Labor & Delivery

Heidi Ramke, BSN, CLC, RNC-OB; Ashley Rachal, LPN; Kaylee W. Broussard, RN, BSN, OB Nursery Manager; Ahni S. Wiggins, RN, BSN

At Abbeville General Hospital, you will experience the comforts of home within the safety and security of a hospital setting. Our staff treats you like family from the moment you arrive.

Labor and Delivery

Our unit contains two private LDR rooms in which you will labor, deliver and recover. We also have an antepartum room that can be used for inpatient long-term use for high-risk pregnancies. Even if your pregnancy is considered “high risk,” or you have conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, Abbeville General can provide the required specialized care and tests ordered by your physician to ensure a healthy outcome for the mother and baby.  Cesarean sections are done in our main operating room, located adjacent to our unit. We encourage immediate skin-to-skin for all types of deliveries. Together with your doctor and nurses, we can provide information and guidance on the benefits of early bonding. Every expectant mother can feel comfortable and secure knowing that her birthing experience will be the safest and most rewarding possible.

Pain Management Available

Birth happens around the clock and our anesthesia providers are available around the clock, too. We provide a wide range of pain management techniques including epidurals, spinals, intravenous analgesics, and non-pharmaceutical options as well. We strive to make your labor, delivery, and postpartum experience as comfortable as possible.

After delivery

After you deliver, you will be moved to one of our four postpartum rooms just down the hall. Our postpartum rooms include a sleeper sofa for your overnight guest. In these postpartum rooms, you and your baby will receive specialized, family-centered care. We practice rooming in so that families can spend as much time together and be involved with decision-making and newborn care.

Newborn Care

After delivery, a nurse specialized in infant care will help you care for your baby right at your bedside. They will help you become accustomed to the daily care of your newborn and help to educate the entire family to make your transition home as easy as possible. If your newborn needs specialized care or additional support, we have a newborn care room within the labor and delivery unit.

Breastfeeding

As a GIFT designated hospital, we practice evidence-based maternity care that has been shown to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration. While breastfeeding is natural, it is not always easy. We have two certified lactation consultants available for inpatient and outpatient assistance to help your newborn get the best start possible.

 

 

 

 

Safety for You and Your Baby

We place special ID bracelets to match mother, infant and support person of the mother’s choice immediately after birth and are worn until discharge. Our HUGS infant security system and keypad entry system provide an added measure of security.

SimNewB Infant Simulator

Brett Moreau, RN, and Brittany Bordelon, RN, demonstrating the new infant simulator.

Our education department recently purchased a SimNewB Infant Simulator to give the staff in our Labor and Delivery Unit the opportunity to practice neonatal resuscitations.
 
The first few minutes of an infant’s life are very important in determining the health of the child, and approximately 10% of newborns require resuscitation in some form.
 
The SimNewB will provide highly realistic patient simulation training experiences for our staff, and we are so glad that they now have access to this resource!
 
Click HERE to watch a video showing a demonstration of utilizing SimNewB.
 

Celebration Meal

A celebration meal is offered to new parents after the birth of their baby before they are discharged. This gourmet dinner for two allows mom and her support person to take a moment to celebrate all that life has to offer. The specially prepared meal offers a choice of ribeye, chicken cordon blue, or seasoned baked catfish with a selection of delicious sides and decadent desserts either at lunch or dinnertime. This is surely a meal to be remembered and cherished.