her talk more about what med school was really like, how it impacted her mental health, what residency was like, and when they started having children.
Let’s talk about planned C-sections and your primary role as the anesthesiologist (15:32)
Because most of the listeners to the show are most interested in birth-related topics, I steered the conversation towards Maggie’s role as an anesthesiologist during C-sections and epidurals!
She shares that she herself is a 3x C-section mama and that she is intimately aware of what it’s like to the patient during that procedure. You’ll hear her discuss the differences between an unplanned vs. planned C-section as both a patient and a physician.
I loved getting to hear about the steps leading up to a planned C-section from the point of view of the anesthesiologist. You all know that I’ve shared the timeline from my perspective of the L&D nurse, but this was really interesting to hear it from her eyes!
Any mamas that have a planned C-section on the horizon, this part of the episode is absolute gold!
What about emergency C-sections?
Maggie explains that emergency C-sections are a totally different ballgame. Every day when she arrives for her shift she makes sure there is an OR room completely ready and set for an emergency C-section. She makes sure everything is ready to go, because you just never know what is going to happen.
She talks about how she literally has drugs in her back pocket to start numbing mom up as they are being wheeled to the OR. Maggie candidly and passionately describes how important it is to act quickly, not mess around, and always get baby out safely!
Her fierce passion for her job and knowledge is so invigorating, and any mama that is feeling nervous or anxious about unplanned C-section will feel better after hearing this part of the episode. Anesthesiologists play a vital role, and again, hearing it from her perspective is fascinating.
Related Listening: What is the Difference Between a Scheduled C-Section and an Emergent One?
Let’s talk about epidurals
Next in our conversation we transition over to epidurals, which is the other major role anesthesiologists play in labor and delivery. You’ll here Dr. Printz detail out what she’s looking for before she places an epidural. She looks for contraindications, past epidurals and labor notes, and a complete medical history overview.
We order labs before an epidural is placed, so that is another key element that Dr. Printz is paying attention to, along with a physical. When you tune in, you’ll hear Maggie talk about why laboring mamas get fluids before an epidural and review the side effects.
Maggie also details the epidural procedure from her perspective. She shares about what happens when she walks into the room, what she says to each patient, how she talks them through what she’s doing, and the way she coaches them into the correct position for placement!
Here’s a snippet of the conversation to help first time epidural moms,
“Don’t be scared if the anesthesiologist asks, ‘Do you feel this in the middle? Or do you feel it to the left? Or do you feel this to the right’, because that actually helps us find the space. It’s by landmarks and by feel and so if we reach a bone at a certain depth, and you say, ‘Oh, that’s to the right’, that’s going to help me navigate that needle in the correct direction. So don’t be scared if that happens.”
Tune it to learn about the entire epidural process, an explanation of epidural “hot spots” or “patches”, side effects, and so much more. This is such an amazing deep dive that you don’t want to miss!
Related Resource: Birth It Up: The Epidural Series Online Birth Class
About Dr. Magnolia Printz
Magnolia Printz, MD aka Maggie, is a board-certified anesthesiologist living in Wisconsin. She’s married to an orthopedic surgeon and has four children.
Dr. Printz has a huge following on TikTok and a growing following on Instagram, where she creates videos that debunk myths and information, and pulls back the curtain on what life is really like in a two physician household with kids.
Connect with her:
- TikTok: @balancedanesthesia
- Instagram: @magnoliaprintzmd
