Jennifer Lynch, C.N.M., received her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. She spent the first five years of her career as a labor and delivery nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. She went on to receive her Master of Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she specialized in nurse midwifery.

Jennifer worked as a Certified Nurse Midwife for five years with Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group before returning to Peoria in 2008.

Jennifer is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives. She and her husband Peter live in Peoria with their children Harper, Will, and Pierce.

 

Sherry Hartenbower, C.N.M., graduated with a diploma in nursing from St. Francis School of Nursing in Peoria, IL in 1978. Following graduation she worked in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at St. Francis Hospital for nine years before transferring to Labor and Delivery. En route to becoming a midwife, Sherry returned to school and received a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Bradley University in Peoria in 1986. In 1992 she and her family moved to Charleston, SC so that she could attend midwifery school, graduating with a Master’s in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1995. Since becoming a certified nurse midwife Sherry has provided full scope midwifery care in a variety of settings. She has attended births in the hospital as well as at a birth center.

Sherry returned to Peoria in 2007 and has held provider privileges at OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Methodist Medical Center, and Proctor Hospital since then. Sherry’s special interests include labor and lactation support.

Sherry is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives. In 2000 she became a board certified lactation consultant. She began teaching HypnoBirthing classes in 2002.

Sherry and her husband Ed live in Chillicothe. They have three children and are looking forward to grandchildren in the near future.

 

Nancy Vidic, C.N.M.

Nurse Midwifery is somewhat of a second career for Nancy. As a talented young musician, Nancy joined the Peoria Symphony Orchestra while she was a high school teenager. After graduation, her love of music and traveling took her to the Royal College of Music in London, England where she studied music performance as a concert violist. After finishing her certificate, she returned to Central Illinois and the Peoria Symphony, where she continued her musical career for nearly 20 years. After the birth of her daughter in 1982, Nancy was so moved by the bond she formed with Certified Midwife Bonnie Cox, that she herself returned to school in hopes of one day sharing that bond again with others.

In 1987 Nancy received an Associates Degree in Nursing from Illinois Central College. She eagerly began working at both Methodist Medical Center and OSF St. Francis Hospital as a labor and delivery nurse. With a growing desire for an advanced nursing degree, Nancy again returned to college, graduating from Bradley University with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 1994 and from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1997 with a Masters of Science and a Certificate of Nurse Midwifery.

After graduation, Nancy began working as a Certified Nurse Midwife and was instrumental in the development of a teen prenatal program through Planned Parenthood of Peoria. After 10 years of private practice, she rejoined the OSF team where she developed an OB Triage Unit in labor and delivery. Anxious to return to her patients, Nancy became a part of the Teverbaugh, Croland, and Mueller Team in December 2010 and is excited to be a part of Central Illinois’ first midwifery service.

Nancy currently lives with her husband, Mark, and two dogs, Chubbs and Buddy. She is the proud mother of two beautiful children, Amy and Josh, and loving Nana to two very special grandchildren, Reece and Izzie. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys spending time with her family, bike riding, and knitting. She defines her greatest accomplishment as, “Delivering my daughter twice on the same day”.

 

Sue Sphar, C.N.M. has been a Certified Nurse Midwife since 2000. She received her nursing education at Illinois Central College in 1983, obtained a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Nursing from Bradley University in 1993, and completed a Master's Degree in Nursing-Midwifery in 2000 from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She has worked as a certified nurse midwife for the past eleven years in the Peoria area. Prior to becoming a midwife Sue worked at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center for 20 years as a labor & delivery nurse, charge nurse, OB Life flight nurse & coordinator, high risk OB coordinator, and was part of the management team. Sue also had the pleasure of being a Lamaze instructor for 15 years. Sue has also taught undergraduate nursing students at OSF Saint Francis College of Nursing, Bradley University, and has been a preceptor for graduate nursing students at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Sue and her husband Mike are the proud parents of three grown children, Greg, Karyn, and Tim. They are also blessed to have a wonderful daughter-in-law Liz and son-in-law Justin. Their most precious joy in life is their 4 year old granddaughter Sofia.

 

Midwifery Services

Midwifery care is on the rise as more women seek the personal care that midwives provide. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) have been guiding women through pregnancy and other normal stages of life since the early 1900s. Today women seek midwives for prenatal care, birth, postpartum care, birth control, gynecologic exams, menopausal management, vaginal infections, and many other services.

When you decide to visit a midwife, you can expect a special kind of care. Midwives strive to become partners in care rather than simply providers of health care. Midwives approach birth, puberty, and menopause as normal life events rather than potential medical emergencies. These are times when women need special education or support, but nobody needs to cure or fix them. They believe that if women are given the correct information, they can make safe and satisfying choices.

Midwives are trained to recognize complications early and, if needed, refer you for appropriate care. In a midwife you’ll find the best of health care and human support in one caring professional.