I gave my baby Panadol today. And I cried - I cried when I was giving it to him. I cried when I called my husband and told him. But there was nothing else I could do....
My little 3 and half month old is teething. Yes I know! He has two little white teeth in his top gums. We noticed them about 2 weeks ago but I have been in teething denial.
I really understood the school of thought that his behaviour would change around this age and that too often people use teething as an excuse when their babies aren't sleeping or are irritable. So I thought I would stick it out and keep going with my routine and that he would adapt with his new behaviour.
But as time has worn on I am becoming less convinced that this is a behavioural change and more convinced that his teeth are hurting him.
He has gone from a baby who has slept through the night without feeding for nearly 2 months. Now he sleeps when you put him down for a good stretch and then wakes up every half an hour crying. He was a great day sleeper and would do his hour long sleeps in the morning and arvo and a two hour sleep in the middle of the day. Now I am lucky to get two 40 minute sleeps out of him each day.
And he has become super clingy, he drools constantly and has started this whine like an alley cat when he is unhappy which is pretty much all the time.
Today he just started screaming with real tears, which get me every time. There was nothing I could do to console him. So I drugged him - well that's what it feels like. I dosed him up with Panadol, comforted him off to sleep and he slept for 3 hours straight.
Why do I feel like I have just given in to the easy road and dosed my baby up with foreign bodies? I know, as any mother knows, that my child was in pain. And I would do anything to stop my baby from being in pain. But pumping him with panadol - was that really the answer?
Gosh I really didn't realise how much you second guess yourself as a mother.....
Saturday, July 24, 2010
To Panadol or not to Panadol?
I gave my baby Panadol today. And I cried - I cried when I was giving it to him. I cried when I called my husband and told him. But there was nothing else I could do....
My little 3 and half month old is teething. Yes I know! He has two little white teeth in his top gums. We noticed them about 2 weeks ago but I have been in teething denial.
I really understood the school of thought that his behaviour would change around this age and that too often people use teething as an excuse when their babies aren't sleeping or are irritable. So I thought I would stick it out and keep going with my routine and that he would adapt with his new behaviour.
But as time has worn on I am becoming less convinced that this is a behavioural change and more convinced that his teeth are hurting him.
He has gone from a baby who has slept through the night without feeding for nearly 2 months. Now he sleeps when you put him down for a good stretch and then wakes up every half an hour crying. He was a great day sleeper and would do his hour long sleeps in the morning and arvo and a two hour sleep in the middle of the day. Now I am lucky to get two 40 minute sleeps out of him each day.
And he has become super clingy, he drools constantly and has started this whine like an alley cat when he is unhappy which is pretty much all the time.
Today he just started screaming with real tears, which get me every time. There was nothing I could do to console him. So I drugged him - well that's what it feels like. I dosed him up with Panadol, comforted him off to sleep and he slept for 3 hours straight.
Why do I feel like I have just given in to the easy road and dosed my baby up with foreign bodies? I know, as any mother knows, that my child was in pain. And I would do anything to stop my baby from being in pain. But pumping him with panadol - was that really the answer?
Gosh I really didn't realise how much you second guess yourself as a mother.....
My little 3 and half month old is teething. Yes I know! He has two little white teeth in his top gums. We noticed them about 2 weeks ago but I have been in teething denial.
I really understood the school of thought that his behaviour would change around this age and that too often people use teething as an excuse when their babies aren't sleeping or are irritable. So I thought I would stick it out and keep going with my routine and that he would adapt with his new behaviour.
But as time has worn on I am becoming less convinced that this is a behavioural change and more convinced that his teeth are hurting him.
He has gone from a baby who has slept through the night without feeding for nearly 2 months. Now he sleeps when you put him down for a good stretch and then wakes up every half an hour crying. He was a great day sleeper and would do his hour long sleeps in the morning and arvo and a two hour sleep in the middle of the day. Now I am lucky to get two 40 minute sleeps out of him each day.
And he has become super clingy, he drools constantly and has started this whine like an alley cat when he is unhappy which is pretty much all the time.
Today he just started screaming with real tears, which get me every time. There was nothing I could do to console him. So I drugged him - well that's what it feels like. I dosed him up with Panadol, comforted him off to sleep and he slept for 3 hours straight.
Why do I feel like I have just given in to the easy road and dosed my baby up with foreign bodies? I know, as any mother knows, that my child was in pain. And I would do anything to stop my baby from being in pain. But pumping him with panadol - was that really the answer?
