5 Month Old Having Operation.

Use music - start now and play something he likes when you are holding him and it is warm and safe - then use it after the surgery. It will help "remind" him of warm and safe and it is very comforting. My daughter had 2 surgeries in the first 3 months and she had a favorite song and I would sing it to her over and over again. Also find out if you can stay with him when he is recovering. Our daughter was in ICU - which you can stay in as long as you are sitting but after about 20 hours I had to go lay down - I had them call me when she woke up which was about 50 minutes later. By the time I got home from the hospital I was very grateful my husband could take over for a while. Ask someone to help out!

Hi B.,

My daughter was born with an ovarian cyst that continued to grow and not shrink, so when she was 2 months old (or "zero" since she was an 8 week preemie), she had surgery to remove the cyst and lost her left ovary and fallopian tube. Not quite complicated as what your son (and you!) will be enduring though.

Our surgeon and the staff walked through everything with us before and after the procedure. She had pre-op bloodwork done the day before surgery and some more blood drawn the day of. I think the hardest part was not being able to feed her the morning of her surgery.

From what I can remember, my daughter came out of the anesthesia really well. She was only in the hospital for one night and we kept her on Tylenol as often as we could to reduce any pain she may have, that was about all we could do. I slept inside the crib with her - I'm sure I looked like a big goof, but I didn't care!

With the going under and waking up again part - just be there with him and hold him as much as you can, that will comfort him. If you have any family that will be with you, let them hold your son and comfort him the day(s) after surgery as well. You will need the rest too!

Good luck to you and your son! I hope the surgery isn't expected to take too long and that he has a fast recovery!

-Char

My daughter has had 3 surgeries. One at birth to remove a cyst from her chest she was expected to be in the hospital weeks we left after a few days. At the age of 3 she had a pectus excavatum (when the chest is caving in). We look back at the pictures and besides being in a hospital you would never be able to tell she had just had her chest opened for the second time. We were in the hospital play room a few days later, I was wheeling her arould the hospital the next day in a wagon. She just hated when the nurses would have to come in to poke her for blood and anything and she would tell them to get away from her because they hurt her. She is still very afraid of needles to this day but I have got to say surgeries at a young age are alot easier to recover from. At age 14 she had another pectus excavatum and boy was it a different experience. She could not eat or keep food down. She was in alot of pain. Could not get up for the bathroom. She could not walk for a few days and had to start with baby steps. It was the worse time in my life to see my child like that. So getting surgeries earlier are better. You should take the week off just to make sure he has the best care possible (mom) to recover. I would be sure to take your child favorite items to hold on to before the surgery and if staying overnight in the hospital take your childs favorite toys to keep busy. Best of Luck.

my niece had ploydactyly and had the toe operated on . She had to wear a 1/2 leg cast but handled everything else fine . Anesthesia is pretty safe , even though they aren't exactly sure how/why it works . Just be prepared for some puking and moodiness for 12-48 hours.

B.,

This is such a concerning time for you! I know how confusing and strange the thought of your little one experiencing this can be. My son, at 6 mos. had an emergency circumsician (he was born preemie and couldn't do it at the NICU), and it was awful for me. Probably made it worse with all my worrying.

But, afterward my son had trouble calming down when he woke up from the anesthesia. They were supposed to come and get me before he woke up, and they didn't and he panicked. The nurse ended up having to give him demerol to calm him, so he could see I WAS there.

The surgery part went fine, it was the recovery time that was a bit tougher for us. Being a single Mom, I have had to learn when to ask for help. Keeping him comfy the first night, so he could sleep well was challenge, so he wouldn't roll over on his stitched area. I finally, had to ask my Mom to come help me and sleep in shifts. He had to be propped up so, he wouldn't roll over. After day two, it was a cake walk. We had a system down, and by the end of the first seven days he was healing and things were great.

But, otherwise my son was a total trooper and handled it like a champ. You could hardly tell he'd just had surgery.

I would ask questions at the hospital about procedures, and how they handle infant surgeries. Are you allowed to be there when they wake up...things like that. I didn't ask until the day of and wish I had been better prepared for the day of stuff.

If you can, enlist the help of friends and family for some support. Even if you can handle your little one, it's nice to have someone to help so you can take a shower with peace of mind.

Good LUCK to both of you!

My daughter was born with a cleft of the soft pallate, and it was repaired when she was just under a year. The toughest part was not being able to give her breakfast in the morning, she was hungry but took the water ok. The 2nd toughest was leaving her at the door on the gurney looking so little and helpless. I'm not sure what the doctors gave her before surgery, but it was a liquid that calmed her down, and made her really drowsy so she didn't cry when I had to walk away.
After surgery she did fine, I slept in the room with her, and made sure that at every wimper I was there. When she came home she healed really quickly and was her normal self after 2 weeks.
I'm a single mom too, so if you need someone to talk to email me off line.