So, your baby is having surgery. Whether it's acute, routine or planned, pediatric surgeon Dr. Tory Meyer, shares what parents can expect, what questions to ask and how to approach the procedure with the best possible information.

In this episode, we chat about:

• What led you to pursue a career in pediatric surgery?

• What are the most common surgeries you perform?

• For planned surgeries, parents have time to prepare their child for the procedure. What can a parent expect at the appointments leading up to the surgery?

• What kinds of questions should a parent be asking of the surgeon and the surgical team?

• In your opinion, what makes for a successful surgical experience for both the child and the parent?

• For emergency surgeries it can often feel overwhelming and chaotic for both the child and the parent. How can a parent make the best decision with limited time? What questions should they be asking?

• Sometimes there is a clear answer for a family when making a surgical decision and other times, it's not as easy. How do you help families decide the right course for their situation?

• What's the best part about being a pediatric surgeon? Most challenging?

• What's your best advice to a parent who has an upcoming surgery and feels scared and overwhelmed?

Tory Meyer is a Pediatric Surgeon at Austin Pediatric Surgery. He is the past Chief of Staff and past Chairman of the Pediatric Leadership Board at Dell Children's Medical Center and is Clinical Affiliate Faculty at the Dell Medical School. Dr. Meyer is co-founding member of Operation KidDocs, a surgical mission group, and the present Vice Chairman of Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center.

The NICU is hard. We're here to help.

Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby's NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.

Connect with Hand to Hold:

Learn more or get support at handtohold.org

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The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license