Ten Tips to Surviving Medical Appointments

Having a premature baby often means having quite a lot of appointments. I used my little group of parents on Facebook for help too, and here are my top tips.

1. Ask about choose and book for new appointments. For our recent referral to a consultant we used choose and book. I was able to choose the time, date and location which I found really helpful.
2. Know what the appointment is for. Sometimes other specialists will make referrals to other professionals, so its useful to have this clarified if you receive a letter on your doorstep you weren't expecting.
3. Make a note of any questions or concerns that you have. It's ok to write these down and pass them over to the consultant. It can be helpful to ask other people involved with your child if they have anything they think needs raising,
4. Arrive with some time up your sleeve but not too much. I made the mistake of arriving at Monday's appointment 20 minutes early and the consultant was half an hour late.
5. For older children role play can be useful. Joseph loves playing doctors so I got him to pretend he was examining my hips and feet. Make the trip as fun as possible. We took a taxi, a tram and a bus to the hospital, and played games on the way.
6. Take distractions. A lot of the parents who responded on my Facebook question use iPads, we don't have one. For this appointment I just had "mucky" the comfort blanket, and some books. At the Children's hospital they have an amazingly well equipped room.
7. Bring snacks. Some mums bring chocolate buttons etc. For long appointments I tend to bring a little packed lunch. For this one I used Macdonalds as a bribe (bad parenting there but I don't care!)
8. A great tip from one of my expert parents is that for very involved appointments ask for a play therapist to come in and keep the child busy whilst you ask questions.
9. Bring some children's magazines, they often have toys and stickers and can provide good, inexpensive distraction. I tend to keep all ours and reuse them for craft projects too.
10. It's absolutely fine to ask for clarification, for information to be written down, and for second opinions. Medical appointments can be daunting, and a good consultant will be able to address your concerns and put your mind at ease.