Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.
In a perfect world, your child would never get sick, and they certainly would never need surgery. Unfortunately, these are things you just have to be prepared for as a parent. It does not matter how careful or protective you are there are some things that you just can’t predict or prevent. One minute your child is fine and the next they have appendicitis. Even getting their tonsils out is a big deal to them (and you). Sometimes, you really won’t have time to prepare for surgery. It will be a spur-of-the-moment thing and you’ll just need to deal with. However, other times you know about the surgery in advance, which gives you time to properly prepare.
Ask Questions
You need to have answers to all your questions, if you are going to answer your child’s questions. You want to be able to talk to them confidently. If you say, “I don’t know” or act unsure, they won’t feel like they can trust you when you tell them they will be fine.
Understand Post Care
When your child gets out of surgery, your mind will be racing. The doctor is explaining post care specifications to you, but you aren’t actually hearing a single world. Have prescriptions filled ahead of time and go over post care before the surgery.
Soothing Night
In most cases surgery will be scheduled in the morning, so they will have an empty stomach. Your child will be anxious so you want to have a calm evening with them. Maybe you can make an exception and let them stay up a little later to watch a movie with you. Perhaps you can have an extra-long story time. Move your ethanol fireplace into their room to create a relaxing environment. Snuggle up under the blankets with their favorite books and read until they fall asleep. If you don’t have an ethanol fireplace you can get one from stores like SoothingCompany.com. They are a must to have handy when you need to create a calm atmosphere. Not to mention, they are great to have when there is a power outage.
Be Honest
Telling your child it won’t hurt or that they will be perfectly fine after is never a good idea. If they are getting their tonsils out explain that they won’t feel the surgery because they will be in a deep sleep, but their throat will be a little sore after. However, they will get to have unlimited popsicles to make it feel better! Explain why the doctors will be wearing masks, and why you have to be in the waiting room. The more honest you are the less surprised and frightened they will be. Make sure they know they didn’t do anything wrong.
Stay Calm and Positive
The last thing they need is to hear your voice cracking or see tears in your eyes before they are wheeled away. Remain calm and positive. Don’t be overly happy or they will know you are faking.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.