Family Birthing Services: St. Anne

Our recently remodeled birth center at Ochsner St. Anne Hospital features six spacious birthing suites with a comfortable, home-like feel. You will be in the same suite for labor, delivery and recovery, eliminating the need to move you and your baby between units. After delivery, your baby will stay in the room with you, giving you the time and space to immediately begin bonding with your baby.

Our birth center also includes a state-of-the-art operating room and neonatal observation room for when additional care is needed.

If your baby needs neonatal intensive care, they will be transferred to the closest Ochsner neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that can meet their needs.

Welcoming your baby home is an exciting, joyous time. Our expert women’s health and birthing services teams are here to help at all stages of the journey, from pregnancy to labor and delivery to postpartum care and adjusting to life as a new mom or with an expanded family. Talk with your provider about your questions, and check out these resources to help you get ready for your little one’s arrival:

• The A to Z’s of Your Pregnancy

• Birth plan checklist

• Breastfeeding Guide

• Information about your baby’s birth certificate

• Mother-Baby Care Guide

• What to pack for the hospital checklist

Ochsner St. Anne Hospital’s birthing center offers a variety of free prenatal, infant care and childbirth classes to help you prepare for labor, delivery and parenting, including:

• Baby Care

• Birthing & Beyond

• Breastfeeding

• CPR/Infant Safety

We also have a sibling class for children ages 3 and older.

View our 2024 class schedule.

For all classes, call 985-537-8291 or email madelyn.bergeron@ochsner.org to register.

Breastfeeding is a healthy, natural way to feed your baby and promote bonding. It can also come with challenges. Ochsner St. Anne Hospital offers several lactation resources to help you prepare for breastfeeding and to support you after your baby is born:

• Breastfeeding classes. Learn the basics of breastfeeding in our free class. Please call 985-537-8291 or email madelyn.bergeron@ochsner.org to register.

• Prenatal consultations. Schedule a complimentary prenatal consultation with an Ochsner certified lactation specialist. During the consultation, the specialist can answer your questions, fit you for a nursing bra and help you make an individualized breastfeeding plan for returning to school or work. They can also recommend breast pumps, teach you more about breastfeeding and what to expect, and tell you about additional community resources.

• Lactation counseling. After your little one arrives, our certified lactation consultants can offer personalized counseling tailored to you and your baby. Depending on your needs, virtual visits may be an option.

• Lactation Warm Line. We know that breastfeeding questions can arise at all hours of the day and night. Call 985-537-8291 to talk with or leave a message for a lactation specialist 24 hours a day. If you need to leave a message, a lactation consultant will return your call as soon as possible.

Breastfeeding may be more challenging for preterm infants. The Mothers’ Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist can provide donor milk to support babies with medical needs. This can help infants get proper nutrition and lower their risk of complications and infections. The Milk Depot at Ochsner St. Anne Hospital was the first milk depot in the region and serves as a satellite storage facility for donor milk, which is then shipped off to Mothers’ Milk Bank of Louisiana for pasteurization.

You’ll need a rear-facing infant car seat to ensure your baby travels safely. We understand that choosing the right car seat for your baby can be challenging, especially for first-time parents. Use these resources to help keep your infant safe in the car:

• Car seat safety tips

• Cleaning a car seat

• Installing a car seat

• Louisiana car seat laws

Visitors are a wonderful part of healing and family bonding when a new baby arrives. When visiting your loved ones, please follow these guidelines to encourage a caring, quiet environment for new moms and babies.

General Visitor Guidelines

• Doors to the unit are locked to provide safety and security for mothers and babies. To enter, please ring the bell mounted on the outside of the double doors.

• For the safety and privacy of mothers, infants, our physicians and our nursing staff, visitors are not permitted to stand in the hallways.

• Prevent the spread of illness and infection. Stay home if you have signs of illness, such as coughing, fever, diarrhea, runny nose or vomiting.

• When physicians make rounds or need to provide care for mothers or babies, you may be asked to go to the Labor and Delivery lounge.

• Visitors may be asked to leave at any time to help keep patients, Ochsner team members, and others in the unit safe.

Visiting During Labor and Delivery

• Check in at the nurse’s station before visiting your loved ones.

• During the assessment, wait in the Labor and Delivery lounge. After the assessment is complete, a support person may accompany the mom-to-be in the triage area.

• Four support people are allowed to be with the patient during general labor.

• In the operating room, two support people may enter the room once a medical team member gives the OK.

• During recovery, two support people can stay with the patient. After the recovery period, two additional support people may join the patient.

Visiting After Labor and Delivery

• Each patient is allowed up to four visitors at a time during visiting hours, which are 7 a.m.-2 p.m., and 4-9 p.m.

• Every afternoon, patients have two hours of uninterrupted quiet time from 2-4 p.m. One support person may stay with the patient during quiet hours.

• Siblings of the new baby may visit briefly during daytime visiting hours. A responsible adult must always accompany children.

• Children may not be left alone with the patient at any time. No children are allowed to visit overnight under any circumstances.

• One support person age 18 or older may stay with the patient overnight. They must stay in the patient’s room continuously from 9 p.m.-7 a.m.

In addition to our Birth Ready and Gift Shining Star designations, the outstanding care at Ochsner St. Anne Hospital and our family birthing services have received the following recognitions:

• Included in Newsweek’s list of Best Maternity Hospitals for 2023

• Named as one of the Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in the South by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2022

• Recognized among the 2022 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health