Courtney Stern
Certified Nurse Midwife and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
“Don't ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that,
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~ Howard Thurman
My family bred Spanish Arabian horses, and as a child and young adult I would often volunteer to sleep in the pasture-side trailer to help with "mare-watch". These formative experiences taught me about mammalian birth - the physiologic process, vulnerability to outside intervention, and very rare need for judicious assistance. In 2004 I moved from my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA to the east coast to attend Villanova University, where I completed a BA in Psychology. During the years that I attended Villanova I began to explore the human experience of pregnancy and childbirth by volunteering at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA. I was responsible for converting paper documentation to electronic files, and as I entered the records of the births that happened at The Birth Center, my knowledge about and interest in the physical and psychological aspects of childbirth grew.
I married my adventurous and charismatic husband in 2007, and in December of 2008 we were blessed with the arrival of our first child. The pregnancy, labor, and birth that I experienced affirmed everything that I already believed about women and our ability to carry and birth our babies. Our son was born at home under the watchful guidance of my husband, his mother, my father, and our midwives Christy Santoro, CPM and Beth Goldberg, CPM. My birth team created a perfect cocoon of support while giving me plenty of space to do the work of bringing my son into the world on my own. I felt everything my body did to move the baby down and out, and it was the most focused and exhilarating experience of my life. In June of 2010 I moved back to Santa Cruz with my family, and two months later my husband, Joscelyn Grote, LM, CPM, and Kelly Olmstead, LM, CPM watched, held, and gently coached me as I gave birth to a daughter at home. During this experience I was again a witness of the power and perfection of natural birth.
Having been given these gifts, I felt that it was not only my duty but my privilege to support families as they created the birth experience that was right for them. I became a certified birth doula and worked independently in that role for several years, supporting families across birth settings and in countless different circumstances. I attended families who were having their first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth babies, those who were having singleton babies, twins, medicated births, unmedicated births, cesarean births, vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC), and breech births. While I gained invaluable understanding of pregnancy and birth, and experienced profound joy and purpose in that work, it was also deeply disturbing to consistently witness the major deficiencies in mainstream maternity care. My initial fire and desire to become a midwife was confirmed through my doula work, and my purpose became clear: I am here to offer the kind of healthcare that every person deserves as I partner with my clients during their autonomous, empowered experiences.
I had been self-driven to participate in holistic midwifery education throughout my doula work, and when choosing a midwifery program I elected to earn a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. This education complimented my background in holistic healthcare and homebirth, expanded my understanding of the human body, and allowed me to practice critical skills for maintaining the health and well-being of my clients in rare emergent circumstances and across birth settings. I obtained a dual degree in Midwifery and Women's Health/Gender-Related studies, and I am now a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP-BC). While completing my Masters degree, I also worked as a Registered Nurse at The Birth Center where my journey in human birth began many years ago.
I have attended over 400 births in homes, birth centers, and hospitals, and I have served hundreds of families in the office setting providing comprehensive gynecological care, primary care, family planning services, and well woman care. What began as an interest in birth over fifteen years ago has now become a passion for educating and empowering families about their choices in healthcare. My aim is to ensure that the people I work with live and birth with awareness: awareness of their options, their strength, their innate abilities, and the inner guidance that is inherent within them. I am constantly in awe of my clients, and honored by the privilege and blessing of walking alongside them as they move through the most intimate and transformative experiences of their lives.
In addition to the above, I've completed the following trainings:
Acupressure for Pregnancy Care and Labor Support - Training and Certification
Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) - ALSO Provider
Birth Arts International - Certified Doula
Birthing From Within® - Mentor
Creating Space: Pelvic Bodywork - Training with Brittany Sharpe-McCollum
Heart and Hands Midwifery Intensives - Introductory and Advanced Courses
Heart of Herbs - Advanced Women's Herbal and Aromatherapy course and Master Aromatherapy Certification Program (both in process)
Integrative Resuscitation of the Newborn - Certified with Karen Strange
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) - NRP Provider
Rebozo for Birth - Training with Debra Pascali-Bonaro
Spinning Babies - With Gail Tully
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that,
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
~ Howard Thurman
My family bred Spanish Arabian horses, and as a child and young adult I would often volunteer to sleep in the pasture-side trailer to help with "mare-watch". These formative experiences taught me about mammalian birth - the physiologic process, vulnerability to outside intervention, and very rare need for judicious assistance. In 2004 I moved from my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA to the east coast to attend Villanova University, where I completed a BA in Psychology. During the years that I attended Villanova I began to explore the human experience of pregnancy and childbirth by volunteering at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA. I was responsible for converting paper documentation to electronic files, and as I entered the records of the births that happened at The Birth Center, my knowledge about and interest in the physical and psychological aspects of childbirth grew.
