Sleep post surgery/hospital stay

[Chica1990]

I'm aware this may be a niche ask but I am so tired and desperate.

Until recently my almost 3 year old would go to bed between 8-8.30pm and I'd wake up at 7.30. He would have a small nap in the day at home (30 mins) but would have an hour at nursery (they won't cap it for less than that).

Over 3 weeks ago my son became sick and had surgery to remove his appendix which had ruptured and gone septic, luckily he is fine and recovered well and we have been home for a couple of weeks now following the 10 day stay in hospital.

However since we've been home getting back to his usual sleep routine has been almost impossible. At hospital he would wake at 7.30 (with some discomfort night wakes) then nap for 30 mins at 12, then fall asleep at 8 and wake after 30 mins, but we wouldn't try and get him back to sleep as he would have antibiotics at 10pm so he would chill until then he would go to bed receiving
his doses.

Now we have been home a couple of weeks we are having night wakes which can vary from 40 minutes to 3.5hrs and he will still wake at 6. He does seem to need a small nap in the day which I cap (which he is furious about) and we seem unable to
drop it.

Have we inadvertently reduced his sleep tolerance? Has anyone else had a routine go back to normal eventually after a hospital stay?

I appreciate any advice wise mumnetters!

Have you ever had an operation and hospital stay yourself, outside of childbirth I mean? Even as an adult it does take a while to get back into a settled routine.
I can’t imagine how hard it would be for a 3 year old who’s been through such a traumatic event and gone from, presumably, you sitting with him /being in a room with him all night to putting him to bed/him waking up alone. His body is also still healing, it summer so lighter a lot later than it was even a few weeks ago late at night & early in the morning. It’s just going to take some time.
I’m glad he’s got through it okay and is recovering, it must have been very scary

Yes I had an operation for an ectopic whilst trying to conceive him and was the other way - just tired a lot!

it was terrifying for us all and hoping he's at an age when he's older he won't remember it (that's what people keep saying anyway). I am hoping and maybe looking for reassurance it's a re adjustment period rather than us having messed up his sleep needs by letting him stay up for anti biotics