Wednesday 18 March 2009

Teething

What's up with that?

How do mothers know when their babies are teething??? I have NEVER been able to anticipate it. I always notice AFTER the fact, that Sebastian has a new tooth. Only then does the preceding runny nose, grumpiness, fever, etc., make sense. But I can never figure it out before.

Any time he doesn't sleep (which has been about 24 months of his 27-month-life), people say it must be teething.

Any time he has a fever (which has been about 5 different times just this winter), people say it must be teething.

Every time he has a runny nose (which he's had for 4 months straight), people say it must be teething.

Obviously, he hasn't popped out 5 new teeth in the past few months, so... how am I supposed to guess that THIS fever, THIS particular runny nose, THIS particular grumpiness is due to teething, and not separation anxiety, or a developmental milestone, or some psychological reaction to something I am doing or not doing???

So I decided that today's fever, runny nose and 3-day-grumpiness is teething. I think this mostly because he has gotten everything else there is to get! Take away viruses and every strain of influenza, and you are left with teething!

Plus, it has been a low-grade fever for 3 days. If he were really sick, it would have gone up, no?
Plus, today he was whining and pointing to his mouth. I thought it might have been a cancre, but it was probably molar pain.

Then again, when I brushed his teeth, it didn't hurt.

Sigh. Sometimes I feel like such a bad mother...

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