| Surgery is a hugely stressful time. The wait is worse for you than it is for them!
Before surgery, if your child is old enough, you might like to read books with them about going to hospital. Ask your local library if they have anything suitable. Going to the Hospital by Anna Civardi is the story of a little boy having surgery on his ear.
If your child is old enough, using a toy doctor kit to role-play doctors and hospitals is a fun way of making the experience and equipment less scary.
If your child isn’t old enough for these ideas, give them lot of cuddles! you might also like to mention to supportive friends and family if you are nervous about the upcoming surgery, so you can get the support you need.
Your hospital will supply you with a list of what to bring on the day. Some tips from other parents include:
- A favourite toy or a blanket from their cot
- If your baby is going to have splints, take in some loose singlets or t-shirts with very loose sleeves to go over the splints
- For palate surgery, some hospitals provide baby jellies and some don’t – check with yours
- Take a change of clothes and toothbrush for yourself, in case you need to stay overnight unexpectedly. You can always leave it in the car
- Some hospitals require tins of formula for babies to be unopened – check with yours
- Most hospitals will have breast pumps available if you need to express, but check with yours if this is a key part of how you feed
- Your baby might not be able to feed by their usual method after surgery. Consider taking in a bottle, cup, straw, depending on the age of your child
If your child may be in hospital for a few days, consider taking in food for yourself, as you may prefer not to live on takeaway food. Most hospitals have tea and coffee facilities for parents. Some will provide a meal for parents – check with your hospital.
If you live some distance from the hospital, think about accommodation such as renting a motel room, staying with friends, or Ronald McDonald House.
Mick, B.’s dad, says: People who live outside the city are able to stay at Ronald McDonald House, Parkville or Monash. The units or rooms are only a few minutes walk from the wards. The cost is very low or free depending on how far you live from the hospital. After B. was discharged we stayed at RMH one last night to make sure all was well before driving back home. It was nice to be able to simply cross the road and have a cuppa tea next to B’s cot and keep an eye on him before putting him in the car the next morning, after peak hour traffic had died down. The trip was much more comfortable for him than it would have been if we’d gone straight home the day before. The only concern I have is that you can’t book into RMH. If a room is available families get the accommodation they need. Personally, we have never had a problem with getting a room-although be mindful that it can happen. Contact Ronald McDonald House for more information.
If you’re worrying about surgery and would like to talk to a parent who has been there, call on our Support Hotline 0425 784 130.
If you have tips on getting through surgery to share, please email cleftpalsvic@hotmail.com
We are volunteers, not medical professionals. Information on this site is not a substitute for professional advice and no responsibility is accepted by CleftPALS.
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