Michelle Freund | Licensed Midwife

Licensed by the California Medical Board, Michelle Freund has “caught” over a thousand babies since she began her journey into midwifery in 1990. ​​Born and raised in Southern California, Michelle grew up with 4 older siblings in a loving home atmosphere. When she completed school, she traveled and acquired a passion for the Hawaiian Islands where she met her husband. They have been united for over 30 years and feel blessed to have raised two sons that have added two daughters-in-love and two grandsons to their family.

Michelle moved to San Diego in the mid 80’s where she quickly got involved with the birthing community. She became a certified doula by two national childbirth assistant organizations and started one of the earliest doula practices “Labor​ ​Companions of San Diego” with four other dedicated women to successfully provide in-hospital labor support and client education. Concurrently she spearheaded the San Diego chapter of a national doula association, designed and​ ​taught the “Birth Matters Maternity consumer workshop” targeting pre-pregnant and newly pregnant couples. She hosted free public​ ​informational events throughout the county on various childbirth topics and taught childbirth education classes. She spoke as a guest on radio and TV on the benefits of having a doula and about midwifery.​ ​In 1989 she received the “Rose of Gratitude” appreciation certificate for her birth activism here in San Diego County. She conceived Birth Matters in 1993 to offer women and their family a nurturing, safe and rewarding option outside of an institution. During an era when homebirth and the midwives who attended them were not widely accepted, Michelle was determined to continue with her passion for natural childbirth by serving the families of San Diego and surrounding counties. She has since​ ​assisted with the coordination and implementation of prenatal care programs for low income women and worked for several years with physicians in two busy prenatal clinics. She is on the board of the California Association of Midwives, has served as a board member and​ ​currently preceptors students of Nizhoni Midwifery Institute (among others) and has been a midwife preceptor for more than a decade. She enjoys providing warm and personalized professional midwifery care to hundreds of women and their families at Birth Matters.​ ​When she is not busy with mamas and babies, Michelle loves being with her family, spending time digging in the garden with her grandsons and playing games. She loves the sun and spending time in nature hiking, fishing, snorkeling and diving.