A new business opening soon in Lafayette with the goal of helping and informing expectant parents in the area.
Baby Catcher Birth Center is set to officially open at the end of July, and when it does it will be the first Black-owned freestanding birth center in the state.
Owner Shatamia Webb, a Lafayette native, says one of her biggest fears when giving birth was going to a hospital and not coming out. She decided to have both of her children at home, and then made it her mission to help all future parents feel more informed about birth and their options. She's been a midwife and doing home births for four years.
She says she felt called to open up her birthing center in an area where she felt more information and resources were needed.
Even though the center won't be ready to open for a couple of months, parents can start planning their births now by reaching out for a consultation through the center's Facebook page.
Webb says mothers are seen throughout their whole pregnancy with check-ins during prenatal and postpartum periods. Staff at the center will help mothers understand topics like breastfeeding education, nutrition, labor support, and more. Webb and her staff want mothers to "know what to expect going in at every stage of the journey," she says.
Some benefits of using the center include more individualized care, a different approach, and Webb says mothers are able to have as many people as they want with them. The center has two suites for two families, and is located near Lafayette General just in case there are any complications, Webb says, something African-American women are three times more likely to see during childbirth, the CDC report.
Webb says she has always wanted to work with babies and is very passionate about educating future parents.
"This is what I love," she says. "I couldn't see myself doing anything else."
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