I married my adventurous and charismatic husband in 2007, and in December of 2008 we were blessed with the arrival of our first child. The pregnancy, labor, and birth that I experienced affirmed everything that I already believed about women and our ability to carry and birth our babies. Our son was born at home under the watchful guidance of my husband, his mother, my father, and our midwives Christy Santoro, CPM and Beth Goldberg, CPM. My birth team created a perfect cocoon of support while giving me plenty of space to do the work of bringing my son into the world on my own. I felt everything my body did to move the baby down and out, and it was the most focused and exhilarating experience of my life. In June of 2010 I moved back to Santa Cruz with my family, and two months later my husband, Joscelyn Grote, LM, CPM, and Kelly Olmstead, LM, CPM watched, held, and gently coached me as I gave birth to a daughter at home. During this experience I was again a witness of the power and perfection of natural birth.
Having been given these gifts, I felt that it was not only my duty but my privilege to support families as they created the birth experience that was right for them. I became a certified birth doula and worked independently in that role for several years, supporting families across birth settings and in countless different circumstances. I attended families who were having their first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth babies, those who were having singleton babies, twins, medicated births, unmedicated births, cesarean births, vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC), and breech births. While I gained invaluable understanding of pregnancy and birth, and experienced profound joy and purpose in that work, it was also deeply disturbing to consistently witness the major deficiencies in mainstream maternity care. My initial fire and desire to become a midwife was confirmed through my doula work, and my purpose became clear: I am here to offer the kind of healthcare that every person deserves as I partner with my clients during their autonomous, empowered experiences.
I had been self-driven to participate in holistic midwifery education throughout my doula work, and when choosing a midwifery program I elected to earn a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. This education complimented my background in holistic healthcare and homebirth, expanded my understanding of the human body, and allowed me to practice critical skills for maintaining the health and well-being of my clients in rare emergent circumstances and across birth settings. I obtained a dual degree in Midwifery and Women's Health/Gender-Related studies, and I am now a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP-BC). While completing my Masters degree, I also worked as a Registered Nurse at The Birth Center where my journey in human birth began many years ago.
I have attended over 400 births in homes, birth centers, and hospitals, and I have served hundreds of families in the office setting providing comprehensive gynecological care, primary care, family planning services, and well woman care. What began as an interest in birth over fifteen years ago has now become a passion for educating and empowering families about their choices in healthcare. My aim is to ensure that the people I work with live and birth with awareness: awareness of their options, their strength, their innate abilities, and the inner guidance that is inherent within them. I am constantly in awe of my clients, and honored by the privilege and blessing of walking alongside them as they move through the most intimate and transformative experiences of their lives.
In addition to the above, I've completed the following trainings:
Acupressure for Pregnancy Care and Labor Support - Training and Certification
Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) - ALSO Provider
Birth Arts International - Certified Doula
Birthing From Within® - Mentor
Creating Space: Pelvic Bodywork - Training with Brittany Sharpe-McCollum
Heart and Hands Midwifery Intensives - Introductory and Advanced Courses
Heart of Herbs - Advanced Women's Herbal and Aromatherapy course and Master Aromatherapy Certification Program (both in process)
Integrative Resuscitation of the Newborn - Certified with Karen Strange
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP®) - NRP Provider
Rebozo for Birth - Training with Debra Pascali-Bonaro
Spinning Babies - With Gail Tully
Courtney Stern, CNM, WHNP
Inner Light Midwifery
courtney@innerlightmidwifery.com
(970) 729-5000
photos on this page courtesy of QStern Photography