[5 min read]
In this article:
- The Lytle Center for Pregnancy and Newborns at Providence Swedish offers new parents a welcoming space and guidance for all aspects of caring for their newborn, including lactation and pre- and postnatal support, and health evaluations.
- Morgan Flake received personalized care that helped her with some of the challenges of being a new mom.
- The generosity of our Swedish Foundation donors makes the Lytle Center's work possible.
When Morgan Flake was having difficulty breastfeeding her son, Emmett, in early 2025, she felt frustrated and lost for answers.
“It was really stressful,” says Flake, who gave birth to Emmett on December 13, 2024.
But Flake found help and reassurance when she turned to the Lytle Center for Pregnancy and Newborns at Swedish First Hill. “Our lactation specialist Madeline Smith was helpful with coming up with a feeding schedule and a plan to combine both breastfeeding and supplementing with formula to help increase my milk production,” Flake says.
“It was just a big, steep learning curve to learn how to feed him and take care of him. And I think just because you become a parent doesn’t mean you’re suddenly equipped with all the skills to know how to be a parent and do everything really well."
- Morgan Flake, shown with her son Emmett, who was born at Providence Swedish in 2024. Flake turned to the caregivers at the Lytle Center for Pregnancy and Newborns to help her with some of the challenges of being a new mom.
The Lytle Center has long offered families like Flake's a vital, welcoming space for prenatal and postnatal education, lactation support, and health evaluations.
Just over a decade ago, this thriving hub was a nascent proposal championed by Chuck and Karen Lytle, its visionary founding donors, alongside other crucial Swedish community supporters. Their early investment fueled the expansion of the center’s dedicated outpatient lactation program, where expert consultants with over 20 years of passion and experience help empower the breastfeeding journey.
Today, the Lytle Center is many things: a clinic, a store, and a hub for a community of parents and extended families to receive education and support. At its core, the center is a touchpoint for new parents, providing them with the resources they need as they navigate parenthood.
When it came to Flake, the compassionate care she received at the Lytle Center was essential.
“In Morgan’s case, she really needed a concrete plan. She also needed to be met where she was, right then. It was making a plan and then adjusting it for when she came back and said, ‘This is what I’m able to do.’” Smith says.
Smith, a registered nurse and international board-certified lactation consultant, has been at Swedish for 10 years and has over 30 years of experience in the field. She emphasizes the importance of personalized care.
“People are typically in that early stage of exhaustion and being overwhelmed, they really need someone to be tuned in to them and not be looking at the computer,” she says. “A huge part of what we do here is tuning into what is being said and what's not being said. How overwhelmed is this person? How can I help them to have a reasonable plan that they can do?”
This approach resonated with Flake.
“It was just a big, steep learning curve to learn how to feed him and take care of him,” Flake says. “And I think just because you become a parent doesn’t mean you’re suddenly equipped with all the skills to know how to be a parent and do everything really well. Madeline was just really helpful."
At one point early on, Flake said she was ready to give up on breastfeeding, but with Smith’s help and encouragement as well as the supportive environment at the Lytle Center, she and her son are now thriving.
“Madeline was so helpful and reassuring to work with,” Flake says. “She made me feel comfortable while helping me solve my breastfeeding problems with a specific plan. She put my fears to rest and shared her wealth of knowledge with me. The support at the Lytle Center was incredible.”
Find a physisian or advanced practice clinician (APC)
Swedish has three birth centers — First Hill, Issaquah and Edmonds — making it convenient for people who live or work in the Seattle, Eastside and North End areas. Swedish patients can take classes, meet other families, get help with lactation and go for new parents and well-baby checkups at The Lytle Center for Pregnancy & Newborns at our First Hill birth center. You can also get expert advice there and help with wellness. Visit our website to learn more about midwives at Swedish and how they can partner with you to create the most personalized birthing experience possible.
If you need a gynecologist, women's health specialist or primary care doctor, Swedish is here for you. Whether you require an in-person visit or want to consult a doctor virtually, you have options. Swedish Virtual Care connects you face-to-face with a nurse practitioner who can review your symptoms, provide instruction and follow up as needed. If you need to find a doctor, you can use our provider directory.
About the Swedish Foundation
Your generous gift helps support a healthy tomorrow for everyone in every communty we serve. Learn about more ways to give to the Swedish Foundation or make a direct donation online at swedishfoundation.org. You can also contact the Foundation at 206-368-2738 or email foundation@swedish.org. Thank you for helping us shape the future of healthcare. We can’t do it without you.
Information for patients and visitors
Additional resources
The Lytle Center: a decade of nurturing families
Can you laugh your way through labor pain?
Do You Know How a Midwife Can Help You?
Not just the baby blues. Swedish experts on postpartum anxiety and depression
This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions.
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