Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Post-Delivery Resources
Your bundle of joy has arrived! Ochsner provides expert neonatal care and services after your delivery.
Departing from the Hospital with Your Car Seat
Time of discharge is typically between 9 a.m. and noon, but can vary by location. Check with your nurse that day for an estimated discharge time. Please ensure you have a ride arranged to be at the hospital between 9 a.m. and noon on your day of discharge with a car seat already properly installed.
Ochsner Medical Center – Westbank is a certified checkpoint with check available by appointment only. Call 504-391-5246 for details.
Mother and Newborn Care
The nursing team will educate you and your support person on care essentials for mom and baby, such as expected changes for mothers after giving birth, cord care, circumcision care, bathing, crying, swaddling, spitting up/burping, weight gain, vaccines and more. Please review our Mother Baby Care Guide prior to your delivery.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a highly-specialized center for premature and special needs newborns and infants.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Webcam System
Available at Ochsner Baptist and Ochsner Westbank
The arrival of a new baby is an amazing time for a family. For some whose babies need to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), those first days or weeks can be difficult. The separation from their infant can be hard for any mother or family.
At Ochsner, we are committed to being a family-centered care facility and understand parents are an important part of the care giving team. We offer a free webcam service so families with Internet access can watch the new baby from any computer or mobile device at our Ochsner Baptist and Ochsner Westbank locations.
Mother’s Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist
As a leader in neonatal care, Ochsner Baptist understands the critical importance of human milk in development that cannot be duplicated by formula. By partnering with the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin, Ochsner Baptist now gathers milk donations to support babies who need human milk to thrive.
Learn more about the Mother's Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist
Get Care for These Post-Birth Warning Signs
Most women who give birth recover without problems, but any woman can have complications after the birth of a baby. Learning to recognize these post-birth warning signs and knowing what to do can save your life.
Call 911 if you have:
- Pain in chest
- Obstructed breathing or shortness of breath
- Seizures
- Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
Call your healthcare provider if you have:
If you can’t reach your healthcare provider, call 911 or go to an emergency room
- Bleeding, soaking through one pad/hour, or blood clots, the size of an egg or bigger
- Incision that is not healing
- Red or swollen leg, that is painful or warm to touch
- Temperature of 100.4°F or higher
- Headache that does not get better, even after taking medicine, or bad headache with vision changes
Tell 911 or your healthcare provider the date that you delivered and what warning signs you are experiencing.
These post-birth warning signs can become life-threatening if you don’t receive medical care right away because:
- Pain in chest, obstructed breathing or shortness of breath (trouble catching your breath) may mean you have a blood clot in your lung or a heart problem
- Seizures may mean you have a condition called eclampsia
- Thoughts or feelings of wanting to hurt yourself or your baby may mean you have postpartum depression
- Bleeding (heavy), soaking more than one pad in an hour or passing an egg-sized clot or bigger may mean you have an obstetric hemorrhage
- Incision that is not healing, increased redness or any pus from episiotomy or C-section site may mean you have an infection
- Redness, swelling, warmth, or pain in the calf area of your leg may mean you have a blood clot
- Temperature of 100.4°F or higher, bad smelling vaginal blood or discharge may mean you have an infection
- Headache (very painful), vision changes, or pain in the upper right area of your belly may mean you have high blood pressure or post birth preeclampsia
