Whole Person Care

Welcome to The Nook Midwifery in downtown Chestertown, where we provide personalized, comprehensive, and compassionate care for women* throughout the lifespan. Our practice is located in a non-medicalized setting that provides a sense of comfort, safety, and privacy.

*While the majority of clients at The Nook Midwifery identify as women and we have opted to use this term in our practice description, please know that we are a safe and gender inclusive space that acknowledges the diversity of human sexual and gender expression and provides trauma informed care.  

Women’s health through the lifespan

Services are offered in-person in Chestertown, Maryland, or as a telehealth option for presenting concerns that do not require an in-person visit for physical exam findings. Virtual appointments utilize a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform.

Gynecologic Care

The Nook Midwifery provides evaluation and management of common gynecologic concerns and complaints, including irregular or heavy menses, painful menses, urinary and vaginal symptoms, and peri-menopausal and menopausal concerns. Testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including expedited partner therapy, are also available.

Well-person Care/Annual Wellness Exams

We provide annual wellness exams, including pap smears, HPV testing, physical exams, relevant lab work, and orders for mammogram and DEXA scan imaging as warranted by your age and medical history. While pap smears are no longer recommended on an annual basis for all people, a comprehensive annual well-woman or well-person exam includes far more than a pap smear.

Pregnancy Care

For an informed and empowered pregnancy and a well-supported adjustment to parenthood, personalized care is available prenatally and in the postpartum period.  Pregnancy care at The Nook Midwifery offers the same options for prenatal testing and imaging as a traditional OB/GYN office, while also focusing on helping you maintain your optimal physical health and fostering your optimal psychological preparation for birth. Complete prenatal records are sent in advance of your due date to the hospital or facility you choose for your delivery.

Contraceptive Care

In this time of numerous contraceptive choices, from non-hormonal to hormonal and long-acting reversible options, The Nook Midwifery can partner with you in determining your personal best contraceptive option. We can prescribe contraceptive pills, patches, rings, and injections and/or place a contraceptive device (an IUD or an implant) in our office. 

Our mission

To develop relationships…

… in support of an integrative health approach

We believe that optimal healthcare requires unhurried time, evidence-based practice, trust-based partnership, and mutual respect between client and provider. The midwifery model of care is centered on these values, prioritizing client autonomy, informed choice, shared decision-making, and effective, ongoing, two-way communication.

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Our Practice environment

Gallery

Our Team

Meet the Midwife

Picture of Jean Ayers

Jean F. Ayers

Practice director

Certifications and Licensure

  • Certified Midwife (American College of Nurse Midwives)
  • Certified Physician Assistant (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants)
  • Current Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) Certificate
  • Current Adult and Pediatric CPR Certificate
  • Master of Science degree, Midwifery (Thomas Jefferson University)
  • Master of Science degree, Health Sciences/Physician Assistant Studies (George Washington University)
  • Doctor of Psychology degree, Clinical Psychology (Hahnemann University)
  • Licensed Certified Midwife, State of Maryland 
  • Licensed Certified Midwife, Commonwealth of Virginia
  • Licensed Psychologist, State of Maryland

Jean has served in several roles as a healthcare provider – clinical psychologist, physician assistant, and support midwife in homebirth practice. Each role has underscored for her that offering healthcare for women and families is both an honor and a privilege; one that requires attending to the contributions from body, mind, spirit, and community belongingness.

Certified nationally in early 2024, the journey to becoming a midwife, although circuitous, was consistently guided by the threads of deeply caring about the wellbeing of women, valuing women’s voices, and elevating women’s experiences. Originally trained as a clinical psychologist, Jean’s work in psychology focuses predominantly on the interface of mind and body in the field of behavioral medicine. In her concurrent psychological practice, she continues to accompany people on their individual paths to adjust to challenging medical diagnoses, relate to their changing bodies, process and make meaning of their challenging and traumatic experiences, and adapt to their changing identities across the developmental lifespan.

After 17 years as a professor of psychology, Jean departed from academia to train as a physician assistant, with a focus on both primary care of families and gynecologic care of women. After eight years in this role, Jean entered midwifery training in 2021, seeking a more globally recognized credential to support her calling to international volunteerism in women’s healthcare.

During her midwifery studies, Jean was adamant with faculty about finding (and in some cases, creating for herself) opportunities to gain exposure to diverse cultural beliefs and traditions around birthing, breastfeeding, infant care, and family identity in non-hospital settings. She completed clinical rotations in birth centers in the southwest (Arizona) and in Mangere, New Zealand, where most of the women she served were of indigenous Māori, Tongan, or Samoan ancestry. Although also traditionally trained in medicalized hospital settings as both a midwife and a PA, Jean strongly supports natural, physiological birth as well as alternative and lifestyle management of common primary care and gynecological concerns.  

As a native of the northern Maryland countryside, Jean was delighted to return to residence in Maryland on the beautiful Eastern Shore in 2018. She and her husband Greg spent several years building their maritime skills by sailing the Chesapeake on their sailboat, Nurture, in preparation for ocean voyaging last fall from November 2025 to June 2026.

 While not caring for clients in a psychological or midwifery capacity, Jean enjoys creating vegan dishes in her kitchen, often making use of the abundance of locally grown fruits and vegetables. Jean also works in animal welfare as a field capture and transport volunteer for Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research.

Contact information

Contact us to discuss your needs or to schedule your appointment.

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Address

112 S. Cross Street, 2nd Floor

Chestertown, MD 21620

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Phone

(443) 218-3105

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Email

Admin@thenookmidwifery.com

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Hours

Monday – Saturday: By Appointment