Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell

About me

Michelle is the owner of Baby, Please Birth Services Agency located in NJ but with a team serving the metropolitan areas of (NY, PA & CT) as well as Baltimore. She is a certified Doula and certified Childbirth Educator teaching the Bradley Method ®, and her own Holistic Course expressly for The Birth Center of NJ of which she is the Doula Director. Michelle serves on the National Black Doula Association (NBDA) Advisory Board where she revised the doula training curriculum to enhance the needs of Black Doulas working in systemically racist environments. As a NBDA Doula Instructor and Doula Mentor she spends her time providing critical thinking skills for her students to be successful and competent in their fields. She is also a Poppy Seed Health Advocate supporting birthing persons virtually where access otherwise would not exist financially. In addition, she established the NJ Virtual Doula Program for Overlook Hospital by galvanizing over 40 local doulas to volunteer their time during the COVID crisis. Michelle recently cross-trained with DONA International to build on her expertise as an educator. She is co-founder of The NJ Birth Justice Collective and Board Chairperson of The Perinatal Health Equity Initiative fostering awareness to Black Breastfeeding Families and Infant Mortality. Michelle tirelessly works in the birth industry since 2005; helping over 600 families navigate their birthing spaces, offering training for birth professionals while ensuring birth justice through state and national initiatives, serving on non-profit boards and panels, enhancing the platform through blogs and podcasts. A mother of two wonderful children born by amazing natural birth experiences. She has been married for 28 years to an incredible man who shares her birth passion, he teaches childbirth education classes with her to share the partner perspective. Michelle empowers others by offering education, support and advocacy. Michelle is also a full time Chemical Engineer working for a German Based company. She holds degrees in Chemistry, Mathematics and Chemical Engineering.

Education

Chemical Engineering (1992)

Chemistry/Mathematics (1988)

Certification and training

Bradley CBE Instructor (2005)

NBDA Doula Trainer (2019)

Evidence Based Birth Instructor (2018)

DONA Doula (2020)

Lactation Educator (2022)

Dancing for Birth Instructor (2023)

Memberships and affiliations

National Black Doula Association - Board Member

National Black Doulas Association - Instructor

Perinatal Health Equity Initiative - Board Chair

The Birth Center of NJ - Board Member

Credentials

Specialties

Languages

English

Service introduction

We offer childbirth education via Bradley Birth and our own Baby, Please Birth Services Holistic Class. We offer labor support and postpartum care (lactation education) while working to ensure advocacy and informed consent as a doula. We train individuals to become new doulas and offer mentoring services as well. We also teach Science Based Birth workshops to both parents and professionals (Doulas, Midwives and Nurses). We service NJ, NY, PA, MD, FL and GA! Email us for your FREE consultation. Michelle is often seen on videocasts or heard on podcasts to change the narrative of birth being an illness.

Packages