Few, if any, events affect your life more than having a baby.

While this can be an incredibly joyous time, most people, including mothers intent on breastfeeding their babies, could benefit from the help of knowledgeable and supportive people.

St. Luke’s Baby & Me Support Center, the most comprehensive program of its kind in the region, provides mothers, fathers, support persons and family members with various services commonly needed before, during and after pregnancy.

There are three locations: Bethlehem, Center Valley and Palmerton.

Clinical services include breastfeeding medicine led by Rima Strassman, MD, FAAP, FABM, NABBLM-C, medical director of lactation services at St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) and St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital and pediatrician.

Dr. Strassman is among the first physicians to become board-certified in breastfeeding and lactation medicine. She was one of about 100 physicians in the U.S. and Canada, and the only one in the region, to pass the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine’s Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine pilot certification exam, which she took in October.

“It’s my job to make sure that the baby is well fed, and the family is happy with their decision to breastfeed,” she said. She helps with issues like low milk production, over-production and babies who have trouble transferring milk.

As a specialist in breastfeeding and lactation, Dr. Strassman diagnoses why mothers and their newborns have difficulty transferring milk and helps find a solution. She works with lactation consultants at the center.

While problems often arise when mother and baby return home, lactation support begins in the hospital.

“The new board certification will help elevate breastfeeding in medical schools,” she said. “St. Luke’s is a big teaching hospital, and we have the opportunity to have someone like me teach the next generation of physicians more about it.”

Dr. Strassman explained that lactation and breastfeeding medicine specializes in the diagnosis and management of breastfeeding-related issues as it pertains to the health of the mother and baby.

Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and several types of cancer, including breast, ovarian and thyroid. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of postpartum depression and obesity.

Breast milk provides a baby with ideal nutrition, supports growth and development, and helps protect against certain illnesses and diseases.

“Educating families about their feeding choices and helping them make the right choices for them is what I like most about breastfeeding medicine,” she said.

About St. Luke’s Baby & Me Support Center

St. Luke’s Baby & Me Support Center guides mothers, fathers and other caregivers to successfully care for their growing families.

“It is a privilege to support every family throughout one of the most important experiences of their lives – having and caring for a baby,” said Jessika Haynos, vice president, pediatric services line, St. Luke’s University Health Network. “St. Luke’s has always been known for providing the highest level of maternal and newborn care through a compassionate and personalized approach.”

St. Luke’s behavioral health therapists at the Bethlehem location help moms experiencing postpartum symptoms.

Pediatrician Rima Strassman, MD, medical director of lactation services, said that, like in adolescence, transitioning to becoming a parent involves emotional and physical changes throughout the body.

“In our society today, we don’t have the support systems like we once did, and that’s what we’re trying to offer through the St. Luke’s Baby & Me Support Center,” Dr. Strassman said.

Services include:

• Lactation support

• Postpartum support

• Postpartum support groups

• Support groups where new moms receive encouragement from the St. Luke’s team and socialize with other moms.

• Tummy Time, a free hands-on class, where a physical therapist instructs mothers on the importance of babies lying on their tummies and how to succeed with Tummy Time at home.

For more information, visit sluhn.org/womens/obstetrics or call 484-526-BABY (2229).