Preparing for Your Child's Surgery

You've found out your child is going to need surgery and you don't know what to do. Recently I was faced with this situation. My daughter had a lump on her back that needed to be removed. Here are some tips I learned from my experience from her surgery.

Let your child know what's going on.

Although my child is only sixteen months old, I still told her what was happening. I don't know if she understood but at least I knew she wasn't going into this to be surprised by the process. I explained to her what was going to happen and when it was going to happen. One thing I learned though is that I lacked a lot of knowledge of the process and wasn't able to fully prepare myself as well as my child.

Before surgery you'll have a surgical consult. I suggest you ask questions about every aspect of the surgery. Some questions that are important are; How long the surgery will be? How long will the stay at the Hospital be? How long will your child be in recovery? What are the pre-op procedures? What is the visiting policy when the child is in the recovery room?

Write down your questions before hand and don't be afraid to ask them of the surgeon. That's what they're there for and they won't think you're stupid or being a pest. It's your child that he's going to be operating on, and it's your right to have full knowledge.

After the surgical consult try to explain in the best way possible to your child what to expect that day. The less amount of surprises there are the less amount of stress for your child there'll be.

On the day of surgery bring something that will be of comfort to your child.

For my daughter it was a Cabbage Patch Doll she has. Often times the nurses will let your child hold on to their stuffed animal or doll until they've been sedated and no longer will care that it's gone. They'll hold onto the doll or animal until your child is in recovery and put it in bed with your child so when they wake up, should you not be there, they'll wake up to something familiar and comforting to them. You can even provide a blanket from home if you're willing to risk it potentially being ruined by blood or IV fluids.

Ask questions of the nurses and doctors you speak to.

If ever you feel you don't understand the process or what's happening, ask. I had problems understanding what was happening and had to ask sometimes three or four times for clarification. I wanted to make sure I knew what was happening at all times. Always ask if you don't understand.

Try your best to stay happy and upbeat for your child.

I know surgery is frightening for us parents but imagine the fear of your child. If you keep your emotions in check your child will draw from your strength. Try to hold off crying or showing concern until after your child has been taken into surgery. Once your child is in recovery also try to keep a more upbeat outlook on the situation. Your child will most likely be in pain and they will need you to tell them it will be okay and that the pain won't last forever. I can't tell you to not cry, crying with your child might even help your child feel better. As long as they understand that you know how they're feeling and are trying to help they'll probably feel better and safe.

Make sure you clearly understand your discharge orders and directions.

This is one major mistake we made as parents. We left the hospital without fully understanding the discharge orders. It is clear now looking back that there was a lack of communication between the doctor and the nurses and we were given contradictory directions for care. We returned home and realized our mistake and had to call in and have the doctor call us back. So please make sure you understand the directions you are given before you leave the hospital so you aren't scrambling to talk to the doctor when it comes time to change a dressing or empty a drain.

Set up a recovery area in your home before hand.

When I returned home with my daughter I realized I didn't have an area for my child to lay comfortably that wasn't in her own room. I had to quickly throw something together while my husband held her. On the night before put something together for your child so that when you return home she'll have a place to sit in which you can watch her but still attend to other needs or children.

Remember that although surgery is very scary as a parent, all will be well and you'll get through it. It helps though if you're prepared and understand the process.