Meet Abby Shifriss | Full Spectrum Doula/Perinatal Specialist & Childbirth Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abby Shifriss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abby, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balance is so subjective! We each have our own priorities, goals, backgrounds, privileges, psyches etc. What feels like balance for me may look incredibly different to somebody else. I actually think that’s really beautiful, as long as we aren’t projecting onto one another and putting each other into boxes. What I view as one of the big issues here is that we live in a capitalist, patriarchal society, which is driven by productivity and emphasis on the individual (rather than the collective). With that guiding framework, “balance” often feels so unachievable. There’s simply not enough time in the day to do everything and still find time to just be! To be honest, I’ve always struggled with balance. I’ve never felt like the time frameworks in our education system or traditional work hours have functioned well for me. I’m glad to see some small shifts in work-life balance within our country. I hope over time, our institutions recognize the benefit of work-life balance and make changes accordingly. Over the last few years of my life, I’ve really tried to make changes so that balance could feel more attainable. For me, recognizing that we all have different needs and really honoring what I need has been huge. So, I like to look at my needs from a variety of perspectives: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, practical, social, passion and sensory. This helps me to organize my life in a way that aims for balance.

Over the last couple of years, I was a full-time preschool teacher at River Song Waldorf School in Fort Collins, while also pursuing my doula work and supporting families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. It was a lot of hard work and balance was difficult, but I knew the overlap was temporary. Honestly, what really made it possible was my community. I had so much support from my school, my family and friends and my amazing doula partners. Community is everything to me. In August, I left my school after four and a half years to pursue doula work full-time. While I miss the school, this change has been life-changing. I have more energy for giving and receiving, I feel healthier physically and mentally, my nervous system feels more grounded, I have more time for the people in my life etc. One big shift for me has been to focus more on the energy I put into my work and my passions, rather than the amount of time that I’m putting in. Of course, I still have to function within the construct of time, but there is so much more flow in my life and less guilt. Being self-employed can be scary, but is also such a privilege to be in charge of my own schedule (well, along with pregnant people and their unborn babies)!

To me, balance is about staying present and adaptable. It’s about honoring my needs, embracing community and making changes when needed. In college, I studied abroad in Denmark, which is regularly rated as one of the happiest countries in the world. When I asked locals why they thought their country was so happy; almost everyone responded, “work-life balance.” I took that to heart. I’m fortunate to have found work that I’m so passionate about and at the same time, it’s just a piece of my life and an aspect of my identity. I’m multi-faceted and multi-passionate and I’ve grown to see that as such a blessing. I have many interests, a plethora of amazing people in my life and a deep appreciation for simply being. Showing up for myself with love and gentleness each and every day makes me not only a happier, more balanced individual, but a more thriving member of my community.

What should our readers know about your business?
While I technically have my own business–Bumblebee Birthing, LLC; I do essentially all of my business as an independent contractor through Peaceful Birth Company. I’ve been drawn to pregnancy and birth since I was very young and have always been a natural caretaker. I first considered the path of birth support when I was in college getting my bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Indiana University. In 2016, I attended my first doula training! This was shortly before moving to Colorado and while I knew I wanted to pursue doula work at some point, it wasn’t the right time yet. When I moved to Fort Collins, I spent some time as a nanny for a few different families. Then I worked as a mental health technician in a behavioral health hospital, a job coach and mentor for disabled adults and eventually, I found myself at River Song. Part way through my time there, I also started pursuing doula work more seriously. My sister’s birth of her twins was the very first birth I attended nearly four years ago. Later, I did a more in-depth training with an organization called Birthing Advocacy. This was a much more extensive and full-spectrum training than my previous one had been.

Nearly two years ago, Katy Iengo (my doula partner and the owner of Peaceful Birth Company) approached me about partnering up and building a doula team. We started as three doulas, then five and now we have a thriving collective of 15+ birth workers (and still growing)! As I mentioned before, I was still teaching over the last couple of years and am a full-time doula now. It feels so amazing to be giving this work my full attention and at the same time, it’s very vulnerable and takes a lot of adaptability and discipline. The nature of being a birth worker is just unpredictable, which can be limiting at times, but is also so incredible, expansive and exhilarating! Now I’m consistently on-call for birth doula clients, co-teaching childbirth education classes and a doula training as well as hosting regular community events at PBC.

I would say one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to keep showing up as my authentic self and people will be drawn to that. I don’t have the answers to everything and that’s okay! I have an amazing team and a community of resources and that is beautiful. Sometimes you just have to take the leap and I am so glad that I did. Even just over the last few months, I have surprised myself and been so proud of all the different roles I’ve been stepping into. To be honest, doula work is a high burnout field, so we do our best to create a sustainable, holistic approach at PBC. Our core values include accessibility, inclusivity, open communication, anti-racism and birth justice. We also have a partnership with Salud (a Colorado community healthcare center). They have a grant from Rocky Mountain Health Plans, which allows us to provide free doula services to all of their Medicaid clients. It’s pretty amazing.

I don’t take for granted how special it is to be invited into the sacred, intimate spaces of people’s reproductive journeys. I learn an abundance from every experience and build powerful bonds with my clients. I have many ideas for this community, am grateful for the opportunities and support I have access to and I’m so excited to see what the future holds!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely adore hosting family and friends and showing them all my favorite spots! The types of activities we do may vary a bit depending upon the season, but nature is always a top priority. I love taking people up the Poudre Canyon, sometimes venturing up to Cameron Pass, which is one of my favorite areas for hiking and backpacking. On the way back to Fort Collins, a stop at the Mishawaka for a drink or some live music is always a treat! Horsetooth Rock is the quintessential Fort Collins hike, so I’ll often take people there or to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is only an hour away. There are tons of great little local hikes and swimming holes too. If it’s summer, then we’re definitely going for a swim at Horsetooth Reservoir or floating on the Poudre River!

Live music is a must too. You can’t go wrong with unique local spots like Wolverine Farm Publick House, Avogadro’s Number and the Lyric. A day romping around old town is a guarantee too. There’s something so sweet about losing track of time while wandering all the great thrift shops, local boutiques, galleries and breweries. Odell and Crooked Stave are a couple of my favorite local breweries! Oh and let’s not forget brunch–Lucile’s and Rainbow Restaurant are a couple of my go-to’s. Last but not least, we would spend some time at our Peaceful Birth Company community space, which is right in old town and a thriving hub for community-building and local events!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my Shoutout to my incredible community at Peaceful Birth Company! I am so proud to be a part of such a dedicated, inspiring, supportive group of birth workers. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my doula partners, who have supported me, encouraged me and gently pushed me to step into my potential.

Website: https://peacefulbirthcompany.com/

Instagram: @bumblebeebirthing and @peacefulbirthcompany

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacefulbirthcompany/

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mN4XfvGpD4

Image Credits
Naama Levy Katy Iengo Tobin Voggesser Megan Danielle