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- BIRTH CENTER: 1945 U.S. 22 West, Union, NJ 07083
The Birth Center of New Jersey and Artemis OB/GYN work together to take care of women’s health throughout their lives – from when they first start their periods to when they stop having them, and everything in between.
Birth is healthy, safe and transformative. We practice generalized joy at BCNJ by recognizing this first and most important basic principle.
BCNJ is client-centered. We are nothing without our clients. Our belief is that the client and the family always come first and that the midwives and staff will be as flexible as possible when it comes to fulfilling client needs. We are humbled and awed by the chance to be involved in this sacred time in a woman’s life.
We partner with our clients and put them in charge of their own care. We see each woman as our equal. We recognize that each client is a whole person, not just a body, and through education, providing choices, and gently guiding, we offer a woman self-determination in her reproductive and birthing choices.
We are passionate and determined. Great just isn’t good enough – we want to be amazing. We want to be the best birthing center in the United States. We want every birth to be the most positive experience in a family’s life.
We have great respect for the diversity of our staff and the varied paths that have led us to this calling. We are building a positive team and family spirit among midwives, assistants, staff and teachers. We believe in the highest level of collaboration by focusing on the sharing of wisdom and utilizing each other’s knowledge and skills to provide the best fusion of care possible.
We practice a common sense blend of natural age-old midwifery wisdom and innovative state of the art, evidence-based care. We honor birth tradition while refusing to compromise our principles and accept the status quo.
We are devoted to building a strong, supportive community within which our Moms, Babies and Families will find like-minded people to help them through the unique experience of pregnancy and early parenting. Modern life can be very isolating. We strive to create an environment where no family with a new baby ever feels alone or needlessly frightened by the task ahead of them.
MD, FACOG, MEDICAL DIRECTOR Nicola Pemberton, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who is the medical director of The Birth Center of New Jersey in Union, New Jersey.
MSN-CNM Kasey has been dedicated to supporting pregnancy and birth since 2004. She began as a childbirth educator but soon realized that her heart was in midwifery
CNM, WHNP, ND Chidera Chima is a certified nurse midwife and board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner. She is very passionate about caring for women throughout their lifespan,
MSN, CNM Jess Couper, MSN, CNM received her Master of Science in Nurse Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, KY, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from William Paterson University in Wayne
LM, CPM, Director of Midwifery
CPM, LM
DOULA Assisting over 100+ families, Alreema understands how much families can benefit from having additional support
DOULABonu has been a doula since 2003. She has supported over 700 births at homes, birth centers and hospital settings.
DOULA Wife, Mother of 3, Certified Full Spectrum Doula and Owner of Butta's Holistic Services.
DOULA Kianna Little is the owner of Earthside Village. She is a certified Birth Doula, Lactation Counselor, and certified in Placenta Encapsulation.
DOULA Patricia is a certified birth and postpartum doula, certified childbirth educator, certified lactation counselor, and holds a master’s in human development, with a bachelor’s in public justice.
DOULA Deanna is a dedicated doula with a passion for helping families during pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
DOULALynn has been a DONA-certified birth doula and founder/owner of Labour Day Doula Support since 2002.
DOULAKhandice Marshall of KhanDoulaBaby Birth Services, is passionate about Maternal health and positive birth experiences.
DOULA Michelle has been the founder and owner of Baby, Please Birth Services for the past 19 years and served 450+ families.
DOULASavannah Segovia is a certified doula with DONA (CD). Savannah considers every pregnancy and birth to be a miraculous event and feels honored to contribute her expertise.
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MD, FACOG, MEDICAL DIRECTOR Nicola Pemberton, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who is the medical director of The Birth Center of New Jersey in Union, New Jersey. She has been featured on a Netflix documentary about childbirth, and in the metropolitian section of The New York Times. She is a champion for Women’s Health, helping women who strive for a minimally invasive delivery. She works tirelessly to help lower New Jersey’s maternal mortality rate and eliminating racial disparities in birth outcomes everyday. She has delivered hundreds of babies during this pandemic, and she is definitely considered one of our local heroines in health care in Essex and Union county. Dr. Pemberton completed her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Miami in Florida before moving to the West Indies for two years to attend the St. George’s University School of Medicine in True Blue, Grenada. For her third year of medical school, she did her clinical rotations in England, including neuroscience selective in the Czech Republic. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey, where she was recognized for her resident teaching and given a faculty position at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York City, where she also served as a clinical assistant professor at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Dr. Pemberton is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her training includes general laparoscopic and robotic gynecology surgery for procedures such as myomectomy, hysterectomy, and ovarian pathology. She performs numerous in-office procedures, including endometrial ablation, cryosurgery, colposcopy, and cone biopsies. Dr. Pemberton lives in the Union County with her husband and three children.
