Teething Pains

The teething process takes a toll on the whole family. It is painful for both baby and parent as each try to cope with the changes ahead. Reid was fortunate enough to acquire his first teeth early on in life - around five months old. As a result, we were cautiously optimistic that this rough phase might come and go just as quickly as it began.

Unfortunately, the pain of teething still lingers on and Reid continues to suffer from the sleepless nights, sore gums and frantic gnawing that have seemed to consume most of the latter half of his first year. With the help of both natural and medicinal remedies we have been able to manage through the latest eruptions of his upper incisors and I have felt slight relief knowing that we have a lag of several months before another dental explosion is expected.

Motrin has been Reid's bedtime staple during this trying time and has done wonders to provide comfort and a good nights rest, but last night I decided to back off his usual dose thinking that we might be in the clear. I picked up Reid and smiled as he came in close for one last goodnight kiss. He was being so sweet and I knew he would sleep just fine on his own. As quickly as the thought left my head, I felt sharp and sudden pain on my jawline. It was excruciating and brought tears flooding to the surface of my eyes. Instead of the soft touch of baby lips on my cheek, there were sharp razors clamped down and a nine month old dangling from my face like a hungry piranha. Teething is indeed painful. After shaking him loose I let out a sigh and turned away to go fetch the Motrin.