Meet your guide... Hi! I'm Coach Kristi

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When I was a little girl, I wanted to be two things when I grew up... a nurse and a mom. Well, I've been a nurse for over 30 years and a proud mama of 4... two by birth and two through adoption. But the road to motherhood wasn't an easy one. 

I went into my first pregnancy with dreams of a natural birth with magical bonding and effortless breastfeeding. What I got instead was an emergency c-section, a massive intrauterine infection, readmission into the hospital for sepsis, interrupted breastfeeding, separation from my baby for 5 days, rejection from my baby when I returned home, and a pretty bad case of postpartum depression. Not the fairy-tale birthing plan I had carefully written out for my healthcare providers, was it? 

So when I became pregnant with baby #2, I was determined to have a different experience and was all set for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) when at 6 cm dilated the nurse checking me announced that I was going to have a very bald-headed baby... which was directly followed by the doctor declaring that what the nurse was feeling wasn't a smooth head but a smooth BUTT—followed by the words, "Breech" and "C-section" which was then followed by my loud sobs. However, I was fortunate that this delivery didn't result in infection, interruption, and separation, and I was blessed with a second healthy baby. 

A few years later, I was thrilled to learn I was expecting again, but that pregnancy sadly resulted in an ectopic rupture and emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and save my life. A few years later, the same good news of pregnancy and the same sad news of another ectopic rupture of my other fallopian tube, requiring another emergency surgery. This caused tremendous grief in not only losing my little babies, but also losing my fertility entirely. 

When breastfeeding my second baby wasn't as easy as my first and ended earlier than I had hoped, I remember being sad on that last nursing session. I had no idea that it wasn't just my last experience of nursing my second-born child, it was my last experience of breastfeeding any other child...EVER! That was taken from me without my consent. But, I did have two beautiful and healthy boys, so I learned to make peace with secondary infertility... sort of. 

There still seemed to be an aching in my heart until I was introduced to a three-year-old girl and her two-year-old little brother many years later. It was a Tuesday afternoon in June when I met them and fell in love. They were home and a part of our family from that day on. They were my babies, and I was their mama. It was not easy to blend my two older boys, ages 11 and 12, with these two special-needs toddlers. There were plenty of tears of joy and of despair in the process of simultaneously parenting biological older kids with adopted younger ones. 

In the years that followed, I not only learned that all four of my children were neurodivergent, but that I was as well. My adopted kiddos would progressively receive varying diagnoses, including Autism, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, ADHD, Intellectual Disability, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Epilepsy, PTSD, and Major Depressive Disorder with Psychosis. My biological children had already been diagnosed with ADHD years before the little ones joined our family. My oldest also struggled with depression while my second son had learning challenges with dyslexia. 

After years of my own challenges with my memory, emotions, executive functioning, attention, self-organization, planning, and prioritizing, I hit an all-time low at the onset of menopause. I went to my doctor with my complaints of severe brain fog and cognition changes, requesting an MRI of my brain, certain that I was experiencing early-onset dementia or cognitive decline from a growing brain tumor. She listened carefully and empathetically as I provided my medical history and family background. She asked if I had ever been tested for ADHD, especially seeing that my two biological sons were diagmosed and that there is a genetic componenet to the condition. I hadn't been screened before, so she proceeded with testing and determined that I wasn't experiencing early onset dementia or suffereing from some hidden brain tumor, but that I was indeed struggling with ADHD. The signs were there since childhood, through adolescence, and the college years... but I had found "work-arounds" to compensate for my areas of weakness and managed. But with the hormonal shifts of pregnancy, postpartum, and now menopause, the struggles exceeded by capability to compensate or mask the deficits. 

In those years of pregnancy, postpartum depression, loss and grief, infertility, body-image issues, early parenting, health uncertainties, neurodiversity revelations, intense caregiving  (including child-to-parent violence), and various family joys and crises, I sure could have used someone to come around and nurse and nurture me. I would have wanted support from a woman who had lived a lot of life to gently guide, train, coach, and comfort me. To challenge me, to celebrate with me, to cry with me... and all the while helping me to heal and grow into the very best version of myself for my children, family, and the world. That is why I founded Nursed & Nurtured.

Fast-forward many years, and I am now the woman who has lived a lot of life, learned many lessons, been given many blessings, and weathered many storms that I didn't know I could survive. I want to share my professional expertise and the wisdom I've gained from those lived experiences with you in the hopes that it could make your journey just a little bit easier and your load just a little bit lighter. 

Note: Although I identify with many role titiles like nurse, coach, doula. The word "doula" stands out to me as it originates from Ancient Greek, meaning "maidservant" or "woman who serves". It would be my honor to guide, train, nurse, nurture, coach, comfort, and serve you and your family as you make your way through the brave journey of parenthood and the challenging task of caregiving, without losing sight of your own self-caregiving.

At Nursed and Nurtured, LLC, I know firsthand that parenthood and caregiving is a journey filled with profound joy, intense challenge, and the need for real, personalized support. Whether you’re preparing for a new baby, navigating postpartum recovery, adjusting to life as a foster or adoptive parent, caring for an aging parent, supporting a disabled spouse, grappling with the complexities of neurodivergent family life, or adjusting to an empty nest...you don’t have to figure it out alone.

RN ~ Coach ~ Doula ~ Trainer ~ Educator ~ Peer

With over 30 years of experience, my approach is shaped by both professional expertise and the real-life lessons that come with walking the path of motherhood in all its forms: biological, foster, and adoption. My educational journey includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) (Nichols State University)
• Psychiatric Registered Nurse (RN), (specializing in pediatric and perinatal mental health)
• National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC)
• Certified Postpartum Doula (CAPPA- CPD)
• Certified Newborn Care Specialist (Cradle Coach Academy-NCS)
• Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher (Yoga Renew)
• Certified Mindfulness & Mindful Eating Coach (Yoga Renew)
• Professionally Trained Dancing for Birth Perinatal Educator (DFB-trained)
• Certified Personal Trainer (National Academy of Sports Medicine, NASM-CPT) 
• Certified Nutrition Coach & Certified Master Health Coach (Precision Nutrtion, PN-1 and PN-2)
• Infant Mental Health Specialist & Early Childhood Behaviorist (Early Head Start)
• Certified Noom Mindset Coach (Noom platform)
• Certified Neurodiversity & Neuroscience Coach (Certified Excellence)
• Certified Postpartum Transition & Parenting Coach (Certified Excellence)
• Licensed Zumba Instructor (ZIN since 2018)
• Infant/Child/Adult CPR/AED Certified (American Heart Association)
• Current PhD student, studying Human Development at Fielding Graduate University
• Somatics, Phenomenology, and Communicative Leadership Concentration

But wisdom is more than credentials. It’s the hard-won insight from weathering postpartum depression, secondary infertility, pregnancy loss, and trauma—alongside the daily realities and triumphs of raising neurodivergent and special-needs children as a neurodivergent parent. I get it. You need someone who truly understands. That's why I'm here.

• Perinatal Mental Health Support — Recovery from depression, anxiety, trauma, and overwhelm through pregnacy, postpartum, and beyond

• Parenting & Neurodiversity Coaching — Tailored support for families, including those with unique needs and diverse backgrounds

• Doula & Newborn Coaching — Evidence-based, heart-centered guidance for birth plans, postpartum recovery, newborn routines, and more

• Health, Fitness & Nutrition Guidance — Practical strategies for hard-working parents with real families and unique needs

• Post-Traumatic Growth Focus — Learn how your family’s hardest experiences can spark new strength, compassion, and hope

You've read about me and my story...

Now, I can't wait to hear all about you and YOUR STORY!!