Gosh I really didn't realise how much you second guess yourself as a mother.....
6 comments:
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Zoe said...
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You poor thing... Sometimes panadol is the only thing that works.. We've tried all the natural things without any results..
Dont be too hard on yourself.. It's made for them and if there was a problem with it im sure it would be spashed all over the news... -
July 24, 2010 at 5:14 PM
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Jess said...
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I remember experiencing a very similar situation with Izzy. I always try to take the natural approach first but when she was cutting her first tooth, she was in really obvious pain... She cried all night, every night for 2 days. I rang the Maternal Health Line and they set me straight and told me to give her panadol - and yes, she slept so well after that too!
It is so true that you second guess yourself so much as a mum but one thing I have also learnt along the way is to not be too hard on myself. It is easy to over-think everything at the time and in hindsight, I did put myself through so much un-necassary guilt in those early months. -
July 24, 2010 at 8:52 PM
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Jess said...
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PS.. Hope you do get some rest. When you think about how painful teething must be, I think you definately did the right thing for your bubba
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July 24, 2010 at 8:56 PM
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LJ said...
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Teething is hard. I don't like giving nurofen or panadol to the girls either, but sometimes it is just what they need to calm them down and ease the pain. Don't be so hard on yourself.
If you want a natural approach to relieving the pain of teething (and many other ailments) try purchasing a Baltic Amber Teething necklace. Search online.
Good luck and really - you have not done ANYTHING wrong.
*big hugs* -
July 27, 2010 at 8:17 AM
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Hayley said...
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I felt the same when I first gave Cooper it, he was around the same age, but at the time it was the only thing that worked!! Even now I try all the other alternatives but in the end a dose of panadol is what hits the spot. A mother's guilt never ends.. :)
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July 29, 2010 at 9:44 AM
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Kitty said...
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I know how you feel. I've used panadol a couple of times, but for the rest of the time I use these natural remedies.
- baltic amber necklace
- a few drops of chamomile essential oil in 30ml of water. I keep it in the fridge & apply to gums regularly with a cotton bud
- a few drops of lavender oil diluted in 10ml of apricot kernal oil, I massage two drops into his jawline
- teethers, I use natural wooden teethers & a sopie giraffe made from natural rubber. These are great for pain relief & distraction.
- lots of cuddles are good too
I hope this helps. x -
September 21, 2010 at 7:37 PM
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6 comments:
You poor thing... Sometimes panadol is the only thing that works.. We've tried all the natural things without any results..
Dont be too hard on yourself.. It's made for them and if there was a problem with it im sure it would be spashed all over the news...
I remember experiencing a very similar situation with Izzy. I always try to take the natural approach first but when she was cutting her first tooth, she was in really obvious pain... She cried all night, every night for 2 days. I rang the Maternal Health Line and they set me straight and told me to give her panadol - and yes, she slept so well after that too!
It is so true that you second guess yourself so much as a mum but one thing I have also learnt along the way is to not be too hard on myself. It is easy to over-think everything at the time and in hindsight, I did put myself through so much un-necassary guilt in those early months.
PS.. Hope you do get some rest. When you think about how painful teething must be, I think you definately did the right thing for your bubba
Teething is hard. I don't like giving nurofen or panadol to the girls either, but sometimes it is just what they need to calm them down and ease the pain. Don't be so hard on yourself.
If you want a natural approach to relieving the pain of teething (and many other ailments) try purchasing a Baltic Amber Teething necklace. Search online.
Good luck and really - you have not done ANYTHING wrong.
*big hugs*
I felt the same when I first gave Cooper it, he was around the same age, but at the time it was the only thing that worked!! Even now I try all the other alternatives but in the end a dose of panadol is what hits the spot. A mother's guilt never ends.. :)
I know how you feel. I've used panadol a couple of times, but for the rest of the time I use these natural remedies.
- baltic amber necklace
- a few drops of chamomile essential oil in 30ml of water. I keep it in the fridge & apply to gums regularly with a cotton bud
- a few drops of lavender oil diluted in 10ml of apricot kernal oil, I massage two drops into his jawline
- teethers, I use natural wooden teethers & a sopie giraffe made from natural rubber. These are great for pain relief & distraction.
- lots of cuddles are good too
I hope this helps. x
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