MSN-CNM Kasey has been dedicated to supporting pregnancy and birth since 2004. She began as a childbirth educator but soon realized that her heart was in midwifery. She initially became credentialed as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) to build a strong foundation in normal, physiologic birth. She built a practice that balanced knowledge, skill, and service. She attended hundreds of community births before pivoting to nurse midwifery. As a CNM she is passionate about extending her philosophy of holistic care to well-person, gynecology and contraception. She received her RN from Warren County Community College and her Master of Science in Nurse Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University. Prior to discovering midwifery, she received a BA from Rutgers University and worked in mortgage finance. She has been with her husband, Adam, since high school and has 3 children, all of whom were born with the help of a midwife.
CNM, WHNP, ND Chidera Chima is a certified nurse midwife and board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner. She is very passionate about caring for women throughout their lifespan, providing respectful maternity care, and advancing birth equity. She prides herself on being an advocate and voice for women of color as she believes all women are entitled to safe, compassionate, and equal access to quality maternity care. Before finding her way to midwifery, Chidera obtained her undergraduate degree in Sports Medicine with a concentration in Chemistry at Howard University in Washington, DC. Her love for all things midwifery and women’s health began after a life-changing mission trip to Ghana, West Africa in college. Although the trip was meant to bless and help others, Chidera also gained a sense of self and purpose. Chidera received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Midwifery and Women’s Health from Rutgers University. Before completing her midwifery education, she worked as a Cardiothoracic Surgery RN and Labor & Delivery RN after receiving her Master of science in nursing from Johns Hopkins University. She also has prior experience supporting birthing moms as a certified doula while in nursing school. Born and raised a Jersey girl, in her spare time she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, visiting art museums, watching documentaries, and traveling the world with her favorite travel buddy, her twin sister.
MSN, CNM
Jess Couper, MSN, CNM received her Master of Science in Nurse Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, KY, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. She completed her clinical training for midwifery in NY and NJ, in various home and hospital birth settings. Jess has a passion for natural birth, and for helping women to feel empowered and autonomous in their pregnancies, births, and beyond.
During her nursing program, she created and implemented original research and ultimately evaluated over 3,000 participant responses in order to complete this project. Her research focused on the relationship between interpersonal processes of care as exhibited by the primary care provider and the level of maternal satisfaction with the birthing experience. She was grateful to be able to present her research findings across the country during multiple research conferences. Her abstract is published in Nursing Research. Jess would like to continue to add to the growing body of midwifery related research in the future.
Jess has been married for over 13 years to her loving husband, Tim, and is the proud mom of their adorable golden doodle, Ellie, and their human rainbow baby, Juniper Snow. In her spare time you can find her hiking all over NJ, quilting, crafting, gardening, making brooms and herbal products, and spending quality time with her family.
DOULA A Certified Doula under midwife Shafia Monroe and New Jersey Medicaid Doula, Alreema started her journey in 2011. She is a dedicated mother to three beautiful children and an active community member. Assisting over 100+ families, Alreema understands how much families can benefit from having additional support during all trimesters including L&D. Alreema is the founder and owner of Nurturing BayBees and Nurturing Families Two an agency targeted to families utilizing insurance including Medicaid. She has an undeniable specialty in postpartum, meal planning, cesareans, and bereavement support. Alreema prides herself on creating a nurturing environment for parents whether new or seasoned.
DOULA Bonu has been a doula since 2003. She is a Certified Cooperative Childbirth Educator, through the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEA/MNY), and a Certified Labor Support Doula and Labor Doula Trainer, through DONA. Her educational background is in the sciences and she holds a B.A. in Biology from Amherst College and a Master's in Nutritional Science from The University of Massachusetts. She completed a year of postgraduate coursework in Anatomy and Physiology and is certified in adult/infant CPR and neonatal resuscitation. She has supported over 700 births at homes, birth centers and hospital settings.
DOULA Wife, Mother of 3, Certified Full Spectrum Doula and Owner of Butta's Holistic Services. Her love for Birthwork and holistic health came through her culturally diverse upbringing as she is a New Jersey native who was raised in St. Croix the US Virgin Islands by her family of Guyanese heritage. Being the product of a teen pregnancy and becoming a Mom at twenty years old, life threw her full force into the role of an advocate and support person for teen moms and moms of color within her community. She wholeheartedly believes that knowledge of self is key to reducing carelessness within our lives. If we understand who we are and how our body functions, we make space for education, change and healing. Her hope is that we as women can continue to host safe spaces to inform each other on the importance of holistic lifestyle changes so that we can receive the care that we deserve. We are worth far more than rubies and are powerful beyond measure! May all women believe in their magic!
