The Mama Coach: Tina Khiani

My name is Tina Khiani and I started my Mama Coach practice in New Jersey to help use my 7+ years of experience as a nurse to serve my community in some of their most vulnerable times. All throughout my nursing career I have loved educating families and supporting new parents as they transition home. 

Pregnancy and postpartum can be some of the most isolating, stressful times in womens’ lives. 

Joy and miracles pop up on a rollercoaster ride where you are somehow in the front seat and the backseat at the same time. Each minute of each day can be a battle and making it through 24 hours is a major achievement. 

There are two things I believe are critical to mothers surviving each day from the moment of conception until the 1st birthday: community and expert guidance. 

Not all women need these two things. All over the world, women birth children and have villages, literally and figuratively, that support them. But in the United States, many parents are on their own, taking turns with partners or grandparents to care for babies when their all-too-short parental leave expires. We call women supermoms when they can exclusively breastfeed, return to work after 8 weeks, find a spot in a premiere daycare and show no emotion. But if that’s not how you envision your journey or how your experience has been, you’re not alone.

Bumpdate is doing an amazing job creating and strengthening your community before baby arrives. 

Not only can your loved ones keep track of your pregnancy but you are able to hear other womens’ stories and hear from vetted experts, which is critical in the world of social media. I am honored to be among those experts.

From NICU nurse to Mama Coach

When I graduated nursing school in 2016, I knew I wanted to focus on maternal health. I was selected for a competitive residency program in a busy NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) where I yearned for critical care experience alongside supporting mothers. While I was getting exposed to surgeries, complex procedures, and critical medicine, I realized I found the most satisfaction in helping parents bond with and care for their infants. 

It warmed my heart to ask a parent if they wanted to hold their baby for the first time or to stand by as they changed a diaper and checked a temperature without any assistance.  

Now that I have found a community for my family in New Jersey, I want to share my knowledge and expertise with families to help them feel prepared for pregnancy, birth and parenthood. While I still enjoy working in hospitals, I started my Mama Coach practice to reach community caregivers and help them feel educated, in control and confident in the choices they are making. 

I want to be the person families turn to when they have had weeks of rough nights and are looking for some sleep peace. I want to be the person mothers think of when breastfeeding or pumping just doesn’t seem to be going right. I want to be the person grandparents reach out to when they would like to help their kids and grandkids without being overbearing. I pride myself on being reliable, responsive and adaptable to each family’s comfort. Each client interaction to me is a learning experience for both of us. 

How can The Mama Coach help you through pregnancy and as new parents?

Navigating childhood in the world of unsolicited advice and the millions of different baby products can make you doubt your knowledge and intuition. 

But I am here to hear you out. I work with each of my clients’ to create tailored education and plans to support their visions using evidence.

New parents don’t often realize the various times they may need the support and guidance of a registered nurse. Here are some of the most frequent scenarios where I can assist:

Prenatal Education

Prenatal classes do not have a set standard of material to cover. I often hear from clients that hospital-based classes focus on medical interventions and policies whereas private classes usually focus on a specific portion of labor or birth, but leave out postpartum and newborn care. I offer private, in-home classes that I can tailor to your birth plan, your pregnancy and your plans for your newborn. 

CPR Training & Emergency Preparedness

People of all ages can, unfortunately, become unresponsive and need CPR at any moment and in any environment. CPR guidelines have become very easy to remember and I believe equipping parents with those skills can make them feel much more comfortable especially as infants grow to toddlers and children who socialize and may get themselves into risky situations. A person who receives CPR properly while waiting for emergency services to arrive has a much higher chance of survival. I love to teach caregivers CPR but I also feel strongly about teaching interventions for choking, how to respond to allergic reactions and drowning situations. In emergency preparedness, knowledge is power. 

Postpartum Guidance

Postpartum doulas are a great resource for families who want someone to take over baby care for a few hours and have the guidance of someone who knows specific postpartum interventions. But what if you just want a resource nearby for an hour or two during feeding time to help you latch or bottle feed correctly? Someone who can help you get your belly band on right and tell you when you’re pushing yourself too much? My postpartum hourly support is my most flexible service and that’s intentional. My goal is to be in your home with you and advise on whatever questions you have about your healing or baby while building your confidence. 

Infant feeding

Often, mothers ignore their gut feelings when it comes to deciding how to feed their infant. Society has so many messages about breastfeeding and formula feeding and the pressure is intense. Whether you want to explore both breastfeeding and bottle feeding, or you have been begrudgingly exclusively pumping and need to know how and when to stop, I can support you. Many of my clients dream of exclusive breastfeeding and I’d love to help you achieve that goal, but assessing both mom’s body and baby’s body are crucial to success.

Sleep

I wish I could say there’s a magic cure for all sleep problems. Sleep is one of the biggest challenges parents face in the first 3 years of life. As your baby grows and develops, sleep can be disturbed. I don’t recommend any form of sleep training in the first 2 months of a baby’s life, but there are always skills you can learn. I love to remind families that if what you are doing for sleep is working and it’s safe, then keep doing it. You do not HAVE to do any type of sleep training. I encourage families to reach out to me when they feel sleep is problematic or if they just want to learn some skills they can incorporate into their bedtime routine. 

Potty training 

You’ve finally transitioned your little one away from breast/bottle feeding, you’ve conquered sleep and you feel like you’re on top of the world. Then your daycare or school says your child needs to be potty trained to attend and you’re thrown for another loop. Potty training starts by modeling potty behavior so don’t be shy about leaving the door open when you are on the toilet, although new moms already master that task! Fortunately, there are several ways to accomplish potty training and I have straightforward methods to guide you.

While I love providing individualized services to families and hosting workshops, I also dream about hosting support groups for pregnant people, postpartum parents and toddler parents. 

Each stage of parenthood has its own difficulties and having both an expert and community may help you through your toughest, darkest weeks. 

I love collaborating with women-owned businesses, especially brands like Bumpdate! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @tinakhiani.themamacoach with any questions and head to the Bumpdate app for a 20% off discount code exclusive for Bumpdate users for any workshop or service!