Raising the Standard for Moms and Babies Across Louisiana
Three FMOLHS hospitals have earned Birth Ready designations from LaPQC, recognizing their commitment to exceptional care for moms and babies…
Rest Is Not a Luxury: Why Women Need Sleep to Thrive
When your days are packed with meetings, carpool duty, errands, dinner prep and maybe just a moment to catch your…
From Patient to Partner: A Journey Through Maternity with a Pregnancy Navigator
Stephanie King, RN, BSN, didn’t always see herself as a nurse. Growing up in Youngsville, she first pursued a path in cosmetology, earning her license and making people feel their best. But nursing was in her blood. Her mother worked as a labor and delivery nurse for more than 40 years, and Stephanie found herself…
The Power of Primary Care
Take the first step to take care of your health and start a relationship with a primary care provider. It’s…
Why Every Woman Needs Both a PCP and an OB-GYN
Regular check-ins with an OB-GYN are essential for women’s health. But we also know women have other medical concerns that need to be addressed. You are more than the sum of your lady parts. Even with regular well-woman exams, annual primary care visits are important for women’s health and well-being. Establishing primary care ensures women…
5 Reasons You Need a PCP, Especially if You’re a Woman
Welcome to the world of adulting, where taking charge of your health becomes essential. You may have heard the term “PCP” or “GP” floating around the healthcare space. Primary care physician, or PCP, simply means a doctor who handles your general health needs, from routine check-ups to managing chronic conditions. GP, or general practitioner, internist,…
Considering Natural Childbirth? Here’s What You Need to Know
“Natural” childbirth is defined differently by different people, but the goal of all childbirth is the same: healthy mom, healthy baby and a good experience for both. Katherine Greene, CNM, and Mary Jazayeri, WHNP, CNM, certified nurse midwives at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital, explain the nuances of natural childbirth and what…
Choose The Right Care for Your Birth: Consider Hospital-Based Certified Nurse Midwives
The essence of midwifery care is to promote physiologic birth, recognizing when interventions may be necessary and fostering shared decision-making…
How Women Can Listen to their Bodies and Hormones for Best Health
Hormones and the roles they play in women’s health are having a moment on social media, but the claims, quips and memes may do more harm than good. “Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t make it true,” says Karroll Payne, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Our Lady of the Angels Health. Dr. Payne…
7 Ways Women Can Prioritize Their Health
Women make time for so much in life – organizing children’s after-school activities, helping coworkers with difficult projects and ensuring everyone in your family keeps up with routine medical care, to name a few. To be able to devote time to those things, however, women need good health. Celebrate National Women’s Health Week by resolving…
Why Are Bad Habits So Hard to Kick?
Whether it’s living a sedentary lifestyle, eating unhealthy foods, abusing drugs or alcohol, or not getting enough sleep, almost everyone has at least one habit that’s affecting their health and well-being. Unfortunately, bad habits are hard to kick precisely because they’re habits. Habits become ingrained in our daily lives and, over time, become “automatic” behaviors.…
Ditching Bad Habits
You don’t have to wait until the start of a new year to create resolutions to better yourself. Usually healthy resolutions involve adjusting behavior that’s negatively affecting your health. Take action to take control of your health and leave your bad habits in the past. Check out our infographic below and then read about how,…
Through All Maternity – Pamela’s Journey
Pamela’s JourneyI struggle with panic and anxiety disorder, which was a big challenge through my pregnancy. It was a hard, hard road, and without the support of the Healthy Moms program at St. Francis I don’t know how I would have done it.Ryker, my second son and third child, was born August 22, 2022, at…
Through All Maternity – Kily’s Journey
Kily’s JounreyAs a high-risk pregnancy, I thought I was prepared for everything, but I was thrown a curveball when I had to stay in the hospital much longer than my newborn. It was a very scary time, but thankfully my family had a wonderful support system to see us through. It literally took a village…
Through All Maternity – Sarah’s Journey
Sarah’s Journey Our fourth child, Weston, is a blessing that we didn’t see coming, and his birth was truly a…
Through All Maternity – Rachel’s Journey
Rachel’s JourneyThe Rise Up program at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital gave me and my daughter a second chance and a fresh start. I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t have that program.I’m 27 now, and my daughter Raedynn was born at Our Lady of the Angels Hospital on December 11,…
Through All Maternity – Arianna’s Journey
Arianna’s JourneyThe best part of my birth journey is that I didn’t have to travel far from home to have an exceptional birth experience right here in Bogalusa. For my third child I wanted to stay close to home and repeat the great experience I had when I delivered my second child at Our Lady of…
Through All Maternity – Elizabeth’s Journey
Elizabeth’s JourneyPregnancy has taught me patience and that I don’t have as much control as I think I do. Having an induction for my third birth made me realize that you can have a plan but you also have to be OK with things not going according to plan.My husband and I welcomed William to…
Through All Maternity – Remi’s Journey
Remi’s Journey I feel blessed to be pregnant. My journey has been super easy and routine. I’m just amazed and…
Through All Maternity – Katy’s Journey
