I have the privilege of being both a pediatric nurse and a mom. With 11 years of hospital bedside experience in the pediatric intensive unit, I encounter a range of patients and families. Each meeting is unique and special in its own way. Something new I learn every shift, is how to foster resilience in kids who are acutely ill.

We Do Not Know

Nursing school is unable to prepare us for how to help little ones in a medical setting. Typically, only one semester is given for instruction for humans between birth and adulthood. In 12-16 weeks, students must learn about growth and development, milestones, diseases common among each age group, and different physiological changes at each age. This is a lot. There is no way to include how tots cope versus how teenagers handle healthcare visits.

No one method works for each member in that cohort. Not all six-year-olds find coloring soothing, and some pre-teens enjoy bubbles. Each tyke is distinctive and has a different background, culture, family dynamic, and history of medical meetings. All these factors affect how durable they are during an examination.

Let Us Know

As a nurse and a fellow mom, I implore you to let us know what helps. Please tell us. We do not take offense when a parent tells us something we are not aware of. I always tell mothers and fathers that they know their adolescents more than I do. They recognize what aids and supports them during stressful times.

If this is the first acute sickness for your family and everyone is at their wits’ end, please let us know that as well. We care for the household as a whole. It is one of my personal reasons for specializing in pediatrics. I get to know the patient, their siblings, parents, and extended family. I facilitate the development of resilience in all members of the family unit.

Situation Dependent

Just as there are various coping strategies for diverse age groups, there are numerous processes in the hospital that require different tools to manage pain, fear, or anxiety that these events can cause.  

Starting an IV and drawing blood causes pain and is scary. This intensifies if it occurs every morning due to long recovery times. Some hospitals have adjuncts to utilize, such as numbing cream, procedure rooms, or a pain prevention cart. This cart can include light-up toys, noise makers, distraction objects, and comfort items.

Obtaining an X-ray or CT scan is not painful but can induce apprehension.

Child life is a staff member whose job is to aid kids. They use dolls, books, role play, and many other accessories to prepare for procedures. There are dolls with feeding tubes, IVs, and monitors on the body to show and explain what is happening.

 Make A Sign

Personalizing a room creates a therapeutic environment. Make a sign. Do it together if age allows. Use bright paper, add a photo, hang it where it is visible, and include what is most advantageous for your baby. Whether it is their favorite song, show, toy, or if it’s the presence of a strong hand and explanations in detail about what is going to happen. Nothing is too ridiculous to include on this sign to promote resilience. For infants, it can be as specific as “likes to sleep on the left side, swaddle, with one arm out, one pillow over feet, blanket over eyes, and white noise machine set to waves at volume eight.” When it comes to getting a baby to stay calm in an ICU, we are willing to do whatever it takes. Nothing is too silly.

So please, speak up for yourself and your little ones. Let us know how we can care for you. Pain and suffering are not an expectation. It is an unfortunate side effect of some of the requirements for testing and obtaining information. Nurses want to make your stay as therapeutic, healing, and positive as we can. Let us work together to develop resilience and tools to support you.

Editor: Claudia Cramer