Tina Bitangcol spends her days doing what she loves: when the Edmonton girl shouldn’t be working as a registered nurse in labour and supply, she’s sharing her ardour for all issues pre- and post-partum to hundreds of thousands of followers on-line because the comedic, enlightening Mama Nurse Tina.
“What I’ve turn out to be actually obsessed with is educating and instructing folks methods to advocate and reduce delivery trauma and have a extra educated, optimistic delivery expertise,” the mom of 4 stated.
“I really like speaking about it — I may speak about all of it day.”
She didn’t intend to turn out to be a nicely of data, however by likelihood and within the trenches of motherhood, Bitangcol found there was an urge for food for evidence-based being pregnant and childrearing recommendation.
“I truly began with mother comedy after which I put up, I feel, one video about labour and supply and childbirth — and it went fairly large.”
Edmonton nurse Tina Bitangcol making an academic labour and supply video for her social media accounts “Mama Nurse Tina.”
Equipped by Tina Bitangcol
It was her lightbulb second.
“There’s this enormous want for data nowadays. And I used to be like, ‘You may have the data. You may have a very enjoyable strategy to ship it. Folks appear to actually relate to it.’
“I simply form of ran with it.”
That was in 2022.
Bitangcol began on TikTok, earlier than including accounts on Instagram, Fb and YouTube — the latter of which she stated is her favorite.
“It’s an unimaginable platform for form of longform, actually, actually good data for folks to seize on to and watch via and have that to arrange for his or her delivery.”
Mama Nurse Tina shouldn’t be about euphemisms or flowery “what to anticipate if you’re anticipating” language, as Bitangcol calls it.
She’s trustworthy, blunt, and humorous.
“For me, that ‘what to anticipate,’ that flowery stuff, after I was pregnant — I’ve been pregnant 4 occasions — was type of a snoozefest for me,” she stated. “I actually get pleasure from including the comedy in there, to permit extra folks to narrate to it and make the most of that data to have an empowered delivery.”
Mama Nurse Tina tells ladies they’ll poop themselves throughout supply (“You don’t have to apologize. This occurs on a regular basis!“) and that they don’t want to fret about trying put collectively.
“It isn’t a magnificence contest. Should you are available in and your legs should not shaved, your toenails should not completely manicured and your woohoo shouldn’t be trimmed into an ideal do — lady! Me neither and I’m not 9 months pregnant!” she tells followers in one among her movies.
Edmonton nurse Tina Bitangcol making an academic labour and supply video for her social media accounts “Mama Nurse Tina.”
Equipped by Tina Bitangcol
It’s the relatable, no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek humour that Bitangcol stated many parents-to-be are in search of as they embark on a life-changing journey nobody can actually perceive till they’re in it.
“Being pregnant and labour is frightening for lots of people. Should you haven’t completed it, you haven’t been round it, it may be actually scary,” she stated.
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She stated bringing a little bit of humour into the scenario may also help folks relate and digest the data they’re in search of.
“They really feel comfy listening to it versus being like, ‘Oh my God, what am I studying about?’ In order that’s why I put the comedy in there. And in addition — that’s my character.”
It’s clearly working. Her Mama Nurse Tina accounts have a big following: 513,000 on TikTok, 360,000 on Fb, 352,000 on YouTube, and 245,000 on Instagram. Mixed, it’s over 1.5 million subscribers.
As is the case with all content material creators in Canada, she doesn’t obtain any cash from TikTok (Canadians are ineligible for the platform’s profitable creator fund that pays out folks in locations like the US.) She stated she additionally doesn’t get cash from Instagram.
“So that you’re principally simply giving your time and your effort with none monetary beneficial properties. When you’re capable of form of create partnerships with manufacturers, you then’re in a position to usher in cash that means. However for views itself, it’s a non-paid gig.
“It’s only a labour of affection.”
She does, nevertheless, generate income from views off YouTube and Fb.
Bitangcol began nursing 17 years in the past within the emergency room — the place her doctor husband nonetheless works — earlier than transitioning over to labour and supply.
