Today was a difficult day. I had decided, early morning, that I would take the day to get organized for the coming week. As a mother, there are countless preparations to make to help the week run smoothly. There is laundry to do, garbage and recycling to take out, meals to prepare, outfits to choose, a house to clean, appointments to mark on the calendar, activities to plan and phone calls to catch up on. Olivia was having none of this. She was cranky, restless, demanding, throwing toys, chucking her soother and asking for food then not eating eat it. She wouldn't go down for her nap, which was very unusual. I was beyond frustrated. I felt like we weren't connecting or working together at all. We were both feeling frustrated. My plans to get organized were rail roaded. I called a good friend and neighbour and asked if Olivia could spend a bit of time at her house so that I could get refocused and possible get dinner started. I explained that I needed a breather. She was understanding and told me to take the time that I needed. I was very grateful. Olivia went over and watched part of a movie. She was calm and relaxed. I suppose she needed a break from me too. After preparing dinner and fruit smoothies for the morning, I went to pick up Olivia. Olivia seemed tired and I noticed that her cheeks were rosy. My friend, who has a six year old, explained that my daughter was teething. Apparently, children get second year molars. I did not know this. So, like I often do when I'm not sure about something, I looked on line fore information on second year molars. I found a website called :
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-teething.htm, which provided a complete baby/teething chart:
Age Teeth Position:
6 to 7 months Incisors Two central bottom & Two central top teeth.
7 to 9 months Two more incisors Top & bottom; making four top & four bottom teeth in all.
10 to 14 months First molars Double teeth for chewing
15 to 18 months Canines The pointed teeth or “fangs”
2 to 3 years Second molars The second set of double teeth at the back
Again, as a refresher, the teething symptoms include irritability, drooling, coughing, biting and gnawing, not sleeping well, and cold like symptoms.
I've read on a few parenting message boards that it can take anywhere from days, weeks even as long as six months for the second year molars to come in.
So how can I help my daughter through this process?
Olivia has been asking me for yogurt and cold applesauce a lot lately, which makes sense because they are cold and likely soothe her gums.
I went to http://www.mamapedia.com, a website where other mother’s ask questions and can post comments and their experiences. Other mother’s suggested cold cloths, juice Popsicles, Advil, soothing music, Hyland’s Homeopathic teething tablets, and baby OraGel. I will try my best to be sympathetic. I know how painful a toothache can be. I will try as many strategies as I can to soothe her gums.
I have found different phases of parenting to be more stressful than others. Sometimes I feel like when I think I finally have the hang of things, a new phase arrives and I’m thrown for a curveball. On top of everything, I am a single mother. I’ve become better at asking for help from friends, family and Olivia’s daycare provider. I’m new to parenting and I’m learning as I go. Mother’s we need to be gentle with ourselves. It’s ok if we don’t know everything.
Part of taking care of myself as a Mother includes exercise. The benefits of exercise are countless. For me, the primary function of exercise at this point of my life is to reduce stress and to boost my energy levels. Tomorrow morning, I plan to go for an Oceanside run to clear my head, let go of the tension and get energized for the coming week.
Have a great week fellow Mommy's!
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