Author: All Pediatrics

Our January schedule is now open on the patient portal. It will be available over the phone on Monday October 21st .

Part one – newborns

I will start the discussion with infants.  Breast feeding is clearly best for numerous reasons, and we are strong advocates.  That having been said, if breast feeding is not for you, for whatever reason, in America today you will not be harming your child if you use formula. If you are unsure whether you want to breast feed or not, start off doing it, as you can always switch to a bottle later, while it is hard to do this the other way around.

To establish breast feeding, frequency is probably the most important factor.  Feeding for shorter periods every 2 hours is more helpful at getting milk flowing than marathon feeds every 4.  We recommend trying to feed 10-12 times per day (every 2-2.5 hours), 10 minutes per breast, and then ‘topping off’ for a few more minutes if the baby is still hungry.

Breast milk does not come in for a few days, during which time your baby will lose weight, up to 10 % or so in many cases.  This is normal, and not a cause for concern.  Well-meaning family and friends may suggest giving a bottle to the baby ‘just in case’. This is not necessary, and can interfere with breast feeding.  There are some medical indications for supplementing, but let us help decide that.

If you choose formula, there are a wide variety from which to choose, for gas/fussy/spit up and so forth.  All of the formulae nowadays are nutritionally complete (low-iron ones are no longer out there), and I am not convinced that there is much more than marketing, rather than science, that goes into these.   I therefore do not recommend any particular brand.  Along those lines, I have no problem with generic formula, which is often made by the company that produces brand names, and can be the same, except for the label.

Lastly, a word about gas and spitting up.  Just about all babies spit up some.   We may suggest changing formula, or the maternal diet, to see if that helps, as this is simple enough, and safe to do.  However, it will usually not work.  Most spitting up is due to the baby themselves, not the diet, and one waits for it to be outgrown.  As long as the baby is comfortable and gaining weight (a ‘happy spitter’), this is a laundry problem and not a medical one.

Our November schedule is now available to be booked on the patient portal. It will be available to book by phone starting Aug 21st.

The Lakeridge location will not have evenings for the last two weeks in August.  We will resume evening hours on Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Our October calendar is now available for booking on the patient portal! 

It will be available to be booked over the phone starting Wednesday July 24th.

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

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.