Katy’s JourneyHaving my babies where I work was a little weird since I know everyone at St. Francis. I knew as soon as I walked in the text messages flew: “Katy’s in labor!” It was all good though. I love my nurses and show them pictures of my growing boys when I see them at…
Through All Maternity – Desiree’s Journey
Desiree’s JourneyI felt kind of like a rockstar after my VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) – I can’t believe I just did this.My second son and third child, Grayson John, was born October 17, 2017, at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Taking a Pregnancy Test on a Hunch I actually found out…
Through All Maternity – Kennedy’s Journey
Kennedy’s JourneyAs a postpartum nurse I’ve taken care of a lot of moms and babies and know what to expect. When I had my third child, I expected a pregnancy similar to my first two, so I was on the lookout for blood pressure issues. But I ended up dealing with gestational diabetes and having…
Through All Maternity – Jacqueline’s Journey
Jacqueline’s JourneyVisualizing that my delivery could go beautifully, that it could even be the best day of my life, helped me have a wonderful, profound experience. Prayer and Scripture also played important roles during my son’s birth.My husband, Andrés, and I welcomed our son, Lucas Andrés, on September 20, 2021, at Our Lady of Lourdes…
Through All Maternity – Jamie’s Journey
Jamie’s Journey Pregnancy is beautiful and scary, but those two feelings can coexist. I didn’t know motherhood would make me…
Through All Maternity – Morgan’s Journey
Morgan’s Journey Being a new mom on this great adventure of motherhood is teaching me a lot about myself as…
Recurring UTI Symptoms Again? Learn What to Do
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common, annoying problem. According to the National Institutes of Health, women have a 50% chance of experiencing UTI symptoms sometime during life. Once you have a UTI, you have a 27 percent chance of experiencing a second UTI within six months. With UTIs, you experience all sorts of bladder…
ParentingU Podcast: Gestational Diabetes
Pregnancy bring about changes to insulin sensitivity and therefore blood sugar, and for some moms that can lead to gestational diabetes. Carmen Alexis Miller, MS, RDN, LDN, outpatient dietitian at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Lafayette, shares her healthy eating during pregnancy tips, including specific details about managing gestational diabetes, in…
Advanced Breast Health Imaging Available from Our Lady of the Angels
When it comes to an annual mammogram, accuracy and peace of mind are key. New advanced mammogram technology is available…
ParentingU Podcast: Through All Maternity – Preparing for Delivery
Getting ready for the birth of a new baby can feel overwhelming, but there are things parents-to-be can do to prepare. Evie Robison, RN, pregnancy navigator at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Lafayette, shares her tips to help expecting parents plan for the big day in this ParentingU podcast episode. As…
Autoimmune Diseases and Women
Autoimmune diseases affect people’s immune systems. These conditions cause immune systems to attack their own healthy cells by mistake. Autoimmune diseases can affect almost every part of the body. Two of the most common types of autoimmune diseases are Type 1 diabetes, which involves the immune system attacking the pancreas, and rheumatoid arthritis, which involves…
Women’s Health: Take Care of Yourself
Self care is more than a hashtag. Women’s bodies have unique health needs. Certain habits can improve and maintain health and well-being. May S. Thomassee, MD, gynecologist and minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon with Lourdes Physician Group, shares her wellness advice for women. “In today’s world, women need to not only survive but to thrive,” she says.…
Eating Well During Pregnancy
Should you eat for two when you’re expecting a bundle of joy? Not quite, says Carmen Alexis Miller, MS, RDN, LDN, outpatient dietitian at Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital. She shares some advice about how moms-to-be can approach nourishing their bodies through all maternity. How Much More Food? The concept of…
Eating Well with Gestational Diabetes
Part of any pregnancy journey is the “orange drink test,” or a screening for gestational diabetes. This regular part of prenatal care usually happens sometime between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, but what happens if you fail and are diagnosed with gestational diabetes? Carmen Alexis Miller, MS, RDN, LDN, outpatient dietitian at…
Five Tips to Help with Morning Sickness
Sometimes morning sickness can seem like a misnomer when you’re pregnant and feeling sick all day long. Morning sickness, or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, is most common in the first trimester between weeks six and 13, and about 70% of pregnant women will experience it. Although morning sickness is a rough experience, time will…
Healthy Habits for Healthy Breasts
Learn how women can take steps in their daily lives to improve their long-term breast health.
Expert Advice on Prepping for Your Mammogram
Learn from the experts about how to prepare for your first mammogram and what to expect.
How Breasts Change Over Time
Learn what sort of changes you may notice in your breasts over time and what the changes may signal.
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
If you’re a woman who’s having issues with your menstrual cycles, you could be living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This syndrome is a common health problem that afflicts women of childbearing age. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that disrupts the functioning of the ovaries, interfering with their ability to produce eggs. It’s one of…
What Screenings Should Women Get?
Learn what types of health screenings women should get at different stages of their lives.
