|
Teething Symptoms
By Elmer Botha
It was a night like any. Teething symptoms was the last thing on my mind. Dylan was just turning 7 months and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We tucked him in at 08:00pm, which was the usual time. We went to bed, turned off the lights and went to sleep as one big ol’ happy family…
I still don’t know what the time was. It was probably 08:10pm. Yeah, that was it. I must have just dozed off, when suddenly, over the baby monitor, came a sound, which… I just need to side-track you here for a minute. Looking back at “the night” it all just seems so trivial now. Sure, it was dramatic, traumatic and even down-right scary. But I have to tell you, it actually does get funnier as I reflect on it. OK, where was I. Oh yes. I must have dozed off, when suddenly, over the baby monitor, came a sound, which I can only describe as a banshee being tortured (believe me, you had to be there, I kid you not).
Thoughts went through my head at a million miles per second like “surely babies can’t be demon-possessed?” and “what did I have to eat? This dream feels soooo real” and still slip in “man, the golf game was great today”. Be that as it may, I was ultimately asking myself “What the heck was going on?! “. Within this emotional experience I could still grasp at reality. I knew that my wife knew her baby. That calmed me. That soothed me. I was telling myself “Elmer, mommies understand their infant’s range of cries and therefore you do not need to worry. This is all just a mental misunderstanding. You are over-stressed and have been working hard lately. Now look deep into wifey’s eyes and find soothing, tranquil, release from this absolute confusion. Yep, everything is going to be OK now.”
As I caught my beautiful wife’s eyes I soon realized that I was about to build some serious character. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, right? Right?
That night was memorable to say the least. We have learned a lot since “the night”. We can spot a teething symptom a mile away. You need to understand that it is not all black and white. There are the urban legends of babies teething without any hassles. I have heard of it. I have just never experienced it. If you are one of those lucky parents, and I doubt you are, I assure you, the grace of God is with you. So feel blessed and share your testimony. For the rest of us, we want to be prepared for what is coming. So I have compiled for you, out of my own experience, a list of typical teething symptoms. I don’t care if the sites that are supposed to know what’s going on agrees with me or not, what follows is what I have, as a seriously involved father learned the hard way. Use it, don’t use it. On second thought, use it.
1. Symptom 1 - Baby screaming like banshee being tortured in the dead of night. Not much left said.
2. Grumpiness. Your baby will just not seem himself. As the sharp little tooth rises closer to the surface your baby’s gums may become increasingly more sore and painful, resulting in your baby becoming, understandably so, irritable. The pain and discomfort is most often worse during the first teeth ‘coming in’ and later when the molars ‘come in’ because of their larger size. This is most often the case since babies become accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn to live with it.
3. Drooling. Like Homer Simpson.Constantly and effortlessly.
4. Coughing. The extra saliva can cause your baby to occasionally cough or gag. This brings us to the next point.
5. Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc.). Some babies will show signs of having a cold. This is usually a definite sign of a new tooth coming out. So before running of to your GP to get the next anti-biotic treatment, which he will subscribe with a huge “get out of here, I want to go do a 9-holer”, make sure that it is not just a definite indication of a new tooth coming out.
6. Biting and gnawing: A baby that is teething will gnaw and gum down on anything she or he can get their mouth around. The counter pressure from biting on something helps relieve the pressure from under the gums. Note, that at around three to four months a very natural developmental milestone of your baby would be ‘chewing’ on his own hands. Don’t confuse this with teething.
7. Chin Rash: If your baby is a big drooler (hello Homer), the constant contact with saliva can cause the skin around the chin and mouth to become irritated.
8. Cheek rubbing and ear pulling:Pain in the gums may travel to the ears and cheeks particularly when
the back molars begin coming in. This is why you may see your baby rubbing their cheeks or pulling at their ears. However, keep in mind that pulling at an ear can also be a sign of an ear infection.
9. Diarrhea: While this is a symptom that is disagreed upon by physicians, researchers and parents, most
parents usually notice slightly looser bowel movements when a baby is teething. While the recent study done by the Children’s Hospital in Australia found this to be the most common symptom of teething, there are still many people that will agree and disagree with this recent study. It is believed that the most likely cause of this is the extra
saliva swallowed, which then loosens the stool. Be sure and report any diarrhea to your doctor that lasts more than two bowel movements.
10. Last but not least, smelly nappies. I can smell a new tooth coming a mile away. So let me give you scientific advice. When the nappy (hubbies, I hope you assist in this department) you have to change smells like your baby ate something that was ‘off’, probably something dead, then my friend, you have come upon one of the main teething symptoms known to man. Take heart.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elmer_Botha
http://EzineArticles.com/?Teething-Symptoms&id=707862 | 
