The Surgery and Anesthesia on Babies

It was a month after seeing the doctor for the first time about Natalie’s hip that she would have her surgery. They had given us pictures of what the spica cast would look like, but that really does not prepare you for seeing your own child frightened and scared. She was so little and this thing was so big. I was in no way prepared for the shock of how little and helpless she looked. I almost fell apart in the hospital, but I couldn’t or that would have frightened her even more.

Natalie had a rough time with the anesthesia. She would jerk herself awake every few minutes causing her to cry for about a minute then she would slowly go back to sleep. This happened all night long. I read later that in babies the anesthesia can make them feel like they are falling. This was apparently what had happened to her because she was scared when she would wake up. She was probably in pain as well since she would make her entire body jump awake. She also had an upset stomach and was soon being treated for dehydration. Luckily, she recovered the next morning, and we were able to go home as planned. We packed up all of her stuff, and headed home.