Pediatric Perspective with Paul Thomas, MD: Motherhood Makeover

Carissa Stanton, M.D. is passionate about children’s health. Plus, as a mother herself, Dr. Stanton has first-hand experience with the challenges that come with parenting — mental, emotional and physical. She has, over the years, refined her practice of medicine in order to treat root causes, avoid pharmaceutical interventions and prevent illness naturally. To learn more about her holistic approach and hear her advice to those raising kids, watch this installment of “Pediatric Perspectives” on CHD.TV.

Balanced Bites: Motherhood Makeover

Pediatrician Dr. Carissa Stanton, author of Motherhood Makeover: A Pediatrician’s Guide to Reclaiming an Authentic Mothering Journey stops by the new studio to talk the challenges facing moms: from dysfunctional “villages” to “mom guilt” to how practitioners and healthcare providers themselves add to the stress placed on moms today. The solutions? They’re not what we might think. Listen in to feel seen, be encouraged, get regulated, and most importantly, learn to say “f*ck it” when you need to. This isn’t your average parenting book—in fact, it’s not a parenting book at all! 

Balanced Bites: Why less is more in the world of hustle culture 

Pediatrician Dr. Carissa Stanton, author of Motherhood Makeover: A Pediatrician’s Guide to Reclaiming an Authentic Mothering Journey returns to the studio to continue our conversation surrounding “mom guilt” and how medicine–conventional or not, is overwhelming! In a world full of burn out and hustle, we talk about why doing less of “all the things” may actually be the answer to restoring a woman’s health. 

Lean Out: Motherhood

When Carissa ranked #1 academically in her medical school class, leaders and mentors tried to steer her to pursue competitive, celebrated specialty fields like surgery. Only Carissa had wanted to be a pediatrician since she was nine years old. She got caught on the treadmill of achievement for a while, but she finally departed when she experienced realizations about the path she had chosen and had some health challenges along the way.

We discuss the cult of busyness and perfection as it applies to both professionals and mothers. We also delve into leading by example, and what it takes to practice discernment and live a simpler life. You’ll love this episode!

Reclaiming peace in motherhood

Modern hustle culture is not built to benefit mothers and children. Therefore, we have to resist outside pressures and create our own ‘bubble’ in our home by prioritizing, setting boundaries, and creating a counterculture that benefits our family. Nothing matters more than our own family, so we should not make decisions based on outside expectations. Instead, we should prioritize our connection with our children over what the rest of the world wants from us.

Chasing Sunlight: Enhancing Family Health and Happiness

Dr. Stanton shared the most important reason she encourages families to prioritize time in the sunshine, no matter the season. “For me, this is the big picture: if kids are getting sunlight, then they are outdoors, which helps regulate the nervous system to calm mode instead of survival mode and helps whole well-being. Plus, it means they are engaging in free play, which is the best for development: physically, emotionally, and socially,” Dr. Stanton explained.