Author: All Pediatrics

Dr. Santhi Nair earned her undergraduate degree from the George Washington University and her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. She completed her Pediatric Residency and Chief Residency at Crozer Chester Medical Center in Pennsylvania. She went on to work as a Faculty Physician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for 2 years before moving to Virginia. She worked at The Community Health Center of the Rappahannock Region in Fredericksburg for over 8 years before joining All Pediatrics in Sept 2018. She works primarily at the Lake Ridge and Lorton offices.

Some fun facts:

My  family moved to the United States
 from Kerala, India when I was 5 years old. I am conversant in Malayalam.

I grew up in Alexandria, VA and I went to high school at Thomas Edison High School.

I met my husband while I was in medical school. We now live in Spotsylvania, VA.

We have two sassy daughters who keep us on our toes every moment!

We love hanging out with our large extended family/friends that live in the DC/VA/MD area.

I am one of the founding board members of the Doctor Yum Project, a local non-profit whose mission is to bridge the link between food and your health.

My favorite pastimes are cooking, gardening, traveling and experiencing different cultures with my family.

As far as I can remember I have always wanted to be a pediatrician. I am honored to have the opportunity to care for our future when they are well and sick- it  is very humbling. My passion is promoting preventative care and nutritional counselling for my patients and their families in a supportive and sensitive manner.

I am happily accepting new patients and  look forward to meeting you

Our August schedule is now available on the patient portal!

It will be available to be booked by our call center staff on Friday May 17th.

We are proud of our physicians and nurse practitioners. We want to highlight some fun facts about our providers so that you can get to know them better. Dr. Amisha Armwood is our May provider of the month!

Dr. Amisha Armwood earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell in New York City and practiced general pediatrics for four years before moving to Virginia. Dr. Armwood practices primarily at our Lorton location.

Some fun facts:

My husband and I met in D.C. years ago, moved to NYC for a while, and are now settled in Virginia.

We have two young children who are full of energy and make me laugh every day.

I have a miniature Australian Shepherd who, if he had it his way, would rather sunbathe by a window than take a walk.

I spend most of my free time with my family — exploring our neighborhood, museums, and parks.

I love practicing pediatrics because I thrive on providing support, encouragement, and evidenced-based care for families when children are both well and sick. I am particularly interested in breastfeeding and healthy eating.

I am happily accepting new patients and can’t wait to meet you!

We are excited to announce that we now have a certified lactation consultant on staff! Ashlee Brown will have appointments at our Lorton location on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! To learn a little bit more about Ashlee, keep reading.

“First and foremost, I’m a wife and a mom to two sons. We spend a ton of time outside! I’m also Kentucky native who graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2013 with my BS in Biology. Since moving to Virginia in 2017, I have completed 90 hours of breastfeeding education, and I just finished a 500 hour clinical internship program in lactation at Prince William Medical Center in Manassas. There, I worked with four IBCLCs and gained both inpatient and outpatient experience. During my year at the hospital, I also worked as a health educator teaching childbirth, newborn care, breastfeeding, and infant CPR classes. Navigating the early postpartum period can be hard for parents, so I want to do everything I can to make it a little easier for them. That’s why I’m so excited to be a part of the ALL Pediatrics team!”

Our July calendar is now available for booking on the patient portal. It will be opened on April 19th for our staff to book your check up appointment over the phone.

We are proud of our physicians and nurse practitioners. We want to highlight some fun facts so that you can get to know them better.

Bethany Frank, CFNP is our provider of the month for April!

Bethany Frank, CFNP  earned her undergraduate degree from James Madison University and her MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Degree from George Mason University.  Bethany is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.  Bethany practices at our Alexandria and Lorton locations.

Some fun facts about Bethany:

I love working in the pediatric healthcare field because I have a passion for caring for children and supporting them as they grow and develop into young adults.  One of my favorite things about kids is their vast imagination, excitement for learning, and exuberant energy, which is contagious and something as adults that we can all learn from and strive to be more like. 

I’ve lived in northern VA almost my whole life outside of college and a few short years living in North Carolina after undergrad. My family and my husband’s family still live in the area so we love being close to them and getting to spend time with them.

My husband and I have known each other since second grade, but didn’t actually start dating until high school.  We recently bought a house in the same neighborhood we grew up in so our kids will go to the same schools, pool etc. we went to which will be neat for them and for us!

My dad was a Navy pilot and then became a commercial airline pilot for American Airlines when he retired from the Navy.

I love antique shopping and VA wineries.

My favorite season is Fall. 

I really enjoy cooking (and eating!)- some of my favorite things to make are big salads with lots of different toppings, homemade pizza, and anything Mediterranean! 

My favorite food is creamy peanut butter and the only food I don’t like is mushrooms.

I’m passionate about exercise and fitness. My favorite things to do are running and high intensity interval training.

Here are some things I tell new parents:

1.       Some practices are clear-cut, such as having babies sleep on their backs.  In many instances, however, such as swaddling or not, how often to bathe, etc., there are many ways to raise a baby properly (I don’t even know that burping is essential, let alone the ‘right’ way to do it).   Most of the time, if something feels right to do, go for it.

2.       Newborns spend most of their time sleeping, and the remaining third is divided between feeding, watchful wakefulness, and, yes, crying (2- 3 hours per day).

3.       All babies spit up, have gas, give little body jerks when falling asleep, open one eye at a time, sneeze, and hiccough.  These are normal.

4.       You can have visitors over, as long as they promise (and are trustworthy) that they are not ill, and wash their hands very well.  However, if you prefer not to have visitors, tell them no, and say it is doctor’s orders; I will back you up.

5.       The worst place to take a newborn is to work/church/etc.  People often go to work while ill, and they also feel, since they know you, that they should be allowed to hold the baby.

6.       I am a strong proponent of breast feeding.  That having been said, if you cannot/will not breast feed, formula and water supplies in the country are such that you should not feel guilty about this.

7.       For slightly older babies with colic, I will give parents advice, and help them to cope, but I tell them upfront that nothing may work, and they may have to ride it out for a few months. They will remember the colic when older, but the baby will not.

8.       If you have a question, you can go to a reliable source such as our website, or www.healthychildren.org or the app Pediatric SymptomMD.  If you still do not have answers, call me; that’s why I’m here

9.       I have said this before in print, but it is so important I will say it again:  I tell parents to talk and sing to their baby.  If a parent comes home from work and the spouse is too tired to hear how the day went, tell your baby instead.  They love to listen to language; let the words wash over them.

10.   With a new baby, it is impossible to spoil them.  If you create a bad habit, you can always break it when older.  If they want to be held, hold them, if they want to be fed, feed them, etc.  They’re the boss.

Written by Dr. Jon Farber