Child Life

I asked the Pediatric Cardiologist how we go about preparing a 6-year old for open-heart surgery. Jersey #2 had her first open-heart surgery as a 2-month old infant, so some things were easier. Now, she is old enough to understand some of what is being talked about, and she has concerns and questions of her own. I wanted to do all I could to prepare her for this medical experience.

It turns out that opportunities are available to those who ask. The Cardiologist explained that the hospital has a Child Life Program where there are Child Development Specialists available to talk with a child about medical procedures, at the child's developmental level. She recommended we make an appointment for Jersey #2, and also for her older siblings who might have questions about what their sister is going through.

I took the older 3 children to the hospital yesterday afternoon. It was our last official day of school too. I thought it was quite appropriate that we take a hospital-related field trip that day, since the pending surgery in May is the reason we worked so hard to complete the school year by the end of April.

At the Heart Clinic, we met up with the Child Development Specialist, and also the hospital's Pediatric Social Worker. I am already in contact with the social worker, because she heads up the parent mentorship program I help with. She wanted to observe the Child Life interaction with my kids, so she can see how it works, to be able to recommend it to other families.

I asked them to pose for a picture afterward, because I am a blogging, scrapbooking Mom...

The Child Development Specialist won favor with the kids immediately because he brought them gifts. He gave them each a little stuffed "Buddy" doll and let them decorate it to their liking during our visit. He also gave each child a blank book to draw in, a blank journal to write in, and a bag full of hospital-related goodies. The bag included a surgical cap, gloves, an empty syringe, and a band-aid.

He also lent us a few books he was able to find about children going to the hospital. Jersey #2 can read, so the books are real helpful for her understanding.

After dispensing the gifts and spending a little time getting to know the kids, the Specialist opened a binder and went through a series of slides that told a story of a child who was going to the hospital for surgery. Each page talked about a part of the process, and included colorful pictures. Jersey #2 read along, and chatted with him about the contents of the story. She is very experienced with medical visits, so she added a lot of detail, which let us all know where she was in her understanding of her medical situation.

When they got to the part about what the doctors look like dressed up for surgery, Jersey #2 informed him that doctors wear masks and gloves to keep from giving us their germs. She explained that if doctors gave us their germs, and made us sick, then they would have to do more work. The adults in the room had a big laugh over that.

The way that the kids decorated their buddy doll allowed me to see where their thoughts are focused. Jersey #1 decorated her doll to be a twin to herself. She even added the horse picture on the front of her doll's shirt...

Jersey #2 decorated her doll to have a broken heart. I was advised that this can be a good conversation opener to talk to her more about her feelings about having surgery...

Jersey #3 decorated his doll to have a red, bloody spot at the heart. He told me that his doll fell on the concrete outside the hospital and that is how it got hurt. He then spent the visit trying out all of the surgical gear on his doll. He pretended to perform surgery on his dolls' heart while his sisters talked.

When he completed his surgery, he placed the band-aid from his bag onto his doll, over the space with the bleeding heart. He was very proud of himself for fixing up his dolls' heart.

The social worker asked him if he was going to be a doctor when he grew up. His immediate answer was, "No. I am going to be a train conductor."

He did enjoy testing out the anesthesia equipment...

Upon returning home, Jersey #2 and Jersey #3 spent much of the afternoon dressed up as surgeons, repairing every doll, sibling, and stuff animal in the house...

I am so glad that I asked for assistance in preparing Jersey #2 for her upcoming surgery. The Child Life Program was wonderful. They offered many resources to teach the kids in a positive way.

I was also given an extra dose of encouragement from the Social Worker and the Child Development Specialist, that I was preparing Jersey #2 at an appropriate level for her age. My approach of answering her questions and talking about things as she brings them up is working. I also see that I am finding a good balance in the level of the detail that I share with her. Their compliments were a boost to my confidence.

Jersey #2 has a healthy understanding of her situation and what she is facing. She is focusing on the positive aspects, and is rather upbeat about the surgery. It is amazing to see how she is taking it all in stride.