Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Ochsner Lafayette General.
My Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center Labor and Delivery Story
Soon after finding out, I was pregnant with my daughter, I made the switch to become a patient with Dr. Wayne Daigle at Southern OBGYN. I knew that I wanted to give birth at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center after speaking with other moms in Acadiana. I immediately clicked with Dr. Daigle and his staff. I never felt like there was a dumb question or concern. Throughout my pregnancy, my experience was validated, and my concerns were taken seriously. He did a fantastic job of explaining why certain pregnancy symptoms were happening and suggestions on how to ease the discomfort of the aches and pains of pregnancy. The Childbirth and Parenting Classes offered by the hospital were incredibly helpful to attend as I prepared for the birth of my first child as well.
It’s Show Time!
When it was finally time to give birth for my daughter, I was induced at 40 weeks. I immediately felt welcomed by the nurses. They checked on me regularly and made sure that I was comfortable. It was a long labor process for my daughter. I labored for 19 hours. When it was finally time to push, I realized that I could feel my daughter’s little feet pushing at the top of my belly. My epidural was starting to wear off. It was in the early hours of the morning, and I was panicked. My nurse was an absolute angel throughout active labor. She immediately contacted the anesthesiologist to make sure that I was not in pain during active labor. After getting the pain relief that I needed, she looked at me with a gentle smile and said “Ok, we are going to do some practice pushes!” She helped me to learn how to push and listen to my body. She held space for me in a way that I can’t describe. As a first-time mom, giving birth is terrifying. She helped me stay grounded and I will forever be grateful.
She called Dr. Daigle once I was in active labor and started pushing. After over an hour of pushing with not much to show for it, Dr. Daigle and my nurse started to discuss the possibility of an emergency C-Section. My daughter’s heartbeat was strong, so they allowed me to continue to labor. I really did not want to have a C-Section. I was grateful that I was listened to about what I wanted to do with my body. I am a petite person who makes big babies unfortunately. I had a really hard time getting her out. I looked up and saw the room filling with additional nurses in preparation for a C-Section. After forceps, a vacuum extraction attempt, an episiotomy, a fourth-degree tear, and two hours of pushing, I finally gave birth to a precious and healthy baby girl weighing 8 pounds at 4:04 AM.
Recovery
Needless to say, I was exhausted from the whole experience. As I recovered, I felt really supported and could tell the nurses really cared. The cool thing about Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center is that all the nurses are “couplet nurses” where they care for both needs of the new mom and baby. Having one nurse that was well rounded in my needs and my baby’s needs made it easier to bond, learn to breastfeed, and have support throughout recovery. From the moment I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to at least try to breastfeed. While I was there, I met with a Certified Lactation Consultant to help during the process of learning how to feed my baby. The nurses are also trained lactation counselors, so even in the middle of the night there is someone who can help you while you are adjusting to nursing.
When I was discharged, I was asked if I wanted to receive communication once I was at home. Every day, I would receive a survey asking me how I was doing and if I was experiencing any specific postpartum symptoms that could be of concern. I really appreciated having someone ask how I was doing (even if it was via a survey.) Everyone wants to know how the baby is doing. Even my attention was fully on this new tiny human. It was nice to have a check in about what was normal during the postpartum experience and what was not.
I have given birth to both of my babies at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center and will absolutely choose them again if we continue to expand our family. Throughout my experience, I felt validated, supported, and heard. I could not ask for more!
