My Surgery & Caring for Night-Waking Toddler... What do I do??

My DD will turn 2.5 on Monday. She only started sleeping through 10 months ago when she was nearly 20 months old. For the last 8 nights she has started waking during the night (2-4 times a night) crying in distress. Not hysterical, but upset and needing to be cuddled and then tapped back to sleep by me.

It's hard, but I seem to be coping better with sleep deprivation the second time around (with the same child!!) I've never done controlled crying, not even when I got PND due to sleep deprivation so I'm not going to start now. DD trusts me to be there for - I'm just planning to ride this phase out as best I can.

The problem is, I have a laparoscopy coming up in 2 weeks to remove an ovarian cyst.
I'm really worried about caring for her while I recover, especially in regards to the night waking. She won't let my husband comfort her - He would be happy to, but she gets hysterical crying for me if I don't come. I can't imagine lying in my bed, hearing her in hysterics, but at the same time, I'll have a hole in my abdomen so I won't be able to carry a squirmy 2 year old!
I don't know what to do... What would you do??

I'm trying to figure out what is causing the night waking. I've read that 2.5 years is another time of high development which I've noticed - she is growing in leaps and bounds. So I wonder if that is the root of the sudden night waking. She has also become VERY clingy with me - I can't be out of her sight. Normally she'd be happy to let DH take her to his parent's house and she'd wave "Bye Mumma" to me without shedding a tear - Lately she has refused to go anywhere if I'm not there!
I can think of no other reason why she's waking - there's no new baby, she is still in her cot which she has slept in since birth (11-12 hours a night for the past 10 months)....

The surgery is on a Thursday and DH is having the Thurs & Friday off, and taking her to his mum's so I can rest (she doesn't let me sleep or rest during the day when DH looks after her).
I'm just worried about the nights......
I would put her in our bed - co-sleeping doesn't phase me, but she's NEVER wanted to sleep with us. We tried it a few nights ago and she cried & scrambled out and screamed "I'm stuck!!!"....
Will I just have to deal with her crying without me while DH does his best?? My dr won't be too happy if I injure myself while tending to her at night :(

If you have to settle her maybe it would work if you keep a chair next to her cot and when she gets up in the night get your dh to carry her so she doesn't hurt you and you can still sit by the cot and pat her back to sleep. Did that make sense?

Kids are pretty cluey. Maybe she is picking up that something is going on and that is why she is waking again.

Thanks, yeah I already have a chair near the cot so I thought maybe DH could do the holding... and I cou,d pat and comfort and just put up with the cries of "Mumma carry me"! She is very persistant & determined though so she'd probably just jump into my arms lol

Is she anywhere near going into a bed? Even a mattress on the floor - do you think she'd settle if you were able to lie next to her & give her cuddles rather than having to pick her up? But still her own space rathet than your bed.

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Does your cot become a toddler bed? If it does maybe that's an option. Good luck with your surgery.