When your child is ill or injured it is normal to feel stressed and worried about them. An illness or hospital stay can be overwhelming for you as parents too. You are probably worried about what will happen to your baby/child, even if you are not showing it to others.
Our team of caregivers understand the feelings of frustration, sadness, worry or helplessness that you might be going through. Together, we believe we can assist in making you and your family cope with this stressful time.
What can you do to help yourself?
1. Understand normal reactions and feelings.
In the first few days after a diagnosis or injury, its normal to feel upset, worried, or stressed. Having to deal with medical events on your child is difficult and an unexpected disruption to day-to-day family life. You will need support from family and friends for these feelings and reactions to get better. Know when you should ask for help so you can also adequately help your child.
2. Be aware of your own feelings and reactions.
Some parents may find it upsetting to talk with family and friends about what happened, or they feel anxious or overprotective. If this is true for you, be sure to get support for yourself so that you can best help your child.
3. Take care of yourself
Worrying, getting upset, not eating or sleeping, will only make it harder to help your child. Let others help you and be open about the kind of help you need. It may go a long way to talk with people you trust, e.g. family, friends, clergy or your child’s healthcare team.
4. Watch out for unhelpful ways of dealing with stress
Remember, increased smoking, alcohol, or other unhealthy ways of coping when you feel worried, upset, or stressed, can only negatively affect your ability to properly care for your sick child.
5. Your own doctor, your child’s medical team or other trustworthy members may give additional help for you. If you find yourself very upset or worried and this does not seem to be getting any better after several days, it might be time to consider talking with a counsellor or therapist.
Our team of children’s specialists is always available to assist you and your child.
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