If you choose to become a parent, you are responsible for raising your child. Louisiana provides some programs that help support you as a parent and provide for your child:

LaMOMS will pay for pregnancy-related services, including doctor visits, lab work, prescription medicines, delivery, and hospital care. It may provide coverage for up to 60 days following the end of your pregnancy. 

• For a listing of medical providers who are enrolled in LaMOMS and Medicaid, call 1-877-455-9955 or find a doctor online.

WIC is a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children (under 5 years old). 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamp Program)

Partners for Family Health provides information and resources for pregnancy and parenting in Louisiana.

Pregnancy And Substance Use: A Harm Reduction Toolkit provides information intended for use by pregnant and parenting people who use drugs, their loved ones, and their service providers.

Black Birth Matters is a scholarship fund dedicated to improving Black maternal health and wellbeing. We provide financial scholarships to Black women pursuing doula and midwifery training.

Birthmark Doula Collective is a birth justice organization dedicated to supporting, informing and advocating for pregnant and parenting people and their families in New Orleans. 

Louisiana Chapter of PostPartum Support International promotes awareness, education, prevention, and treatment of perinatal mental health issues affecting mothers, their families, and support systems in all areas of Louisiana.

New Orleans Breastfeeding Center provides clinic visits that includes assessments of both parent and baby. Also offers classes, support circles, and more.

Single mothers assistance in Louisiana  

Single Mothers Grants is a directory of single mother grants that help with rent, utility bills, child care, education, medication, housing, medical bills, and mortgage, among others. ​

You can also get child support from the baby’s father. This includes both fathers who decide to help raise the child and fathers who do not want to be involved. You can find more information on how to get child support at the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Child Support site.

If you find that you cannot handle the task of parenting, Louisiana provides a Safe Haven Law.

If your baby is under 60 days old, this law allows you to leave your baby at a designated safe location and not return. Your baby will be taken care of and you will not face any legal penalty. Safe places include hospitals, emergency clinics and fire stations.

There are also other groups that will provide help and support for you as a teen parent:

Healthy Teen Network: national nonprofit membership organization that focuses on adolescent sexual and reproductive health care, including pregnant and parenting teens. This is a national site so not all the laws are the same for Louisiana.

Yo Soy:  national campaign to end the stigma and silence around sex education, birth control, abortion & young parenting within the Latina/o community.

Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law provides a safe, legal, last resort to abandonment, allowing a parent to give up custody of a newborn up to 60 days old by bringing the baby to an emergency designated facility, or Safe Haven site.