She went to an off-the-cuff schedule as soon as their children arrived, explaining with little one care and her husband’s shift work, choosing up shifts right here and there was the very best transfer for his or her household life.
It now additionally provides Bitangcol time to create content material for Mama Nurse Tina — a gig she says is extra financially profitable than nursing ever could possibly be.
She uploads a video every day, and stated there was a studying curve to find out what labored and what didn’t.
“I discovered that our consideration spans are so, so brief that you simply actually need to seize anyone in these first few seconds to really have them interact with the video.
“Your video could possibly be superb (however) should you don’t seize them in that first little bit, they’re simply going to scroll on to the following.”
For Bitangcol, creating participating content material begins with good high quality lighting and sound, plus an aesthetic individuals are drawn to. That stated, she data most of her content material in a nook underneath her basement stairs.
“I feel anyone can do it, in case you have your personal character and your personal shtick and you’ve got a little bit little bit of area — my studio is teeny tiny,” she stated.
“If in case you have one thing to say and you may say it together with your complete chest, then get on the market and do it.”
Edmonton nurse Tina Bitangcol’s basement studio the place she data a number of the instructional labour and supply movies posted to her social media accounts “Mama Nurse Tina.”
Equipped by Tina Bitangcol
So what are her viewers most keen on?
“Plenty of movies that I do about delivery trauma often go pretty viral and I put quite a lot of effort into these movies as a result of they’re tremendous vital to me. I feel it’s actually vital to speak about these issues.”
Different subjects her viewers relate to vary from methods to go to the washroom after having a child — a course of involving peri bottles, mesh underwear, ice packs and in a single day pads, witch hazel wipes and numbing sprays or lotions — to easily methods to change a child’s diaper.
“Individuals are consuming that up and also you suppose that is frequent data, but it surely’s actually not.
“Except you’ve completed it — and that’s the identical with something in childbirth — except you’ve completed that factor earlier than, it’s a totally new space for folks.”
Her greatest demographic, not surprisingly, is ladies aged 18 to 44. Bitangcol stated she sometimes will get acknowledged when out and about within the Edmonton space.
“It’s been the wildest experience,” she laughed. “I’ll run into folks and so they’ll be like, ‘Do I do know you?’ And I’ll be like, ‘Are you pregnant? Did you simply have a child?’ And so they’ll be like, ‘Oh yeah!’”
Her greatest recommendation for first-time dad and mom: do your analysis and be ready. Learn the books, watch movies like hers, choose the brains of fellow dad and mom, and the largest of all, take pre-natal programs.
“It’s actually useful to present you that basis of understanding as to what’s taking place in your physique,” she stated.
“Encompass your self with actually optimistic people who find themselves there to assist you — not simply to look at you have got a child — after which simply take data in about optimistic experiences.”
Edmonton nurse Tina Bitangcol making an academic labour and supply video for her social media accounts “Mama Nurse Tina.”
Equipped by Tina Bitangcol
Past educating others, Bitangcol stated she’s made a few of her greatest friendships by being a parenting content material creator.
“I’ve met like-minded ladies who’re passionate, who love what they do as nicely, who’re on the market to genuinely assist folks have a greater birthing expertise.”
She now works full-time as a content material creator however Bitangcol stated nursing remains to be her major ardour. Plus, she feels as a way to preserve credibility together with her viewers, she must be an energetic, working health-care skilled — even when solely on an off-the-cuff foundation proper now attributable to her household’s hectic schedule.
“To really feel prefer it actually issues, I need to have the ability to say I’m a bedside nurse,” she stated. “I don’t suppose I’d ever give that up utterly.”
Past the every day movies, Bitangcol does public talking about delivery trauma, has launched an internet site and is placing collectively two programs on breastfeeding and pre-natal schooling.
“I’ve quite a lot of ardour tasks and it’s actually cool to have the time in my life to discover them.
“I’m tremendous grateful. I really feel tremendous blessed.”
