About
Mama, wife, artist, scientist, Jesus follower, doula.
Hello, I’m Tally
My name is Tally Marlow. Birth transformed my life, restored my health, body image, and faith. My soul longs for every woman to experience their pregnancy and labor as a gift, and to face the challenges like any other opportunity in life, with understanding, humility, and grit. You don’t have to be overwhelmed, exhausted, bitter or traumatized.
You could say my training began when, at just shy of 8 years old, my grandmother beckoned us older girls back into the birthing room to witness the birth of my littlest sister. Equal parts birth control (my Peter Parker “with great power” moment) and inspiration (my mother just did that!?!), that experience has quietly been polishing and refining the vision for my life ever since. I am an artist, an adventurer, a researcher, a nerd. More importantly, I am a mama to two precious boys, wife to a sarcastic stud, and follower of Jesus.
If you want the fun facts: I’m the oldest of three, and nurturing is in my nature. I’ve led childcare, tutored, and nannied; doled out more unsolicited advice than I’d care to admit; and believe babies can’t be spoiled by too many hugs and kisses (with permission, of course). Food is definitely a love language – and improvisation is the spice of love. Wouldn’t ya know, birth just happens to follow that same rule – the art of improvisation.
I’ve lived abroad three times, would happily backpack across Europe with an infant (but am having a hard time convincing my partner in crime it’d be worth it), and will try any food at least once. If I could live at Beloved & Beyond, a camp for the special needs community (which I volunteered and worked at for 8 years) – I would happily pack up my family and do so. Cozy blankets, hot coffee, egg nog, or a traditional chai and a world-building novel sound like the perfect combination.
When I’m most at peace
Martial arts, dance, writing, art: these are my languages of expression and my first training ground for doula work. You can find me indulging both in ridiculously late nights, when the moon is bright and ensconced by glowing stars or crisp mornings, especially in early autumn, when the first rays of the sun peek out with wisps of glowing beams. So, the birth hour (statistically between 2-5 am for first time mamas) speaks to my soul.
My winding road
Ready for a whirlwind? I was homeschooled all 12 years, first pursued medical illustration, then orthopedic surgery and got stuck in Ireland for COVID lockdowns, landed on a master’s in orthotics and prosthetics when I got pregnant with my first 9 months after getting married, spent those final exams in the throes of first trimester, and gave birth during residency.
God was stretching this girl’s capacity, and I’m so, so glad He did. Now, as a Christian doula serving families in Arlington and across Dallas–Fort Worth, I have the privilege of using this story to bless you, mama, and to walk with you, with your partner, through labor land and into motherhood.
I want you to feel seen, to know my personality a little, to hear the invitation to friendship, companionship, guidance, trust. I’m asking you to walk with me in one of the most transformative experiences of your life, to listen to my advice, to tell me your fears, your struggles, your expectations. I’m asking you to hold space for yourself and to believe in your voice, and I promise to amplify it when you can’t. So I want you to know my heart, convictions, love. I want you to know my limitations and humanity.
Because your birth is your journey, it’s about the capacity of the God who designed you and the purpose and plan He has for this birth on your story.
Through Eshema Birthing you will receive: education + preparation + embodiment + spiritual reflection + art + integration + family transition.
Curious or skeptical? Here’s a good place to start with the most common questions →
The Call
Eshema — a promise to listen, a promise to respond. We’ve all been privy to the unsolicited war stories of birth and motherhood. Our culture has treated pregnancy and birth as a condition to remedy, to avoid. Our medical system first introduces pregnancy not in biology, not in anatomy and physiology, but in the pathology class.
I was in that pathology class as I became a mother. I was a med student, a new wife; I was scared. So, in the deluge of information that I frantically gathered between classes, practicals, and exams — a stream of hope and joy-filled birth stories kept interrupting the narrative of fear, of control, of pathology that mainstream sources kept telling me…
Stories that led to studies. Studies showing a huge body of evidence for minimizing intervention and maximizing preparation. Studies that aligned with traditional wisdom. And studies that affirmed a both-and approach to birth; a physiology-first model.
Eshema Birthing is the calling from my own matrescence to help you experience your birth from that place of peace, understanding, yearning. To walk with women, with their families, as you enter motherhood with agency.
The signs of birth should be visible in your perspective & your purpose — with a few glowing tiger stripes.
When you birth from a place of understanding, the scars mark your strength. When you birth from a place of peace, the questions are opportunities. When you birth from a place of yearning, contractions meet you with anticipation and reward.
Birth shouldn’t be something that happened to you. Birth is something YOU were designed to do.
My approach
Physiology first
Birth is something your body was designed to do. We begin with biology and anatomy, not pathology.How we practice itMovement coachingNutrition coachingVideosA both-and approach
Evidence and traditional wisdom, informed choices and trust, preparation and surrender.How we practice itVideos & questionnairesRole-playingValues-based advocacy
We name your values together so you can own your decisions and speak up with confidence.How we practice itValues exercisesQuestionnairesRole-playingFaith-based guidance
Spiritual reflection and meditation woven through preparation, if that is meaningful to you.How we practice itReflectionBirth artArt & remembrance
Art helps you process and memorialize your story, so your memory of birth is one of strength.How we practice itBirth art
Skills & Training
Doula certification Intentional Birth Pro certified, June 2026
Education B.S. in Illustrative Art & Anatomical Science, pre-med, Latin minor, University of Alabama, 2020 MPO, Master’s in Prosthetics & Orthotics, UT Southwestern Medical School, 2022
Clinical training & licensure Orthotics residency, Baker O&P, 2024 Texas license in Orthotics & Prosthetics (TDLR), 2024–2025 CPR, lifeguard, patient care & neonatal resuscitation certified, 2016–2025
Research & teaching Art Instructor, 2012–2018: designed and taught summer art classes in watercolor, composition, oil pastels, drawing, wet and dry mediums; hosted guided art classes (like painting with a twist); and taught private art lessons, ages 5–65 Research Assistant and Scientific Illustrator: wayfinding & Down syndrome Research Assistant: snake metabolism Research Assistant: tardigrade bryophytic microcosms & cryptobiosis Graduate Research Assistant: impact of cranial remolding helmets on torticollis, positional brachycephaly and positional plagiocephaly
Wondering what snake metabolism or cranial helmets have to do with your birth? This path gave me a strong foundation in anatomy, shapes how I teach, and taught me to sift through heady scientific jargon and distill the data into understandable chunks. More than anything, it reflects a love of learning, growth, and a flexible, creative path.
Come prepare your heart, soul, and might to listen & respond to the call of birth.
Let’s talk