Doctor Strumba

Welcome to the Expectant Parents

Dr Strumba — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:42:48 +0000

You are expecting a baby. Congratulations! This is such a special time in your life. You may have researched a wealth of books and online resources about what to expect after baby’s arrival. You probably feel more and more excited, and anxious, as you get closer to the due date.

I am always happy to meet expectant mothers or couples coming to my office for a first interview. The fact that you took the time to come and meet me shows that you truly care about the future baby. I will highlight some practical points that may be important to you in the first weeks after birth:

Your baby will be seen by a pediatrician who will come to the hospital [Continue reading...]

Ads on This Site

Dr Strumba — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:25:24 +0000

We started displaying ads on this site. Running a website costs money, all coming from my family’s budget. I am not reimbursed for these expenses by my employer or anybody else. One way to offset the costs is to display paid ads on the site, so the ads are here to stay.

Hopefully, those ads promote legitimate, quality products of interest to you. The ads are “context sensitive” and should be generally relevant to the topics I cover in my posts (kids health, breastfeeding, parenting, family, etc.) and to the audience of this site (to you, new and [Continue reading...]

Dr. Strumba Is Now an IBCLC

Dr Strumba — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:09:14 +0000

Hurray! I have achieved a certification and a title of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). My full name became a bit longer: Anna Strumba MD, FAAP, IBCLC.

One may wonder, “why would a doctor want to become a lactation consultant?” In my work as a pediatrician I frequently have to take care of the babies that are breastfed. In fact, in most situations that means to take care of both: baby and mother. For the baby to be growing and thriving, the mother has to know how to latch and nurse in a proper [Continue reading...]

Breastfeeding Counseling and Supplies Free under Affordable Care Act

Dr Strumba — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:53:19 +0000

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the new guidelines that require health insurance plans to cover women’s preventive services such as breastfeeding support, well-woman visits, domestic violence screening, and contraception without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible. New health plans will need to include these services without cost sharing for insurance policies with plan years beginning on or after August 1, 2012.

What a great news! The visits to the Providence Park Hospital’s Breastfeeding Clinic will become most affordable for all mothers.

Coincidentally and very appropriately, the announcement has been issued on the first day of Continue reading...]

2011 Mom Approved Doc, Officially

Dr Strumba — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:15:27 +0000

Thank you for voting me to the Metro Parent’s 2011 Mom Approved Docs! I was so humbled to receive the following comment from one of the parents:

She is kind, understanding, honest and trustworthy. Although she is busy, she never makes me feel rushed and returns my calls in a timely fashion. My son had an ongoing health issue, and she gave us contacts for the specialists and made phone calls to those doctors to give information and receive updates. – Michelle, Troy

Potty Training: You Are Bound to Succeed at Some Point

Dr Strumba — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:48:11 +0000

Lisa Doublestein recently approached me with a request for an interview for the May, 2011 issue of Start Early, Finish Strong, a publication of Wayne RESA Early Childhood Services. Below is the article that resulted from that interview, reproduced here by permission.

Q: My mother thinks I should be potty-training my 2-year-old, but I just don’t have time to do it right now! I want to wait until he’s 3. Am I waiting too long?

A: There are many stories in parenting circles about parents who potty train their kids in one day, or kids who simply decide to start using the potty. But for most families, potty training takes time and [Continue reading...]

Toddlers Should Ride Rear-Facing to Age 2

Dr Strumba — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:22:23 +0000

The American Academy of Pediatrics released the new, 2011 policy on car seats. The biggest change from the previous policy is that parents are now advised to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. The recommendation is supported by new research showing that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing.

The previous policy, from 2002, cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum to ride forward-facing. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or [Continue reading...]