Your Child Is in Good Hands
If your child has an illness, injury, or other condition that requires surgery, it’s good to know he or she is in the experienced hands of pediatric surgeons, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric nurses, and child -life specialists at Baystate Children’s Hospital — a fully accredited hospital within Baystate Medical Center. We’re specially trained to handle surgical problems in children, which are often very different, can differ from those seen in adults.
Our Children’s Surgery Center has its own admitting, waiting, and recovery rooms designed just for children. Your child will share spaces only with other children — not adults. Our wish is that you stay by your child’s side until he or she goes to sleep before surgery, making the experience less stressful for both of you.
Western Massachusetts’ Only Pediatric & Newborn Intensive Care Units
If your child needs specialized monitoring and care after surgery, he or she may need to spend time in the region’s only pediatric intensive care unit with specially trained intensive care pediatricians and nurses. We also offer the region’s only newborn intensive care unit for premature babies and those who need advanced monitoring.
Surgeries We Perform
We provide complete, skilled surgical care using the newest treatment options to help your child recover from surgery as quickly as possible. For example, minimally invasive surgery (surgeons make tiny incisions and are guided by cameras in laparoscopic, endoscopic, and thoracoscopic procedures) results in less pain and faster healing.
Surgeries we perform include:
- Abdominal surgery
- Cancer surgery
- Chest-wall reconstructions for rib and breastbone problems (pectus excavatum)
- Head and neck surgery
- Hernia surgery
- Newborn surgery
- Ovarian tumors surgery
- Soft tissue surgery
- Testicular tumors surgery
- Thoracic surgery – heart,(heart, lung, esophagus, and other organs in chest)
- Trauma surgery
- Urologic surgery (– including Deflux injections for ureteral reflux – urine flow problem)
- Varicoelectomy – (repair of twisted veins in testicles)
Your child’s surgical team includes highly skilled pediatric surgeons, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric nurses, and child life specialists who can help you and your child cope with being in the hospital. Our child life specialists are available on the inpatient units, as well as in the Children’s Surgery Center and Emergency Department.
What to Expect When Your Child is Having Surgery
Understanding as much as you can about your child’s surgery and what to expect can help make it easier for you and your child. Our slideshow below will walk you through the day of surgery from a child's perspective.