Season 4, Episode 2
Hope and Will: A Parenting Podcast from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
What to Expect When Your Child Needs Surgery
When a doctor says your child needs surgery, it can feel overwhelming. Your mind races: Is it safe? Will my child need anesthesia? Will they be scared? In this episode, we pull back the curtain to the operating room to help you get a feel for what to expect if your child needs surgery.
The episode opens with Brittny, a proud mom of two. Brittny has ridden the pre-surgery emotional rollercoaster through three ear tube surgeries and one tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. She shares the fears she had before each procedure and what it was like to be in the waiting room. We then pivot to Dr. Jill Wilson, a pediatric anesthesiologist. Dr. Wilson addresses concerns that keep parents up at night and shares fascinating insight into what it’s like to call a pediatric operating room her workday home.
The episode aims to leave parents feeling informed, reassured and mentally prepared for a child’s surgery, whether it’s one that has been planned for months or one that arises emergently due to illness or injury.
Brittny Galentine, mom to 8-year-old Holden and 3-year-old Shelby
Brittny never expected what she considered “typical childhood” health challenges to lead her family into the operating room four times for three sets of ear tubes and a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. With both of her children, that’s exactly what happened. Initially, she worried, especially about anesthesia at such young ages, but found reassurance in the pediatric expertise guiding their care. Each experience proved smoother than she imagined, from compassionate staff who engaged her children through play to easy recoveries filled with popsicles, cartoons and a quick return to normal life. Brittny is candid about her pre-surgery fears and what each day of surgery looked like for her family.
Jill Wilson, MD, pediatric anesthesiologist
Dr. Jill Wilson, Medical Director of Children’s Meridian Mark Surgery Center, has more than 25 years of pediatric anesthesia experience and has participated in more than 10,000 surgeries at Children’s. She offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on how surgical teams collaborate to keep parents informed throughout a child’s procedure. As both a physician and a parent, she also shares her personal experience navigating emergency surgery when her daughter was injured in a playground accident.