CajunStork at The Natural BirthHouse

08/06/2026

A cervical exam is much more than just your dilation, effacement and station…it can actually tell us a lot about baby’s position. Check these variations out!

08/06/2026

Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center is marking 10 years as a milk collection depot for the Mothers' Milk Bank of Louisiana during World Breastfeeding Week, while raising awareness about a shortage of donated breast milk for babies in the NICU.

08/05/2026

A little rumor control! 😉

I heard through the grapevine a few well-meaning OBs encouraged you to wait until after your 20-week anatomy scan to contact us.

The Good News: It’s never too late in pregnancy to switch to The BirthHouse!

The Bad News: ...unless we are booked!

Instead of compromising the care our clients receive, once a month is full, we’ll start a waiting list before we overbook. So, if The BirthHouse has been on your mind, I’d recommend you don’t wait until 20 weeks to reach out... if you know what I mean 😉

And yes, we’re still offering homebirths too! 🏡

08/04/2026

We love Maddie’s! We will be hosting a team for the upcoming Maddie’s Footprints walk later in the fall. If you’d like to join us, please comment below so you’ll be alerted with team information as soon as we have it to share.

💙 A Historic Step Forward for Louisiana Families 🩷

As of August 1, 2026, Angel's Law (Senate Bill 32) is officially in effect across Louisiana, marking a significant milestone in how we care for families experiencing the heartbreaking loss of a baby.

This legislation encourages hospitals with maternity and NICU units to partner with the Louisiana Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality and nonprofit organizations, like Maddie's Footprints, to ensure families have access to compassionate bereavement support, education, and resources following miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant loss.

Angel's Law also encourages hospitals to make perinatal cooling devices available, giving parents the priceless gift of additional time to hold their baby, create cherished memories, and say goodbye in their own way. It also promotes training for healthcare professionals so every family is met with compassion, dignity, and support during one of life's most difficult moments.

At Maddie's Footprints, we are honored to partner with hospitals and healthcare providers to help ensure no family has to navigate pregnancy or infant loss alone. While no law can take away the pain of losing a child, Angel's Law is an important step toward making sure every family receives the compassionate care and support they deserve.

Together, we are creating a Louisiana where every baby is remembered, every family is supported, and no one walks this journey alone. 🩷💙👣

08/03/2026

If due dates were appointments, our summer babies were terrible at keeping them! 😂

Seriously, though, only about 3–5% of babies actually arrive on their estimated due date. Yet so many of us become hyperfocused on that one date on the calendar. 37.0-42.0 weeks is still considered "normal"!

Check out our summer BirthHouse Baby Stats and then tell us
👇👇

How far along were you when each of your babies was born?

07/30/2026

🎉 Coming soon to The BirthHouse…please help us welcome Dr. Alayna Clark!

If you know Alayna, you know this was only a matter of time 😉 Her passion for serving women is contagious, and I’ve admired that about her since I met her many years ago.

We’re beyond excited to welcome her to our Student Midwife/Apprentice Program beginning October 2026. We can’t wait for you all to meet her in this new role! She’s gonna be great 🙌

07/29/2026

Hey Mamas, have you ever heard of “Second Night Syndrome”?

On night one, your new sweetie is often content to simply be skin-to-skin with you, where she can feel secure in the warmth of your skin and receive colostrum from your breast. It’s a great time to fall in love, rest, and connect. 😇
..but then, on night two, your once sweet and calm angel baby is crying. A lot! All the calming things that worked before suddenly aren’t working anymore, and Baby is SUPER CRANKY! 🦀

If you’ve experienced “Second Night Syndrome,” it can feel like it will last forever, and often, nursing mothers will offer their baby formula, assuming they are hungry and unsatisfied.

The truth is, the cluster feeding your baby is asking for actually assists with good, healthy milk production. Keeping yourself close to them and gently responding to their cries can help kick-start healthy attachment behaviors. And, of course, we have to consider that Baby might simply need some close, calm snuggling to settle after what was likely a quite overstimulating day of visitors, siblings, and first bouts of hunger.
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Midwife Tips for Night 2:

- Keep Day 2 calm and consider limiting visitors
- Nap during the day to prepare for the night to come
- If the crying begins around sundown, parents can take turns through the night calming baby

When the sun rises, 🌅 your sweetie will be back to her calm, angelic little self...and life will go on as if it never happened!

If you have any other tips for Second Night Syndrome, I'd love for you to share them with us in the comments!

07/27/2026

Escape room signs that can also apply to birth (or birth affirmations) 😂Go!

(I'm actually considering making some of these for client photo ops, so give me your best ones!)