5 Ways to Ease Their Anxiety.
Michele Ranard, M.Ed.
560 wds

If your child will be visiting the hospital for a procedure, they may feel fretful about what to expect and any pain they may experience. These expert tips will help guide you in calming their nerves.

Why They Worry About Hospital Stays

According to Dr. Judith A. Jones of Kidshealth.org, many children are fearful of needles and whether they will feel pain. Depending on the procedure, Dr. Jones suggests it may be possible for them to get medicine to feel more relaxed. Young children may struggle with separation anxiety and will likely feel more at ease if they are held by their parents while falling asleep before surgery. Older children may experience “exposure of body parts during surgery, cutting and scarring of the body, waking up during surgery, loss of control, pain after surgery, and even death.”

5 Tips to Ease Worry

Many children will benefit from a calm conversation before their hospital stay about what to expect. Kidshealth.org suggests the following tips for such a talk with your child:

1. Let your child know where you'll be during the whole experience. Kids will feel better knowing you won’t be far and will be there when they wake up. “You may also be able to sit with your child until he or she falls asleep before the surgery. Discuss this with your anesthesiologist. And explain that (in many outpatient procedures), your child can come home soon after the surgery is done. In cases that require hospitalization, most hospitals avoid separation anxiety by permitting at least one parent to stay with the child day and night.”

2. Give your child age-appropriate and developmental stage-appropriate info. Less information is usually more appropriate for younger children. “That doesn't mean lying — it just means giving the most appropriate information for your child's age and developmental stage.” Too many details may increase your child’s anxiety so take their age and personality into account. Tweens and teens may worry they will wake up during the procedure, so they should be reassured they will not.

3. Be sensitive about how you say it. You will want to avoid using the term “nap” so they don’t become anxious about naps in the future. Also avoid “cut,” “stuck with a needle,” or “put to sleep.”

4. Reassure them it is normal to feel “funny” after surgery. “Explain that there may be some pain and discomfort after the surgery, but that the doctor can give medicine to help. It's important for kids to understand that they don't have to try to be brave or ‘put on a happy face’ after surgery.” Help your child understand they may feel groggy, scared, or sad after the anesthesia, but everything will be fine because you’ll be there with them, and it won’t last long.

5. Be calm for your child. If you stay relaxed (breathe!), your child is less likely to feel nervous about the hospital. “If you need to vent your emotions, try to take a few minutes to step out of the room where your child can't see or hear you.”

The experts at kidshealth.org remind parents that keeping their own anxiety in check will ease a child’s pre-op worries and positively influence their post-op recovery. As Dr. Jones suggests, “Remember to use nonverbal cues to communicate assurance: your tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and body language convey powerful messages.”

Michele Ranard is a professional counselor, tutor, and freelancer. Visit her at hellolovelychild.blogspot.com.

Resources:

Kidshealth.org
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surgery/anesthesia_prepare.html#
reviewer: Judith A. Jones, M.D.