If your child is having a surgery, learn all you can about the procedure. Speaking with your child frankly and in simple terms will help to allay any fears that he/she has. Assure your child that you will always be around with him/her while in the hospital.

For pre-schoolers keep this discussion as near to your time of hospital visit as they have a short memory span. Role play with a doll or toy at home will help them grab the concept. For older children make the discussion few days in advance. This gives them time to assimilate the facts and come up with their fears and insecurities.

You and your child are always welcome to discuss the procedure and revisit the plan with your treating pediatric surgeon. Having a basic understanding of what to expect makes the child come to the hospital with a positive mind set.

Few general tips:

• Try to understand what the child knows about his/her surgery
• Discuss in simple terms about the need for surgery
• Emphasis that the child will be asleep and pain free when the procedure is being carried out and he/she will not remember the time during anaesthesia. Make sure you tell the child that you will be with him/her once the procedure is over.
• Often, pain during and after surgery is a major concern for parents and children. Rest assured that your child will be pain free during surgery and all effort will be taken to keep him/her as pain free as possible afterwards.
• Answer all your child’s queries truthfully and in simple terms. Never make fun of any query, however small it may sound. They are your child’s real concerns.
• Expect few tubes and monitors to be connected to your child. In case of doubt ask the nurse or a paramedic about their appropriate care and handling instructions

Most of the procedures in children need to be carried out under general anaesthesia. For more tips and information please go through the ‘ Anaesthesia in children’ section.

Fasting before any surgery is mandatory. The duration of fasting is generally 6 hours for solids and any kind of formula feed. Breast feeds need to be stooped 4 hours before the procedure. Your child can have few sips of clear water up to 2 hours before surgery. Expect some fasting time after completion as well, for the effect of all anaesthesia medications to wear off. Your child will be receiving a drip (intravenous fluid) during this duration of fasting. All necessary medications will also continue by drip and later changed to oral.