Tallina Long, Portland Doula

Growing up as a big sister to six brothers and one sister prepared me for a career in and around birth work, childcare, and teaching. After years of being a toddler whisperer and working with families in daycare and outreach programs, I felt the call to birth work. While getting my doula training and certification, I went from being merely interested in birth to being downright in awe! The science and magic of labor and birth is amazing, and I am now honored to be your friendly neighborhood doula. I strive to assist my clients where they are, in the birth that they want, with a little humor and a lot of support. I love to serve Portland families of any stripe, creed, religion, or size with quality doula services and have a special place in my heart for LGBTQ+ families. 

Born and raised in the Wild West (okay, Denver isn’t the wildest place), I love the beauty of nature and the mountains, and I miss the Rockies every day. Fourteen years ago, I moved to Oregon with my then boyfriend (now husband) and we both earned our degrees here and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. We also unexpectedly met and fell in love with another woman, and we are now a happily married triad. Being queer and polyamorous is wonderful and hard, and informs my birth work since communication is so vital when navigating healthy relationships of any kind. 

Encouraging new parents to find their way through labor and birth, get some sleep in the postpartum, and develop community through the first few years of parenting are some of my strengths. Let’s face it, bringing a new life into this world and parenting that life is hard. Intuitively knowing how to navigate labor and your baby’s needs is not always possible, but having an understanding ear and knowledgeable support person makes it that much easier.