Who I am
Hey, I’m Abby. I’m a doula, educator, researcher, sociologist, wife, mom, Catholic, and geek. Sometimes I take milk in my coffee to feel luxurious. My favorite tv show is Jane the Virgin. I have a tattoo on my left wrist, which is a Bible verse reference in Vulcan calligraphy. My little family lives St. Louis, Missouri. We have a dog (Millie) and a cat (Benedict Cumbercat). We miss our six chickens (Galadriel, Padme, Beverly, Dolores, Buffy, and Wanda) and are hoping to build a new flock soon.
I have two jobs I love. The first job is as a professor of sociology and health care ethics. In really broad terms, I write and teach about family, culture, politics, and methodologies. In specific terms, I study how transitions into motherhood shape our views of ourselves and our social structures, especially in situations of loss and grief.
The other job is a birth worker.
What I do
I help people forming families – and people supporting people forming families – to feel comfortable, confident, and reassured through education, resources, and support. I do what I do because I want to support families being born. That means I serve as a birth doula, walking with parents before, during, and after the birth of a child. I also serve as a bereavement doula, supporting parents through a hello and a goodbye. I teach childbirth education classes, helping families and their support systems grow in confidence through knowledge.
Really, I hold. That’s what I do. From the most exciting of outcomes to the most heartbreaking of outcomes, I hold – space, conversations, energy, emotions, faith, doubt, and most of all parents. I treasure the whole person with my whole heart, no matter age, race, gender, creed, or orientation. Through my training, experience, and creativity, I provide or find the calm and the resources families need in tender moments of transition, and I companion them as they move through those moments.
About my practice
I offer virtual bereavement doula services, so your location is not a factor in your ability to find support.
For local folks looking for a doula, I typically practice within an hour’s radius of St. Louis, MO.
My childbirth education classes take place in a classroom or in your living room, either in person or virtually.
Why I do it
My mission is to provide education, resources, and support to families in formation, in order to help parents feel comforted, confident, and reassured/companioned. I do this through a grief-informed, science-based lens that is informed by faith.
Want to learn more? Let’s connect! You can find me on instagram (@abbythesociologistdoula) and Facebook (Abby the Sociologist Doula).
Dr. Abby Jorgensen is a professor of sociology and health care ethics at Saint Louis University in Missouri, USA. She is an expert in family sociology and methods with foci in health, politics, and culture. Dr. Jorgensen’s credentials include: Ph.D.(Sociology), LCCE, CD(DONA), and CD(ProDoula).
Abby the Sociologist Doula 