mom next door
Dr. Abby Rousseau O rthodontist and business owner Dr. Abby Rousseau wears many hats. As a wife and mother, she is thought- fully cultivating both a thriving practice and a joy-filled home. Rooted in faith and guided by intention, Abby balances early mornings with her little ones and long days caring for patients, all while pursuing a dream she’s held since childhood. BY AMANDA MILLER PHOTO BY GEAUX GARCIA PHOTOGRAPHY
Occupation: Orthodontist Husband: Joe
Children: Riley, 2; Jules, 3 months Hobbies: Spending time with family
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE?
ABBY: Usually I get up sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and feed the baby while Riley and dad are in the kitchen making breakfast and coffee. We usually convene in the living room and have breakfast together, and then we get dressed [for the day]. I’ll take Riley to daycare, head to the office, and see patients. If I get a lunch break, I’ll come home and see the baby and then go back to work for the afternoon patients. The best time of the day is when we get to hang out together as a family. We like to be outside, so we spend a lot of time on the swing set or on the front porch blowing bubbles.
daughter goes to school where he went to school, and it’s fun to have that full circle mo- ment of being in the community that helped raise him and mold him into the man that he is. Now we get to serve this community through our profession but also raise our kids in a community that we are invested in and want to see thrive.
mindful. I see it in my two-year-old. She’s very aware of others and her surroundings. So mindfulness, I think, is a big thing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF A WEEK BEFORE YOU BECAME A MOM?
ABBY: Allow people to help you. Being the type A person I am, I wanted to control everything and do it all, but the sooner that I let go and allowed people in and allowed my village to support me the way that they want to support you, it made it feel less heavy. It allows you to turn off that mental load of: Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Lean on your village. WHAT’S A PIECE OF PARENTING ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU? ABBY: I think it goes back to the saying “you are enough.” I think in motherhood, it’s so easy to kind of, especially as a business owner and a mom, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough, or if you’re doing great in one area, you’re not doing so well in the other. So just being reminded that God chose us to be their parents during this time, and he knew that we would be in this stage of
HOW HAS BECOMING A MOM CHANGED YOU, EITHER
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITION RIGHT NOW?
PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY? ABBY: I think it has taught me to be more present. I’ve always been a goal setter, a very ambitious person who really likes looking to the future and is always chasing the next dream or goal. Motherhood has taught me to slow down a little bit and sort of change my priorities in terms of just refocusing my attention to be very present and be content with where I’m at in life. I think it’s so easy to always chase the next big thing. WHAT’S ONE VALUE YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT TEACHING YOUR KIDDOS? ABBY: I think we are trying, especially with our two-year-old, to teach them to pause before acting. It’s something that we are challenged with daily. Also just to be very
ABBY: Because they’re so young, I feel like they’re still evolving. Friday night has become our fun night to kind of kick off the weekend, whether that be that we’re going to Zippy’s and having dinner together, a pizza night, or just taking a moment to reset for the week- end and kind of wind down from the week. We’re still implementing holiday traditions and figuring that out, but as we introduce more babies to the family, that changes every year. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT RAIS- ING YOUR KIDDOS IN BATON ROUGE? ABBY: I’m originally from Ponchatoula, but my husband grew up here in Baton Rouge. I think it’s really sweet to do things that are reminiscent of his childhood experiences. Our
14 MARCH 2026 | BRPARENTS.COM
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