Dr. Sherrod Describes Life as Both a Mom and a Pediatrician

Dr. Christina Sherrod, a pediatrician at Shannon Clinic, is also known as Modern Mom M.D. in the blog she writes for Shannonbabies.com.

“I just had my first son 14 months ago,” Sherrod said with a smile. “It’s been quite the experience having a son as a pediatrician. It has changed me a lot for sure.”

Having a son may have changed Sherrod’s perception of parenting, but in turn, only reaffirms her reasons for becoming a pediatrician.

“I knew that I wanted to go into pediatrics when I was in seventh grade,” she said. “I see it as a calling for me--I’ve always loved kids, babysitting, and I’ve always been science and math oriented.”

All throughout her secondary and post-secondary education, children were the focus.

“When people asked, I told them I wanted to be a pediatric hematologist and oncologist,”  Sherrod explained.

She received her bachelor’s from University of Texas in Austin before getting her medical degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

During medical school, she thought she might want to go into research for hematology and oncology, but eventually decided that she truly wanted to deal in family practice.

“I’m blessed because I knew what I wanted to do from the beginning,” she smiled.

To gain a wider variety of experiences, Sherrod chose to do her residency in San Francisco.

“It was a great experience to see different things and experience different cultures,” she explained. “I definitely enjoyed it but I wanted to come home; I missed family and friends and the hot weather.”

When she neared the end of her residency, the opening for a pediatrician at Shannon was available, and Sherrod knew she'd found the right fit.

“Most of the jobs in big cities, you either work in the hospital or the clinic, but you don’t do both,” she said, “and I wanted a job where I do both. I wanted to keep my skills up and be challenged.”

Six short weeks later she met her current husband, and within three months they were married.

“We were pregnant two months after we got married,” Sherrod said. “Everything has just worked out wonderfully.”

As a new mother, Sherrod was approached about writing a blog on parenthood from a mother's perspective. In her blog Sherrod offers a medical perspective, but also writes of the struggles of being a parent from a non-medical standpoint. 

“I was trained as a pediatrician in practice before I had my son,” she explained. However, she also mentioned that she feels a lot closer to her patients now that she has a child of her own.

“Before I didn’t really know how stressed parents were,” she said. “I’m definitely more sensitive to what parents are going through and understanding of what they are going through when their kids are sick now that I’ve been through that with my son.”

Sherrod gives the example of being up all night with a kid that has a fever, and mentioned that anyone would be stressed and scared.

She says she really enjoys writing the blog, but explains that sometimes she gets a little behind.

“Every night I say I’m going to do it and my son goes to bed and I pass out,” she laughed.

While daily life is reflected in the blog, wintertime is a hectic time in the life of a pediatrician, mom or not.

“I usually get up around 6:30 a.m. and try to spend some time with my son before I go to work and we eat breakfast together,” she explained.

Sherrod usually gets to the Shannon Women and Children’s Hospital around 7:15 a.m. to begin her rounds.

“I usually have a new baby to see, or a patient,” she explained.

Her clinical hours typically begin at 9:00 a.m. and run until noon, a time she normally spends catching up on charts, following up on patients in the hospital or calling parents to discuss test results. On occasion she also eats lunch.

Sherrod continues to see patients at 1:00 p.m. until she has finished her appointments.

“I typically--in the wintertime--get home around 6:30 p.m.,” she said.

After work she spends time with her husband and son, sometimes finishing notes after they’ve gone to bed.

“Then I get up and do it all over again, she smiled.

“The good thing about pediatrics is that it’s not busy in the summertime,” Sherrod explained. “We all have to remind each other around January and February that winter will end and we will be getting to go home at five again.”

 Being a doctor and a mom does not leave room for much else in Sherrod’s life.

“I have definitely re-prioritized and cut things out of my life in order to make time for family,” she explained.

One of the biggest challenges for Sherrod and other female doctors at Shannon is the balancing act between being a mom and a doctor.

“Most of us are perfectionists and it’s really hard to feel like you’re being the best mom you can be and the best doctor you can be, it’s a real balancing act,” Sherrod explained.

Sherrod’s son and periodic blog contributions are 14-months-old and can be found at www.shannonbabies.com