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For Doulas

Telia Anderson, Birth First Doulas

Telia Anderson, Portland Doula

I have been a certified doula for a little over five years. What brought me to this work? I’ve always been interested in birth, women’s empowerment, and babies. My intro to doula support was supporting the mother of my granddaughter through her labor and birth seven years ago. Fast forward two years when I began working as a birth doula and peer recovery counselor in a midwifery clinic. This opportunity opened the doors to the birthing world for me. Since that time, I’ve completed many trainings and doula certifications and worked in a variety of settings.

Doula work has never felt like work to me, it feels more like the heartbeat of my passion! To support a birthing woman and her inner tribe at such a pivotal point is empowering. I hold so much energy, drive, and calling to care for families through the lens of a Peer who has birthed 4 children of my own and overcome many obstacles including domestic violence, sexual assault, and medical disparities. My professional framework is heavily engaged with trauma informed doula support that intersects at supporting pregnant folks with substance use disorders.

My primary focus is to provide you with physical, informational, and emotional care that can help you be more prepared and aligned with the outcome you envision. My goal is to bring these dynamics together while also holding space for you and your loved ones on the way to welcoming a new life into an atmosphere of your choice.

I am a mother of four (2 boys and 2 Girls) and a grandmother of 11 (6 girls 5 Boys) – family is HUGE to me! I also LOVE dogs and have 6 of them! I love to spend time at the beach, it is my home away from home. This is how I enjoy spending my downtime. What fills up my cup? Recovery, spirituality, retreats and events, family, reading and writing in my journal, and self-care. What else am I passionate about? Healing, in any way needed! Mind, body, and soul. Healing on my own journey has prompted me to share, learn, and teach others about what I have learned and what it takes to go from coping to thriving.

Doula Training

N

DONA Certified Birth Doula

N

Instructor, Trauma Informed Care

N

Cornerstone Certified Postpartum Doula

N

Project Nurture Doula at Legacy Emmanuel (5 years)

N

DONA Oregon Ambassador

N

Breastfeeding Support Peer (4 years)

N

ICTC Birth Doula Training with Shafia Monroe

N

Mother Tree Birth Doula Training

N

Cornerstone Birth and Postpartum Doula Training

N

Placenta Encapsulation Specialist

N

Adult and Infant CPR, AED, and First Aid Certified

Areas Of Specialty

N

Unmedicated Birth, Out Of Hospital Birth, Water Birth

N

Virtual/Remote Doula Support

N

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

N

IVF Pregnancy

N

High Risk Pregnancy/Birth

N

Medical Induction

N

Twins/Multiples

N

Single Parent Support

N

Religious Families

N

Adoption

N

Surrogacy

N

Culturally Appropriate Care

N

LGBTQIA+ Families

N

Polyamorous Families

N

Body Positive

N

Trauma Informed Care

N

Survivors Of Sexual Abuse

N

Recovery From Addiction

N

Pregnancy or Infant Loss

N

Placenta Encapsulation

N

Childbirth Education

N

Rebozo, Massage, Spinning Babies, Aromatherapy

N

Postpartum Doula Care

N

Lactation Support

N

Babywearing

N

Mother Blessing Celebrations

N

First Aid & CPR

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Telia’s Testimonials

“My husband and I are so thankful to have had Telia as our doula for our son’s birth in June! Telia met with us prior to the birth to make sure she knew our preferences and she was a great resource in the weeks leading up to labor especially when I went past my due date to 42 weeks and needed an induction. Telia provided support through text throughout my entire labor and joined us in active labor at the hospital. She jumped right in when she arrived and knew exactly how to help me cope with the pain. Telia was such an amazing support to both my husband and I during the entire process. We both felt so supported and really appreciated her calm presence. Telia continued to check on us for a few weeks after our son was born and came to our house to help us with some of our postpartum and newborn questions. We cannot imagine our son’s birth without having Telia as our doula!”

ashley, PORTLAND, Oregon

“Having Telia as my doula elevated my delivery experience and I would easily recommend her to anyone looking for a doula in Portland. She is knowledgeable, kind, supportive, a great communicator, and really worked with the nursing and midwife team in the hospital to make sure my needs were met. As my birth plan changed, she was an unbiased sounding board that really helped me navigate my change of choices. When things got challenging, I really found Telia’s presence helpful, grounding and constant in a chaotic hospital environment with staff changing over constantly. Telia even encapsulated my placenta afterward, which really helped me feel more energized and balanced my mood. So thankful I was able to work with Telia for my delivery.”

Deborah, PORTLAND, Oregon

“I had the pleasure of having Telia as my doula for my fourth child. Hadn’t having children in nine years, I was somewhat frightened by the child morbidity and mother mortality rate within the black community in recent years. Telia came and assisted us through our pregnancy and put that fear to ease by always providing us with information and always available to answer any questions we may have had. She not only assisted us through our pregnancy with information, but was there as the liaison with our medical staff when things just didn’t sound right. She came to appointments at our request, and she followed up with me after my appointments to make sure I was comfortable with any decisions needing to be made. She taught my husband techniques to help me during my labor and was there to support him as well since he wanted to be my main support during the labor. She coached him as he coached me and stepped in when he or I needed her. She was such a great help that she kept an eye on our children who attended the labor! She even visited after the baby was born to offer additional support with breastfeeding and checked in often after the baby was born. Overall, Telia was an amazing doula and helped me have the most amazing birthing experience. She made it easy to give birth again, and I’m excited to be able to work with her again when the time comes!”

RINA, NORTHEAST PORTLAND

“Telia is encouraging, non-judging, creative and knows how to read a room. Telia brings a deep well of labor support skills and an equally deep well of compassion to every labor. She balances listening and offering support to the person in labor and their friend/family network. Telia is not only focused on labor and birth, she truly sees the people in front of her. She offers the energy of a wise friend and the skill set a laboring person needs to work through the intensities of labor, wherever that road leads. As a labor nurse I was always happy to see Telia because I knew she was my other half. As a person who has given birth, I can say I wish her loving and individualized support was offered to everyone on the road through the childbearing season. Telia is a gift to our community.”

ANNA, L&D NURSE, NORTH PORTLAND

“Telia was with me when I had my baby in July 2018. It was so wonderful to have someone in the room who was not only attentive to my needs but also she anticipated the needs of my partner who was present as well. I had a birth plan to go all natural but ended up needing an epidural due to some pre-existing hip issues. Telia was so kind and supportive during the change of birth plan. When it came time to push, the baby’s heart rate dropped and it was very overwhelming to hear the staff talking and the frantic beeps of the machines. During all the chaos, the only thing I was focused on was Telia telling me that it was going to be okay. I feel like I would have been much more frantic if it wasn’t for her being by my side and reassuring me that my baby was coming and I was doing great. Hands down I would recommend Telia to anyone who is having a baby. The love and care she puts into not only the birth but check in on us after was absolutely amazing. Being a new mom is so scary and hard. Telia called, texted to check on me and came over a few times to say “hi”, answered any questions we had, and came over one night to help clean up and make us dinner. I am so thankful to have had her there by our side and Monet loves to see her. When we have our second, Telia will be there with us again.”

JESS, SOUTHEAST PORTLAND

““Had a wonderful experience with Telia from Birth First Doulas. Even though we had some bumps in the road and changes in our plans because of COVID 19, she was very responsive and flexible. She made me feel more confident as a new mom and supported along the way!”

Kimberly, PORTLAND, Oregon