In the case of a very young or a very sick child, the presence of a parent may distract the attention of the medical and nursing staff at a critical time. Some parents do not want to have to go into the operating room and should feel no pressure to do so. Your anesthesiologist is experienced with children and used to putting a child at ease. You may discuss it with your anesthesiologist on the day of surgery. At Children's Memorial Hospital parents may be able to accompany their child into the operating room, but the final decision always rests with the attending anesthesiologist.
Every effort is made to separate children from their parents for as short a time as possible.
After your child is in the recovery room, his vital signs have been taken and his condition is stable, you may join him. Because of space limitations, visiting in the recovery room is restricted to parents only. It is important to have an empty stomach when having general anesthesia as a person may vomit while going to sleep or waking up and then inhale stomach contents into the lungs, which can be very dangerous. The hospital will call you the day before the surgery with complete instructions about what time to stop giving your child food and drink. These instructions should be strictly followed.