The Broussards: A Greater Understanding

On September 16th my mom, Sam, and I took Daniel to Children's Hospital for a surgical operation. It wasn't anything major. A birthmark on his hip was changing a little too fast for our (and our doctor's) comfort and we thought it best to have the whole thing removed before it could become something bad. The problem with this decision was that Daniel is 2, he does not let anyone touch him, and he is very resistant to doctors. So we decided the only way to have this spot the size of a quarter removed was to have full, anesthetized surgery. We arrived at the hospital at 6:45 am, checked in, and were in our little room by 7:30. Daniel was very suspicious of the whole situation. He didn't want to be weighed. He didn't want his temperature taken. They couldn't even get the blood pressure cuff on his little leg. I was so thankful for a nurse who didn't push her luck. When he would refuse, she would back off. She let me carry him to the room. She weighed me and then me holding him. She let me give him his "happy medicine". After the "happiness" kicked in and Daniel was a little more relaxed we wheeled him into the recovery room, said our goodbyes, and they wheeled him into surgery. The surgery only took about 40 minutes. When we were called to the recovery room, my baby was screaming and trying to get out of the arms of a well-intentioned nurse who was holding him. As soon as he heard my voice he relaxed and i carried him, once again, to our little room.

The point of me writing this is for two reasons. The first being, when you are in a Children's Hospital with a fairly healthy child you cannot be anything but grateful. When we sat in the waiting room we saw so many other families suffering so much more. A child with Down Syndrome and his nervous mother there for another surgery and this one with an overnight stay with a tube in place. Children with deformities: misshapen heads, crooked legs, limps, in wheelchairs. Parents who have traveled from Alexandria to see the best doctor possible for their son's back problems. When someone asked us why we were there, the issue seemed so trivial compared to everything else we were hearing about. I almost did not feel worthy. Our roommate, bless his heart, was there only 30 minutes after us at 8:00. When we were leaving at 11, he still had not been called into surgery. This 4 year old had to wait all day and couldn't eat anything. Yet he was so happy and wanted to talk to anyone who walked through our door. I thank God that we are as healthy as we are and feel so much more empathy for those parents who have to endure these types of surgeries on a more frequent basis.

The other reason I wrote this entry is because of breastfeeding. Most people do not know that I still breastfeed Daniel. He almost quit while I was pregnant, but now that Simon nurses all day, he decided that he wanted to share in that experience with his younger brother. Breastfeeding brings Daniel great comfort and calm, so of coarse, as any mother would do what calms their son the most, I breastfed him after the surgery. In all the times I thought about weaning Daniel, today was the first day I was truly thankful that I was still breastfeeding him. The moment I held him in my arms, he relaxed. It was the only "bribery" we could use to get him through the morning without eating (you will get some AFTER you wake up). It was how i kept him from pulling out the IV. Our afternoon nurse was very confused to see a two-year old still breastfeeding and asked if he ate solid food, if I was going to wean him soon, and how I handle it. Another nurse assumed he didn't drink juice because he still nursed. I think it is important that all of us have a greater understanding of this taboo subject of nursing toddlers. America is one of the few countries in the world where it is seen as strange to see someone nursing a walking, talking child. But it is a very natural thing and I hope that seeing it helped the nurses at the hospital achieve a greater understanding.