Meet the moonstone birth team.
Lori Steinmann, ARNP CNM
Owner, Midwife
Lori graduated in 1986 from the University of Iowa school of Nursing. In her last semester, she picked up a job as a clerk in the newborn nursery and NICU and instantly fell in love with nursing and found her calling. She was offered a job as a mother baby nurse when she graduated, and worked a variety of positions in all areas of maternal child nursing- NICU, postpartum, high risk antenatal, and labor and delivery. She can still recall the first delivery that she assisted with, and how she truly felt that she was where she belonged.
Lori went back to school for her FNP at Drake University. She wanted a career where she could have a variety of choices, and still be close to home for her 4 young children. She started work as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 1998. She loved the variety it brought, but missed working with pregnant moms and their newborns. She made the decision to return to school once again for her Post Masters Certificate in Nurse Midwifery at the University of Missouri in Columbia, graduating in 2000 and never looked back.
Combining her two degrees has given her the opportunity to be with families at the beginning, and continue to watch them grow. After 23 years of delivering babies in the hospital setting, she opened Moonstone Midwifery to allow her patients the choice to birth at home, away from unnecessary medical intervention.
"It's a privilege to be present at any birth. I believe midwifery is a calling- it's not just a career. You give up a lot of your own life to be with these families. You become a part of their lives and they become a part of yours. I am blessed to have been a part of so many journeys- some of the babies I delivered when I first began are now having babies of their own. Birth is a true miracle and this is where I belong."
Jessica Cousins, RN
Manager, Delivery Nurse
Jessica has spent the majority of her nursing career caring for birthing women. After graduating from Mercy College of Health Sciences in 2013, she spent 7 years caring for moms through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum in the hospital setting. Being brought up around nurses, she felt at home caring for people, and maternity care was her calling. She trained extensively in high risk antepartum care, triage, labor, postpartum, lactation support, and infant loss. She has assisted in the care and deliveries of thousands of women as a nurse. In 2020, after the birth of her second son, she left the hospital to manage a family practice clinic (Steinmann Family Health), while also working as a PRN care coordinator for ChildServe, and managing her own small business (Oak+Ivory) as a family lifestyle photographer. In 2022, she helped found Moonstone Midwifery with her mom, Lori, and currently assists as a home birth RN for another local midwife as well. She is passionate about informed choice, compassionate care, and empowering women and families. She recognizes the huge need in our community for respectful choice for all moms.
"I believe that for many women, pregnancy and birth is an uncomplicated natural process that requires little medical intervention. I believe in empowering and educating women to make the choices for their own body and their own pregnancy that align with their beliefs, their desires, and their chosen plan. I believe that one of the most important things we can do as medical professionals is to support and hold space for them through their journey. I believe in the strength of birthing women and the incredible bond of mothers and their babies. I believe in the beauty and joy of all birth. I can't wait to meet you and your family and support you in your journey!"