The Star Online > Features

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

In good hands

A hospital stay need not be a traumatic experience for a young child. Veteran mum CHAN LILIAN shares ways to allay unfounded fears and look at hospitals in a new light – as cheerful, friendly places.

THE very mention of the word “hospital” conjures up images of bedridden patients and very ill people. The whitewashed walls, cold atmosphere and smell of antiseptic add to the stark image of a hospital.

Such negative impressions may cause some parents to procrastinate when it comes to getting medical treatment for their children. Unnecessary emotional pressures are created when their little ones need a short hospital stay.

Being a mother to five, I have more than a decade of experience of hospital trips and stays. I have been to the emergency room, intensive care unit, operating theatre, x-ray room, nursery, labour room and just about every ward in some of the hospitals that I regularly frequent.

Through the years, I have learnt to see hospitals in a different light. In fact, hospitals can be people-friendly and cheerful places.

For the new mother, one of her earliest encounters with a hospital stay for the baby is when the newborn has jaundice, a common condition among babies. I have seen many new mothers, traumatised by the sight of their babies undergoing phototherapy, crying helplessly in the nursery.

It can be rather frightening to see your baby wearing little “sunglasses” and lying almost naked under the purple light which will help convert the harmful bilirubin, the yellow pigment that causes jaundice, into soluble substances that can be passed out of the body through the urine. However, the whole procedure is painless and does not cause any discomfort to your baby. Your baby is in the good hands of the trained and experienced nurses in the nursery.

Older children who are sick and need to be hospitalised will be escorted to the ward after the necessary registration and payment of deposit have been settled. There he will be weighed, his temperature and blood pressure taken, and an identification tag given to him.

The accompanying parents get upset sometimes when their child requires the insertion of an intravenous line in the treatment or procedure room. The fastest way for the medication to work is to go directly into the blood stream. So a tiny needle will be inserted into your child’s hand, foot or a spot near the forehead. The needle is very flexible and fine with an open end where the nurses can administer medication. The nurse will put a big bandage to protect the needle from being accidentally dislodged.

Depending on the hospital policy, either the staff nurses or the doctor will carry out this procedure. If you are a softie, it is best that you leave your child in the good hands of the medical staff and leave the room. Other procedures that may be upsetting for the parents are the cleaning and dressing of wounds, physiotherapy and the suction of phlegm.

I have seen many mothers crying together with their sick child in the treatment room. While it is good to be with your child to soothe his pain and reduce his fears, your crying may frighten your child even more. Even small babies can sense your emotions, so the nurse or doctor may not allow you to be present during certain procedures.

A hospital stay is a good time to bond with your child. There is nothing more important to the child than having the loving, warm and secure embrace of his parent.

Part two