DOULA Kianna Little is the owner of Earthside Village. She is a certified Birth Doula, Lactation Counselor, and certified in Placenta Encapsulation. Kianna is a mother of 2 daughters. Kianna's personal experiences with childbirth and motherhood inspired Earthside Village. Her first pregnancy was high-risk and resulted in an emergency cesarean section with lasting birth trauma. Her second birth was relatively “normal”, but she was left with a feeling of exclusion. Through her work in public health, Kianna has identified a critical need for a more supportive system for women and babies. Kianna is committed to providing education, advocacy, and empowerment to the people she serves. Kianna strongly believes it takes a village to support birth. Kianna aims to enhance the birthing experience in America through education, advocacy, and support. Kianna’s motto is simple – Your body! Your birth! Your baby! Your way!
DOULA Patricia is a certified birth and postpartum doula, certified childbirth educator, certified lactation counselor, and holds a master’s in human development, with a bachelor’s in public justice. She worked as a Doula Trainer with Ancient Song Doula Services and independent workshop facilitator. She thrives on being "present and available" for each family, from early pregnancy through labor and until after birth, to provide comfort, guidance, information, and emotional/physical support. She works from a person-centered approach as a part of your support team. Her perspective is that you are the expert on your body and will work with you to maintain that space. Utilizing more than 15 combined years of experience she aims to assist you in feeling in control over your process, while maintaining a calm and soothing atmosphere.
DOULA Deanna is a dedicated doula with a passion for helping families during pregnancy, birth, and beyond. In 2019, she became a Birth Doula with DONA and was later certified with Pro Doula, specializing in providing personalized care to birthing individuals and families. Recently, she added Postpartum Doula with the National Black Doula Association to her credentials, expanding her expertise to support families during the postpartum period. Deanna is also a certified Pregnancy and Infant Loss Advocate, Certified Placenta Specialist, and Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Certified. Deanna believes that everyone can have the experience they desire. Whether it is providing emotional support during labor, assisting with breastfeeding, or helping families navigate the postpartum period, Deanna provides the highest level of care and support to each person she serves.
DOULA Lynn has been a DONA-certified birth doula and founder/owner of Labour Day Doula Support since 2002. She is highly experienced and has supported 725 (and counting!) labors. Her philosophy in a nutshell is, “the less that is done to labor, the better it is likely to go.” Labor is hard – AND you can do it!! Lynn supports and honors your informed birth choices. She is experienced and some cases certified in many modalities which enhance and support labor including waterbirth, optimal fetal positioning, “spinning babies,” aromatherapy/essential oil use, homeopathy, Hypnobirthing, honoring the tradition and use of the rebozo, and use of TENS. Childbirth is truly a transformative experience; it is a joy and privilege to witness this profound event! In addition to being a certified doula, Lynn is a certified lactation counselor (CLC) and childbirth educator (LCCE).
DOULA Khandice Marshall of KhanDoulaBaby Birth Services. Is passionate about Maternal health and positive birth experiences. Her goal to support as many people as she can- from pregnancy to delivery and everything in between. She believes that childbirth is a transformative experience and, as a member of your birth team, it is her duty to use her training and education to get you to birth-day and beyond. She uses her hands and her heart when supporting families and it would be her honor to support you during such a momentous period. Certified Birth Doula - Hospital and Birth Center Experience. In addition, she has also participated in the following trainings…Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator Mental Health First Aider, CPR Certified
DOULA Michelle has been the founder and owner of Baby, Please Birth Services for the past 19 years and has served 450+ families. As a certified doula and childbirth educator with The Bradley Method ® she was led to ensure birthing persons felt heard and honored. A full-time chemical engineer, she was drawn to the science of birth and became an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor and Childbirth Educator. She created her own Holistic Childbirth Class expressly for The Birth Center of NJ. In addition, she is the Doula Coordinator for BCNJ. With a focus on birth justice, Michelle is a Board Member of the Perinatal Health Equity Initiative. Having a desire to share her birth expertise, she is a doula trainer and mentor for The National Black Doula Association. A mother of two, she cannot wait to help you!
DOULA Savannah Segovia is a certified doula with DONA (CD). Her extensive range of skills includes being a fertility, birth and postpartum doula, holistic V-Steam practitioner, placenta encapsulator, infant massage educator, and CPR instructor. Her background as an EMT with 14 years of experience in helping mothers deliver has provided her with a unique perspective on the evolving needs of modern childbirth. She firmly believes that compassionate, knowledgeable support is essential during this time. Savannah considers every pregnancy and birth to be a miraculous event and feels honored to contribute her expertise. Savannah welcomed her own child during the pandemic, that experience provided an empathetic lens.