At Our Lady of Lourdes Women’s & Children’s Hospital, the staff often feels like family – but for three dedicated nurses, that bond is truly in their blood.
Ann Broussard, Labor and Delivery Nursing Director, has been with the hospital since 1981. Now, she shares her calling with her daughters: Stephanie King, a Pregnancy Navigator, and Lindsey Fourroux, a Neonatal ICU nurse. Together, they have turned the hospital’s legacy of care into a true family tradition.
“Nursing has changed over the years, and the options are so broad in terms of the work you can do,” Broussard said. “I was very thankful that they not only wanted to be nurses, but to stay in maternal care. We all have that in common. Nursing has been very good to me, and I was just glad that they wanted to follow in my footsteps and experience those rewards for themselves.”
Broussard and her daughters didn’t always know their careers would align the way that they have. King attended cosmetology school and worked as a stylist before deciding she wanted to switch gears and work in medicine.
“I always knew I wanted to work with families and be able to make a difference,” King said. “I felt like I was doing that when I was a stylist, but when my sister started nursing school, it made me think about doing it myself. Once I decided on that, I knew the only department I wanted to be in was Labor and Delivery.”
In her role as a Navigator, King works with expectant mothers when testing indicates that their baby may need immediate treatment or a lengthy NICU stay upon birth. In the weeks leading up to birth, King helps them prepare for the months to come. The role allows her to form close bonds with parents-to-be, many of whom quickly find they can rely on her no matter what their questions are.
“There’s a lot of preparation that goes into these situations,” she said. “I have a lot of them that will ask if I’ll be in the delivery room when it’s time for the baby to come. I always tell them, ‘I will absolutely be there if you want me there.’ It makes me feel good to know that my presence is helping them get through a challenging time.”
Although Fourroux always intended to become a nurse, she initially thought she would also be in the Labor and Delivery area. However, once she began intensive training, she realized that working with the smallest babies in the NICU would be her true calling.
“We sometimes see babies that are under a pound, and we play a big role in their NICU journey,” she said. “We become close with all of the families when we are treating their babies. It’s incredibly rewarding to see those parents when the day finally comes for them to take their baby home.”
For Broussard, the opportunity to work alongside her daughters has reaffirmed that Women’s & Children’s Hospital is her true professional home. Although she has been with the hospital for more than four decades, Broussard has also worked extensively as a travel nurse on months-long contracts that have taken her to places such as Alaska and California. In more recent years, she accepted the role of Labor and Delivery Nursing Director first on an interim basis, then as a permanent assignment.
“It’s truly a family affair when the three of us are working here at the same time,” Broussard said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work in other states, but this has always felt like a good second home for me. I always knew I would end my career back here at Women’s & Children’s. A lot of the doctors and other nurses have been here a long time as well, so it feels comfortable to me. It truly is a blessing to be able to work with my daughters in this environment.”
Now that Broussard, Fourroux and King have all established their own strong careers in nursing, they have given thought to what it takes to succeed in the profession. While job opportunities are plentiful, all three women said that any nurse who wants to do truly meaningful work must think of the role in much more personal terms.
“The most important aspect of nursing is that your heart has to be in it,” Fourroux said. “You have to believe that you are making a difference. You have to have passion and empathy for your patients and be committed to doing everything in your power to help them.”
