A cherished fixture of the broader Zachary community since 1960, Lane Regional Medical Center has long been recognized for delivering high-quality, award-winning care in the Capital Region. While the hospital’s services address a wide range of healthcare needs, including emergency care, behavioral health, oncology, cardiology, and pediatrics, Lane also operates a labor and delivery department that provides significant support for pregnant and postpartum patients. 

With a setting designed to blend a soothing, comfortable environment with attentive, personalized care that a regional hospital is uniquely able to provide, expectant mothers experience an intimate birthing journey—one supported by a close-knit team dedicated to ensuring that every patient feels seen, heard, and deeply cared for.

“We’re a small facility, but part of being a small unit is that it’s a much more personalized level of care,” said Dr. Joshua Best, an OB/GYN at the hospital. “We want everybody to know that everything that’s good about delivering at a small hometown hospital is what’s good about delivering at Lane.” 

Safe Sleep Champions

In addition to the benefits of giving birth in a smaller hospital setting, Lane has recently unveiled a new Safe Sleep program, spearheaded by Dr. Best. The chief mission of the program is to educate new parents on the importance of creating and maintaining a safe environment for a sleeping infant, which is a key component in helping to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

“Eighty percent of infant deaths are related to sleep,” Best explained. “We know a lot now that we didn’t know ten or fifteen years ago. I remember when my kids were born. We had a nice crib, and it had all these cute little soft fluffy pillows and fluffy soft blankets. Now, the recommendation is that the baby is asleep in a crib on its back on a flat surface, with nothing else in the crib.”

Pillows and blankets contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Best noted. The program also educates parents about the dangers of co-sleeping. 

“We’re providing both the education and the resources so that these babies can be in the safest environment possible.”  

Helping New Parents Feel at Home

To make the transition from hospital-to-home more seamless, Lane now distributes “Safe Sleep” bundles to new parents. The bundle includes an assortment of vital items, including a special breastfeeding support pillow, a portable crib, an infant sleep sack, and an education packet filled with helpful information. 

La’gerica Parker was one of the first new mothers to receive Lane’s Safe Sleep bundle. 

Parker, who recently had her second baby at Lane, spoke highly of the hospital’s quality of care and services. The Safe Sleep bundle, which patients receive on the day that they go home from the hospital, came as a pleasant surprise. 

“I really didn’t expect it,” Parker said, noting certain items which had already proven to be very useful. 

High-Quality Pregnancy and Postpartum Care

Lane’s Safe Sleep initiative and enhanced levels of care for expectant mothers, those giving birth on the labor and delivery unit, and those recovering postpartum, comes in response to an urgent issue. 

“Louisiana is one of the most dangerous states in the country for new mothers and babies within the first year of life,” Best said. “We want our maternal death rate to be zero, and we want our infant mortality rate to be zero. I don’t know if that’s truly realistic, but even if our efforts could prevent one of these deaths, then it would have been worthwhile as far as I’m concerned.” 

Among the hospital’s efforts to create a healthy, holistic environment for its mothers and babies is Lane’s decision to employ a full-time lactation nurse who is available to consult with new mothers, provide tips on breastfeeding, and answer any questions that they might have. Scientific studies have proven that there are many emotional and physical benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child alike. 

“Babies that breastfeed have a much lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” Best explained. “By trying to increase the portion of our patients that breastfeed and also providing the education and the safe sleep materials, we’re hoping to really make an impact in the community.”

To learn more about the benefits of giving birth at Lane Regional Medical Center, visit lanermc.org/babylane.