CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier - LiveWell

"I knew I wanted to be a pediatrician since I was a child. I just love taking care of kids. They are so resilient and inspiring, even when they are feeling bad. It's a rewarding area of medicine to practice." —Susannah Walker, M.D., pediatrician at CHRISTUS Pediatric Associates – Shreveport-Bossier "There's only so much that textbooks, residency and medical school can teach you, so real life experience comes in handy," says Dr. Walker, pediatrician at CHRISTUS Pediatric Associates – Shreveport-Bossier. "It's always best to lean on textbooks, but experience and a parent's intuition about his or her child make a huge difference. It's not unusual for moms to reach out to me after hours about what nutritious food options worked with one child or what discipline worked with another child." When not tending to her daughters, ages 8, 6 and 3, Dr. Walker sees patients three days a week and is thrilled about CHRISTUS Pediatric Associates' decision to extend clinic hours and make more room for working parents in the community. A MOTHER'S WISDOM As one parent to the next, Dr. Walker understands that every child's God- given makeup is unique, and every parent's expertise is important. She takes time to listen intently to parents before working with them to find a solution they can support. Like any mother, she knows that the one-size-fits-all approach does not work in life or in medicine. HEALTH STARTS AT HOME From firsthand experience, Dr. Walker recommends parents set a positive example for kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that obesity in children ages 6-11 has steadily climbed since its 7 percent rate in 1980, and in 2012 almost one in three kids and teenagers lived with a body mass index at or exceeding the 85th percentile. Dr. Walker recommends parents model good diet and exercise choices for their kids in efforts to curb obesity, from eating more brightly colored fruits and vegetables to exercising outside with family walks or community sports. "Decreasing the amount of screen time a child has so there is more one-on-one time with a parent or another sibling is a good idea," Dr. Walker says. "Getting out and having more experiences, rather than sitting at home around a TV, allows the family to bond and connect." PUT YOUR WORRIES TO BED School-aged children need a good 10 hours of snooze time every night, a guideline recommended by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. More importantly, Dr. Walker notes that lack of sleep will lead to cranky kids. Cranky kids are not always unhappy kids. They simply could be kids in need of a more balanced diet or sleep schedule. Dr. Walker knows the challenges a parent can face in keeping a child healthy and happy, and the knowledge she's gained in raising her own children adds another layer of expertise that her patients and their parents know they can rely on. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Walker or the other pediatricians at CHRISTUS Pediatric Associates, call (318) 681-4896. As a Shreveport native and mother of three little ones, Susannah Walker, M.D., finds satisfaction in sharing the insights she's gained as a mom and applying them broadly as a pediatrician. CARE: My Kind of Susaah Walke, M. D. The Walker family 3 LiveWell | Fall 2015

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