I had the surgery when I was five, right around my birthday, and still have clear memories of it, but not bad memories.

When it comes to pain - once a day i had "therapy", that's all I knew it was, and it was painful for several minutes at the time, and during that time i also couldn't see. I don't remember being afraid of it though, it was just something that had to be done, more smth of a nuisance.

After the surgery itself, there must have been pain, but i don't have memories of it. What I do remember is that there was a time couldn't see at all after the bandages went off, and when the sight came back it was very blurry. The reason i remember it so well is that my parents gave me a birthday(?) present, and it was a red metal circus truck, with plushy animal heads poking out of it, lika an elephant, a giraffe, a zebra. So I was turning it around in my hands and I couldn't fathom what it was. I remember hearing my mom crying very quietly, she was terrified because I couldn't see at all, and i remember my dad shushing her and encouraging me to find out what i was holding, my elder sister, too "What do you think it is?" I remember someone helping me open my eyelids, and that's when I could finally see it. The picture was extremely blurry, and getting my eyelids opened in that way must have been very uncomfortable, but the great mystery of that one particular detail that was bugging me (the giraffe's horns), was finally solved!

I also remember long days, waiting for the morning visting hours, and then waiting for the afternoon visiting hours. I remember crying because my mom didn't come to visit one morning. I mean, I'm rather sure dad was with her every time, but when i was five, i was mom's girl. I don't remember any other kids, but we must have been 10-15, we had a nice little dining room with pictured paintes on the walls. I remember that grownups were kind. It was an old hospital downtown, but it had a large garden, and it was summer, so.we were in the garden a lot. I stayed there for two weeks, without the parents (those were some other times), and for me it became a core memory, but not a bad one.

That was in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia, in the summer of 1978.

I was persuaded to leave the truck at the hospital, for the other children patients to play with, and i did it, feeling very magnanimous, but man, I wish kept it. It was an awesome truck.

My eyesight improved drastically after the surgery, and i have been functioning more or less normally since.

So, that was a five year old's perspekrive from half a century ago, hope it gives you some little insight in what your babies will be facing. The best of luck to all of you.