Preparing for After Surgery
It is helpful for you to understand what to expect when your child comes out of surgery. Are you comfortable meeting them in the post-op ward and supporting them as they wake from anaesthetic? Or does your child have another support person that is able to be there at this time?
Your child is likely to spend a period of time in post-op prior to being moved to their room for the remainder of their stay, whether it be a day stay or overnight or an extended stay. During this time, you may like to have at item of comfort, and depending on the circumstances, the team may encourage you to hop into bed with your child and snuggle and talk to them while they are finding their bearings again.
Preparing for your stay
Whether it be a day stay, overnight, or an extended stay, it can be helpful to share information about your child with the nursing, medical team, and allied health team so they know how to best support your child and yourself. Preparing a short one-page summary with dot points that can be attached to your child’s file may be helpful. You may like to consider including information such as:
- Your child’s areas of interest and passion
- Your child’s fears or situations they find challenging (e.g. meeting new people, talking to unfamiliar people, being touched by unfamiliar people)
- Your child’s sensory preferences (if relevant, such as they find light touch on their skin irritating, or bright lights such as a torch can bother them)
- Strategies to best support your child during their stay (e.g. ask them about their interest, get down to their level when speaking to them and give them time to respond to you, offer them choices e.g. would you like to take your medicine yourself, or I help you?)
- Pain management- does your child have any preferences as to how they take their medication? E.g. tablet vs syrup? And if it is a syrup, do they have a preference e.g. strawberry Dymadon over strawberry Panadol?
The Royal Childrens Hospital also has a Procedural Support Plan which you may like to consider downloading and completing, which may highlight some of your child’s preferences (link below).
When planning for your stay, consider how you can support your child to feel as comfortable as possible in the hospital environment. For example, can you pack their own pillow and a special blanket? Would white noise or an alternative noise be helpful to play in the room to reduce the unfamiliar background noises of a busy hospital ward? Can you pack some of their favourite foods or have someone bring in meals, particularly if your child is a restricted eater and unfamiliar food is likely to be challenging for them? If they have a strong preference for particular pain relief and they will likely need it postoperatively, ask the hospital whether they stock that particular brand of pain relief on the wards, or, can you bring an unopened bottle of the pain relief you typically use at home to give to the ward for the nursing staff to administer to your child.
I also encourage you to consider how you may wish to occupy their time post-surgery, particularly for an overnight or extended stay. New or novel items can be helpful here as a welcome distraction, in addition to activities they can engage in whilst resting in bed. If you have access to an iPad or tablet, consider taking it in so you can watch their favourite movies or TV shows in bed while resting (extra tip- packing an extra-long charger cord is helpful too to ensure you can have it charging whilst watching if needed!).
If your child has an upcoming surgery or hospital stay and you are wishing to have some additional support to prepare yourself and/or your child, I am very happy to offer consultative therapy sessions to help you to feel as prepared and confident as possible going into it. Please contact our customer service team and request a consult appointment with me, allowing for the appointment to be booked in several weeks prior to your child’s planned admission date.
Krista Lenders
Additional Information:
Professor Astro Cats Human Odyssey Book
RCH Preparing your child for a General Anaesthetic
Monash Children’s Hospital- Your Child’s Surgery (before, during, and after surgery)