thread: Blood tests on children, how do they do it?

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  1. #1
    Registered User

    Nov 2007
    Southwest Syd
    1,858

    No advice here just wanted to offer a big hug!! I hope everything is ok.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Oct 2007
    ★ nor here nor there ★
    4,134

    DD's had a few, and they will go from the arm like an adult, as they get older it is a lot easier, at 3 months they couldn't get blood out of DD's arms and had to do a heel ***** after I begged and pleaded them to do it from her heel (she was all skin and bones), but apparently once they leave hospital the normal clinics don't do heal *****s, eventually she had to because after 3 tries ont he arms and a lot of tears she had no choice - mind you it worked instantly .

    But she has had a few more since, all from the arms, iwth me holding her and all her limbs, to stop her grabbing or pulling away and what I would recommened if possible is going through a pathology department at the local Childrens Hospital as they take blood from children everyday and we found the were a LOT better than your normal clinic, and definitely give the patch a shot we haven't done it before, but plan to next time, we just made sure we had something nice for DD afterwards, but a lot of the time she's had them she was sick and in hospital already, and not feeling so great, so just a nice big hug was enough

    Big warm it can be a haorrible experience, but I sincerely hope it is quick smooth and gentle for Yasin

  3. #3
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber
    Add Schmickers on Facebook

    Jan 2006
    Port Macquarie, NSW
    1,443

    If you can plan ahead, get an emla patch from your chemist, turn up 45 minutes before he is due for the test, and ask them where to put it.

    When the test is being done, you might find it easiest to sit him in your lap, facing outwards. Put one arm, around his body like you are giving him a cuddle (which will keep his arms down, or whichever arm they aren't using, anyway) and the other around his upper body or forehead, depending on how much he will struggle. Sing to him, talk to him quietly. Try hard not to cry, and I sympathise - I do this for a living and I had tears in my eyes when we had to get Molly tested. One nurse will probably hold the arm out straight while the other one takes the blood.

    Oh, and the heel ***** thing - the reason they don't do it after the baby is a few months old is that the results don't come out right for some of the tests.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Apr 2010
    1,118

    Mine had a blood test earlier this year, got all the coaching on what they were going to do, what she should do etc etc.

    Unfortunately she decided several seconds *after* the needle went in and the doc was halfway through getting blood that the needle going in hurt, so she did an overdramatic jump complete with exaggerated facial expression, needle comes out, blood goes everywhere, doc goes into panic mode.

    Started again on the other arm with me holding her down, worked this time.

    Reminded me a bit of the time she got her nose cauterised - screamed the house down when the cauterising thingy was an inch from her nose but didn't even blink once it was actually in use. Needed two of us to hold her still and she hadn't even been touched. The doc looked like she was going to wring DD's neck.

    So watch out for kids doing stuff you don't expect ...

  5. #5

    Mar 2004
    Sparta
    12,662

    Thank you everyone for answering.

    He had it done this afternoon and he was a little star.
    We got the emla patch and it worked a treat - he didn't flinch when it went in and he barely moved while they were doing it. The nurses doing it tried to distract him but he was way too interested in seeing his blood being bottled for the distraction to work.

  6. #6
    BellyBelly Member

    Oct 2008
    3,132

    Glad it went well

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    melb
    8,498

    Glad it all went well