St. Luke Hospitals: Nurse Midwives

At The St. Luke Hospitals, our Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) offer women special skills and an understanding of a woman’s unique physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Care given by our CNMs includes pre-conception counseling, care during pregnancy and childbirth, normal gynecological services and care of the peri-menopausal and post-menopausal woman. With health education as a primary focus, your CNM’s goals are to prevent problems and to assist women in developing and maintaining good health habits. Though CNMs are best known for how they help women during labor and delivery, they apply their philosophy of care in all settings and with women across their lifespan.

Why should I choose a Certified Nurse Midwife?

"The quality of their work… and their caring.” This is a phrase repeated many times, with varied expressions, of personal reward, by those who have chosen to experience their pregnancy and childbirth with the care provided by the CNMs at The St. Luke Hospitals. Our highly trained, masters-prepared, nationally-certified team of experienced CNMs brings to you their clinical skills, compassion and emotional support to help integrate pregnancy and the childbirth experience into your life.

Nurturing begins with your first prenatal visit and continues throughout the course of pregnancy and childbirth itself. Yet, nothing is sacrificed with regard to having the best of medical science available. CNMs are partners with physicians and other professionals who are part of the total obstetric and gynecologic health care team.

Most pregnancies and births are happy, healthy events… however, such a special event also brings new challenges, questions and demands. Our CNMs provide you with an environment of safety, support, flexibility and learning… assuring you and your family the opportunity to make decisions and lead this very important event in your life.

As desired, CNMs also encourage the father of the baby, siblings, grandparents and other loved ones to become involved in the childbearing process. They realize how important the family and extended family are in this unique experience by sharing the work, the responsibility and the joy.

Gynecologic Care

Personalized care is also available for those women who are not seeking obstetrical care. CNMs provide a full range of well-woman gynecologic care. This comprehensive care includes:

Annual physical examinations, including Pap tests and breast exams
Pre-conception health counseling for women considering pregnancy
Pregnancy testing
Family planning counseling, birth control options, including their benefits and risks, and help deciding which methods work best for your lifestyle
Initial and ongoing gynecologic care for teenagers
Management of minor gynecologic problems
Education in health promotion and problem prevention
Peri-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal care
General well-woman health exams
Referrals for mammograms and other screenings as necessary

Whether you’re seeking “something special” for this pregnancy, a future pregnancy, or well-woman care, the CNMs at The St. Luke Hospitals are ready to help you create a special life event.

Midwifery care is a covered benefit by Medicare/Medicaid and most insurance providers. To make an appointment with our Certified Nurse Midwives--Shauna M. Zerhusen, C.N.M., M.S.N.; Amy R. Palmer, C.N.M., M.S.N.; Robin G. Centner, C.N.M., M.S.N.; or Melissa Willmarth, C.N.M., M.S.N. --please call:

St. Luke Hospital East: 859-572-3868
St. Luke Hospital West: 859-212-5125