LABOR & DELIVERY

Day of Delivery

Experience the Woman’s difference as you bring your baby into the world.

Through the years, Woman’s Hospital has delivered more than 300,000 babies, but we still treat every birth as the unique and special event that it is.

Woman’s offers a level of experience that will set your mind at ease during pregnancy and labor and delivery. You can concentrate on enjoying the magic of your baby’s arrival, knowing we are here to keep you and your baby safe and healthy. No matter what your childbirth plan, we support your decision with labor options to meet your individual needs.


Going to the Hospital

  • When you think you are in labor, call your doctor first. If you are instructed to go to the hospital, call Admitting at 225-924-8117 when you are on your way to the hospital. The clerk will pull your OB Express file and have it available when you arrive.
  • You should bring any papers from your doctor’s office, your insurance card and other important papers with you.
  • Bring your labor preferences worksheet.
  • Your driver should temporarily park under the canopy of the Assessment Center. Let a staff member at the desk know you’re having a baby. A security officer will bring a wheelchair to you.
  • Your driver may park the car in the temporary lot A in front of the Assessment Center. The driver should bring in your small bag of supplies needed for the delivery (camera, slippers, baby book, personal hygiene items needed while in labor, etc.)
  • Leave a larger suitcase with clothes and baby’s items locked in the trunk; you will not need them until after your baby is born.
  • You will be triaged by a nurse and all family and visitors will be asked to stay in the waiting area. After your initial assessment, we will invite an adult to join you in the Assessment Center.
  • Depending on the stage of labor, you may be observed in the Assessment Center for up to four hours. At that point, a decision will be made to either admit you to Labor and Delivery or to discharge you home.
  • If you arrive in active labor, you will be taken to Labor and Delivery.
  • If you are having a C-section or if you are scheduled for an induction, please check with the Admitting representative on the first floor in Admitting. For a scheduled induction, be sure to call Labor and Delivery at 225-924-8176 and ask for the charge nurse at least one hour before you leave home. If Labor and Delivery is full with unscheduled deliveries, you may have to wait. You will be more comfortable at home than in the hospital lobby.

Our Team

Ask anyone who’s had a baby at Woman’s and she'll tell you our nurses are simply outstanding! Each receives the most advanced training and gives the most genuine, caring attention. It’s so extraordinary, it has come to be known as the “Woman’s Touch.”


Family Care

From the moment you first lay eyes on your newborn, we know you’ll fall in love. Our family-centered maternity care allows your baby to stay in your room with you throughout your stay at Woman’ s.

Our patient rooms offer a comfortable, home-like setting along with the assurance of having the most advanced technology available. Our visitor guidelines encourage your friends and loved ones to be thoughtful of your new family when making plans to meet your newest member.

Interior L&D Patient Room
Interior Hospital Patient Room

This is it, I think I’m in labor!

When you think you are in labor, and if you do not have a scheduled delivery with instructions otherwise, you will use Entrance 2, and your partner can park in lot Lot A.

Exterior Assessment Entrance