Published: August 21, 2026
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
For Kourtney B. Martin, CNM, certified nurse midwife with Norton Women’s Care, being a midwife has never been just a job. It’s a calling that lets her care for women at some of the most vulnerable, joyful moments of their lives. But when it was her turn to give birth, Kourtney found herself on the other side of things, trusting a fellow midwife to guide her through it.
Her path to becoming a certified nurse midwife started in an unexpected place: the emergency department.
Kourtney began her career as a trauma emergency room nurse, drawn to the adrenaline and fast pace of the job. She knew she wanted to move into a role as an advanced practice provider, but she wasn’t sure which direction to take until one shift changed everything.
“One day, I helped deliver a baby in the emergency room, and I remember thinking, ‘How do I make this my career?’” Kourtney said.
That moment set her on the path to nurse midwifery.
Certified nurse midwives start their midwifery education after becoming a registered nurse. A typical certified nurse midwife program requires some clinical experience before enrolling in an accredited graduate program. Kourtney already had these prerequisites, so she enrolled at Frontier Nursing University, drawn to its Kentucky roots (based in Versailles, Kentucky) and her own ties to the state. The school offers online education, which allowed her to continue living and working in Florida.
After a few years in Florida, Kourtney and her family made their way back home to Kentucky, where she joined a Norton Women’s Care practice.
It was there she met Kimberly S. Barnes, APRN, CNM, a fellow midwife who quickly became a close friend.
“I tend to make friends quickly, so I jokingly told her, ‘You’re going to be my friend — you don’t have a choice,’” Kourtney said.
When Kourtney became pregnant with her second child, there was no question about who she wanted by her side.
Even as an experienced midwife, Kourtney said she felt nervous heading into her own delivery.
“It was my second child, but those who work with pregnant women know you can’t always predict how things are going to go,” she said.
Kourtney originally hoped for a natural birth — no epidural — but ultimately chose medication, calling the experience wonderful. What made the biggest difference, she said, was having familiar, trusted faces in the room: Kim, and Devin, a labor and delivery nurse now training to become a midwife.
“Having familiar faces — people I knew would care for me and protect me and my baby — made the experience so comforting,” Kourtney said.
One memory stands out. When Kourtney arrived to be induced, Devin had decorated her labor room with streamers and her baby’s name already displayed.
“During labor, when I was getting my epidural, she held me and helped keep me calm,” Kourtney said. “That meant so much, because I was nervous.”
Stepping into the patient role gave Kourtney insight she couldn’t have gained any other way.
“As caregivers, we are often only present for parts of someone’s experience. We see patients once a year for annual exams, and more often during pregnancy, but we may not have the whole pictures,” she said. “Experiencing pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum care as a patient, not the as a nurse midwife, gave me an entirely new appreciation for what our patients go through.”
There were four years between her two pregnancies, and going through it a second time reminded her just how physically and emotionally demanding pregnancy can be.
“I definitely have a greater appreciation for pregnant women now because I’ve lived it myself,” she said.
Ask Kourtney what surprises people most about midwifery, and she has a ready answer: Many people assume it’s only for natural, unmedicated births, or that it’s somehow old-fashioned. Certified nurse midwives provide gynecological care and reproductive health care for women of all ages.
During labor and delivery, the patient guides the process.“In reality, we support a woman through whatever birth experience she wants,” she said. “We absolutely support natural births, but we also care for patients who know they want an epidural. It’s about creating the experience that’s right for them.”
That patient-first philosophy shapes every visit, not just delivery day. According to Kourtney, appointments rarely feel rushed or purely clinical.
“During an annual visit with a patient, it’s rarely just a quick check-in,” she said. “I always ask about their family, their kids, their work and what’s happening in their lives.”
Midwives and obstetrician physicians work closely together, stepping in for one another when needed and collaborating to keep patients and baby safe. Not every pregnancy is a fit for midwifery care, and the first visit to a certified nurse midwife includes a detailed health history to determine the best path. Patients can transfer between midwifery care and physician care at any point if their needs change.
“It’s a collaborative process,” she said. “We do what’s best for the pregnant woman and her child. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: a healthy baby and mother.”
Care doesn’t end at delivery, either. Postpartum care continues for six weeks after birth. A lactation consultant is available to help with breastfeeding.
Between clinic visits and hospital calls, Kourtney’s schedule is a full one. She spends three days a week in the office, seeing patients for annual exams, pregnancy visits and birth control counseling. Once a week, she takes a 24-hour on-call shift, rounding on postpartum patients, discharging mothers and babies, responding to emergency calls and caring for patients experiencing miscarriage or bleeding, all while still seeing patients in the office.
“It’s a long shift, but I truly love it,” she said.
When she’s not caring for patients, Kourtney is happiest outdoors with her family. She and her husband recently began raising chickens, collecting fresh eggs each morning as they build out a small homestead. Hiking, camping and pool days round out their time together with their two children, a daughter, 4½, and 7-month-old son.
For anyone considering a midwife for their pregnancy or for general gynecological care, Kourtney’s advice is simple: Do it.
“We have an amazing group of certified nurse midwives and support staff at Norton [Healthcare]. They’re caring, kind and personable,” she said. “We spend a lot of time getting to know our patients. It’s never just an in-and-out appointment.”
She hopes more people come to see midwifery as an accessible, welcoming option for women’s health care.
“Anyone who wants midwifery as a birth option deserves to have access to it,” she said.
Her own experience as a patient has only deepened the way she shows up for the women she cares for.
“I’m even more empathetic now,” she said. “I spend more time helping patients understand the labor process and preparing them for the unknowns. Communication is incredibly important, because patients deserve to understand what’s happening and feel comfortable throughout the process.”
When asked what she’d say to Kim and Devin after everything they gave her during her own delivery, Kourtney offered gratitude:
“Thank you for your support, guidance and protection during the delivery of my baby.”