reassurance needed. baby hunger strike

[vichill]

my 9 month old has been cutting her 5th and 6th teeth during a week of suffering her first cold.

she had been ok with have food until all this started last Monday. since then she has only had a few mouthfuls of food but has resumed pre weaning milk amounts.

she has flatly refused food or has gagged and vomited milk feeds at other times. just a few mouthfuls during more well periods has ben as good as it gets for almost a week.

Google and the chemist say this is standard stuff but it seems instinctively alarming to me. she's getting lots of milk. her temp and teething pain is worse at night.

can anyone tell me of similar experiences and do you think I should see a doctor?

It would do no harm to speak to your GP or HV.
Some things that helped my LOs through teething were Weleda Chamomilla granules, relly seemed to take the edge off things. Bonjela of course, and cool things from the fridge. Does your DD enjoy finger foods? I kept cooked carrot batons in the fridge, they seemed to enjoy the coolness on the gums but a prticular favourite was the inside part of a cucumber, just the part with seeds, I would cut a long baton shaped piece, again cold from the fridge, and my babies loved it. Cucumber is considered cooling and soothing in Ancient Chinese and Indian Medicine- don't know if there is any truth in that, but really helped to calm my babies, even when quite hot and upset with the pain.
Another thing that helped was using a damp clean cotton cloth straight from the fridge to allow babies to chew ( always with superviaion of course). Somehow the chewing action seemed to alleviate the pain, and my babies seemed to know instincively what to do with the cloth, pulliing and ganawing on the sore areas. I think helps the teeth erupt a little quicker- not sure but they enjoyed it.

Hope some of this helps.

Just to add- if your daughter is managing to keep most of her milk feeds down then don't worry. The milk contains enough nutrition to keep her going though this difficult time.Her solid feeds will pick up again soon I'm sure. X

thank you.

I had assumed all of her angst was down to a cold but after a particularly feverish clingy night last night I noticed a new tooth this morning. I will attempt some teething relief things now that I know.

Yes she does like finger foods. I have been giving her calorific things like cheese and cake (in my feeder like desperation ) that may have been a bit too rich for her empty stomach. dh is chopping cucumber as we speak.

i will take her to the gp in the morning just to rule out a throat infection.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things. It is really hard to watch our LOs in such discomfort, but it will pass.
Teething can mimic infection too- raised temperature, discomfort, even diarroeah and nappy rash.

Let me know if the cucumber helps. X

Talk to GP if you are unsure, there is no harm in that. Although overall sounds quite normal, my now 15 months old still goes off solids and wants lots of milk when teething or unwell. First time it was concerning, because he is a terrific eater otherwise and doesn't care too much about milk when well. But he always bounces back as soon as he feels better. You may notice increased appetite few days later!
Just give her as much milk as she wants - it is very nutritious as well as comforting. Up to a year the main nutrition should be coming from milk anyway.

I'd recommend giving pain relief enough time before a mealtime to ensure its in their system, something like 20 mins I think. A friend found ibuprofen worked better for her kids than paracetamol. The best advice I hit from my fil, a GP, was not to be worried about giving paracetamol. However, that said, if they're getting plenty of milk I wouldn't worry too much as it contains all the nutrients needed. There's plenty of time to pick up with solid food again. Keep offering it, but don't get too hung up on (although I know how you feel as I got totally stressed in situations like this when ds was younger! )

i gave been to docs and it transpires she has throat and ear infections caused by the cold virus. Poor lamb. coupled with teething pain she must have felt awful all weekend.

I asked her about the lack of food and she said milk is enough for babies under one and not to worry at all.

on a brighter note I have lost 2 lbs due to her increased milk intake. Every cloud...