Mandy Irby

• Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
• Registered Nurse Certified – Inpatient Obstetric Nursing
• Certified – Electronic Fetal Monitoring
• Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
• Spinning Babies® Parent Educator
• Authorized Peanut Ball Trainer
• Labor and Delivery bedside nurse for over a decade
• When Survivors Give Birth Educators Workshop & When Survivors Give Birth – Intro and Advanced Counseling by Phyllis Klaus and Penny Simkin
• Board of Directors at BREAST Roanoke, previous founding member
• Given birth twice
• Breastfed two babies into toddlerhood

Hey there! I’m Mandy Irby, the mom and nurse creator of the Birth Nurse Academy and popular YouTube channel @MandyIrby. I 1 million% believe that our bodies are powerful, and with the right support, we are unstoppable.

My absolute favorite part about bedside nursing is when I can help surprise a new mother with her own strength! Labor plays funny tricks with our minds. It makes us vulnerable, it’s raw, it’s scary. Many of us get to a point where we feel utterly defeated, overwhelmed, and that we simply Cannot do it. I know the truth, however, and can see the fierceness and power inside each birthing person. When they finally reach the finish line and look back at their journey while holding their little one in their arms, that look of “well dang, I actually did it” is my favorite part of the whole process.

Though childbirth is very real and very raw, I believe that our past experiences, hurdles, and accomplishments are what give us the superpowers we need to have a powerful, rewarding, and healing birth experience.

I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City but have happily called Virginia home for the last 15 years. I discovered a passion for childbirth while attending the University of Virginia and have been supporting pregnant, laboring, and breastfeeding people and families for the last decade.

I’m on a mission to prepare families to birth boldly, so that they can begin parenthood stronger than ever.