I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lisa Hill. She was the first doctor to examine both of my children after they were born at the hospital and continues to serve as their primary pediatrician today. This is the first part of a long interview, which I will reference from time to time as Jasmine and I write about the various topics that we discussed. A tremendous thank you to Dr. Lisa and the rest of the staff for making this interview possible!
Dr. Lisa Hill, MD, FAAP
About Dr. Lisa Hill
Undergrad: University of Virginia, majors in Sociology & Urban Planning
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Residency: Fairfax Hospital, VA
Current practice: Capital Area Pediatrics
Years practicing medicine: 9
When did you know that you wanted to be a pediatrician?
I’ve known that I wanted to be a pediatrician since the 4th grade. Even as a child, I loved kids and science.
What is the most common question that parents ask you?
Sleeping, eating and pooping. Most times the parents are just looking for reassurances.
What’s the most bizarre question you’ve ever been asked?
‘Is it okay that my child eats his poop in the morning?’ I said absolutely NOT! Parents are so afraid to say no!
What’s the funniest thing one of your patients has ever asked you?
Why did God paint my skin brown, I like it, but why?
Another patient brought me chicken wings that she’d been carrying around in a small tupperwear container because she didn’t ‘want the doctor to be hungry.’ She thought we all lived here at the office and because she never saw us eating, thought we never had food.
What is your biggest concern as a doctor?
Childhood obesity. Little kids should not have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stretch marks.
What can parents do to make sure that our children have a healthy relationship with food?
Parents can start by not using food as a reward. You can change the relationship of what food is for. It’s to nourish our bodies.
I also tell parents to:
1) Stop buying lunch and make your lunches yourself.
Involve the kids. Use this as a teaching opportunity. Get the kids involved so that they can acquire the taste for healthy food.
2) Take carbs out of the snacks.
There’s nothing wrong with goldfish or Nutra Grain bars, but try to substitute those for fruit and veggies when possible.
3) Model healthy behavior.
You are like a sponge to your child. And if you’re the same-sex parents, your kids are watching everything you do.
Do you have any advice for new parents?
Slow down enough to enjoy your kids. They’re little for such an instant. I don’t see parents enjoying their kids enough these days. Parents nowadays are so busy with activities and working that they forget to enjoy their children and they grow up so fast. As the saying goes, ‘The days are long, but the years are short!’
Stay tuned for more fun clips from this interview with Dr. Lisa Hill in future Purebebe articles. To subscribe to Purebebe, click on Subscribe under “Email Subscription” on the right rail of the screen! And please leave us a Comment above – we LOVE to hear your thoughts!
-Heather
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This is an excellent, informative, and entertaining interview!
Thanks, Jean.
Was so much fun interviewing Dr. Lisa. The entire interview was 1.5 hours long, and felt like 10 mins. I’ll post more tidbits over the next couple of weeks! xoxo, Heather