Teething? UPDATE

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I thought I’d end up back here before I knew it. Gabby is having trouble taking her bottles again. She only does well when she’s sleepy and even that has gotten worse. She takes 2-3 oz while awake, but she’ll do 5-6 when sleepy. Now, she’s taking very little, and then pushing the nipple out and biting it. She’s also gnawing on my hands and crying much more than usual. She eats solids like a champ and if I pour the remaining formula in cereal, she eats it. She just doesn’t want to suck a bottle. Normally, my first instinct would be reflux, but there’s no arching, spitting, or any of the usual. And when she does spit up, she’s not upset.

So, I’m new to the whole mommy thing and know nothing of teething, except what’s in the books. How long can I expect the crummy eating part to last? Also, how long til these teeth pop out? I swear she’s been teething since she was four months old and nothing yet. Any ideas of what can ease her pain? I feel so bad for her. And of course, as someone who dealt with her poor eating in the past, I’m feeling so frustrated. I hope someone has some ideas for me.

Kathy

GabbysMom2007-2-10 20:41:36

[hellbennt]

hylands teething tablets

a drop or two of benedryl rubbed onto the gums

a little cup of crushed ice to eat at her high chair

tylenol

um…

[Anonymous]

Could it be that she is just reducing her amounts naturally because she is getting more solids. I am noticing now that Alana is taking three solids a day taht she only wants about 3-4 ounces on average at her four feeds. Occasionally she will take 5-6 hours, but usually only after her night of sleep. She doesn’t seem hungry and still sleeps through the night.

I’d try the other things that laura suggested anyway to see if they help. I know I have tried some mylanta before a feed to test the whole reflux playing up thing and it doesn’t change anything. So I’ve decided to stop worrying about it and just see how she goes.

Let us know if you uncover anything.

[Anonymous]

Oh, how I remember those days. Myles was pain free and eating well on Prevacid for quite some time and then he began to refuse the bottle again. I was so scared that it was the reflux rearing it’s ugly head again, but I experimented one day and gave him Motrin about 45 minutes before he was due to eat and he did much better.

As for how long it lasts, teething can go on for months, but with my three usually the really bad days where they wouldn’t eat and were super irritable was only a few days; right before and as the teeth were breaking through the skin.

[Anonymous]

as in my post.. we discovered that shane has an ear infection.. soo maybe that could be it as well. teething/ear infections/reflux all seem to mimic themselves so its very hard to distinguish.. but it does sound a lot like teething to me too.

[Anonymous]

Oh Lauren, you are so right. I never know what is going on with Justice. He pulls on his ears like crazy when he is teething.

One of Justice favorite things are those mesh bags for babies. You put crushed ice, carrots, pears, melon, etc. Anything hard that they can chew on, but the mesh bags make it so that they can’t choke on anything. Frozen wash clothes. Don’t forget the bib for all those suggestions. Oh, Luke’s favorite was celery. Celery is so chewy it is pretty imposible for them to get any of it. I would watch closely just in case though.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE: Took Gabby to the doctor. Nothing is wrong with her, as far as they could tell. The doctor approved an upped dose of prevacid to 22.5mg (15 in the morning and 7.5 at night) I really don’t feel that this is the problem though.

She has started completely refusing bottles but she’ll take her formula when I pour a little in her mouth from the sippy cup or add it to cereal. Just now, she flat out refused her bottle, cried when I showed it to her, but then took 3 oz from the sippy (well, probably 2 since a bunch spilled out of her mouth) and 3oz with oatmeal and she still was opening her mouth so she ate stage one peas. She obviously was hungry, but just wouldn’t take the bottle.

Ideas? I’m going to check her weight on Wednesday and if it’s bad, I’m going to up her dose and see if it helps. I really think it’s teething though.

On another note, anyone have a suggestion for a sippy cup to use when my daughter doesn’t understand how to use it with the valve. I take the valve out and it’s like drinking from a fire hose. She’d rather do that than the bottle, so I”m looking for a sippy that is low flow without the valve.

Any insights are appreciated.

Kathy

[Anonymous]

It does sound like it may be teething.

Do you see any teeth below the surface that look like they may pop out soon? Maybe try giving her Tylenol or Motrin 1/2 – 1 hour before feeding her. That often helped Myles when he was teething.

As for sippy cups of all the ones I’ve tried (which is far too many) I think the AVENT ones have the slowest flow when used without the valve.

I hope those teeth pop out soon and she begins to take her bottles again soon.

[Author]

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