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Original poster

Really BAD teething stories please!

34 replies

Zinger · 10/11/2004 09:18

Our DD is currently in week 5 of teething hell and no one we know is having it as bad as us so we're beginning to think she's just the worst teether ever. At its worst she's waking half an hour after she goes down (when she eventually goes down), and is up screaming pretty constantly for the rest of the night. Sleeping in our bed helps but she still only sleeps fitfully.

Before this she had just started sleeping 12 hours a night ...

During the day she's sometimes OK but lately has got really grumpy, hard to settle for naps, off her food and won't let me leave her for a second.

Have tried: Calpol, Calgel, Bonjela, Medised, Nurofen, Teetha granules, Ashton & Pearson powders ...

Getting very overwhelmed by all this. People told me things would get better after the early few weeks of exhaustion and misery. Nobody warned me about this.

Please share your experiences.

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Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:08

Oh OK, I guess she IS the world's worst teether then!

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spacemonkey · 10/11/2004 10:11

i can't even remember when mine were teething it's so long ago, i could make a bad teething story up for you though zinger if that would help?

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:12

Yes please spacemonkey! Just make it a bit worse than mine, with a really happy ending

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spacemonkey · 10/11/2004 10:16

ok then ... ahem ...

when my dd was teething she didn't sleep AT ALL for SIX MONTHS and cried constantly. I gnawed my own limbs off and the dog developed mange, such was our family stress level. However she is now a delightful teenager and it is all a distant memory apart from my lingering nervous tics and persistent neuroses

but seriously, sorry i can't help - it must be a total mare for you BUT IT WILL PASS!

catgirl · 10/11/2004 10:19

my ds suffered (and so did we!) with each and everyone one of his teeth - horrible horrible, worst time. We found that Ambesol worked really well - it is a liquid which you rub onto the gums and it numbs them immeidatly, and therefore giving the calpol/nurofen/medised/whatever time to do its stuff. My dh put some on an ulcer he had and he said it was great - immeidate relief! We also used it for night time waking, and that worked too some of the time! (on ds not dh!)

Sorry to say this, but we are now waiting for the last four to come through and are having bouts of grumpiness/pain/crying so figure they are moving about.
But as with it all, it will pass - just never feels like it at the time!

Sozie · 10/11/2004 10:24

OK, friend of my mil told me that her daughter was teething for so long that they brought her to the doctor who CUT HER GUMS OPEN to let the teeth through!!! I just nodded, imho think she's made it up surely

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:26

spacemonkey, you HAVE helped, if only by making me laugh out loud

catgirl, thank you. Will def try Ambesol. It's funny, I read others' threads about the early days - 4 weeks old and not sleeping etc. and always say sagely 'Ah, it will pass' - when you're through it it fades into the past so quickly, but am now finding it hard to maintain the philosophical resignation that I started out with 5 weeks ago!

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Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:27

OMG Sozie, I hope it won't come to that!!

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MarsLady · 10/11/2004 10:33

Well Zinger, I may not be able to relate a terrible teething story yet, but I think that it might be starting. Not looking forward to the twins teething. Have awful feeling that they will teeth together. DT2 has just started waking and screaming as though in pain. When your teething episode passes, please remember me.

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:34

Agh twins, now that WOULD be worse

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Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 10:38

Keep em coming ....

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Bouj · 10/11/2004 11:28

Ds has had appalling trouble with his teeth. We have got through so much medised, Nurofen, Calpol etc, I thought he would have withdrawal symptoms. He is still awaiting the arrival of his last four molars (with a fair bit of crankiness) but is getting better. He didn't sleep through the night from about 3 months until just recently (he's 18 months) and looking back, I realise it was mainly his teeth. There is a history of early and rapid teething on dh's side, but it was still horrible. I have no real advice (apart from combining nurofen and calpol or medised!!)But good luck, and it will seem distant soon, I promise!!

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 11:39

Thank you Bouj!

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alibo · 10/11/2004 11:39

zinger, our ds has been teething badly since 4 months, and he is now 9 months. his first two were very slow at coming through, and now its starting all over again! we could open a small shop with all our teething remedies. he has been at his worst from 7 months old and the broken sleep, disturbed naps, poor appetite is enough to drive you crackers. let us know how you are getting on, i will keep checking this thread!

logic · 10/11/2004 11:51

Hi Zinger,

My ds always suffers with teething. His usual routine is 3 days with a temp of 40 degrees per tooth. He is now 26 months and is still missing the upper canines and second molars and dribbling like mad. It does get easier as they get older because ds now tells me "teeth hurt mummy" and I can give him calpol. I also let him have a dummy as often as he wants when he is teething and it really seems to help and comfort him.

Some children just seem far more sensitive to it than others I'm afraid I have lots of sympathy.

logic · 10/11/2004 11:52

p.s. after 6 months you can give Bickiepegs which are good. Most chemists seem to sell them.

lilsmum · 10/11/2004 12:11

ambesol is very good!!! a friend told me about it and i too use on mouth ulcers (for me!!) and dd for teething, she is 9 mth and currently getting top front teeth she has got bottom 2 and another at bottom. i too have tried all sorts and the gels are rubbish as they slide off!!!she too have restless nights and loses about 2 pints aday in dribbling!! oh also gets a high temp i know when she is going to cut a tooth as so far the pattern is she gets a cold (well runny nose) each time.
xxx

bundle · 10/11/2004 12:15

zinger, did you try the anbesol? it worked well for us, combined with calpol and cuddles.

MUSA · 10/11/2004 12:44

cold yogurt that's what i gave my son everytime he went into one, and yes he is still teething.

I can't believe i left him with my sister-in-law the other day, poor boy his teeth must have being paying up, there was a man that come round to fix my siter-in-laws blind's, and my son bit him.

Could'nt believe it, well hope that made you laugh.

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 12:50

Oh dear musa! Thanks everyone. Am going out to buy anbesol this afternoon.

DD now has 3 teeth - gums bulging all over and one very close to coming through. While I can just about cope with the idea that we'll have trouble with each one, I'm counting on a bit of a break at some point because it's been so full-on for 5 weeks now. Just a few good nights would be heaven.

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sis · 10/11/2004 14:23

I never thought my son's teething couldbe seen in a positive light but if it helps...

He was awful with every movement of everytooth - had colds and high temp, and did loads of projectile vomiting. For the molars, he lost his appetite for a week to ten days too but it didn't stop the vomiting!! Erm, I hope that helps.

Ds is now almost six years old and it is all a hazy memory now ...wel, until the adult teeth start!

pixiefish · 10/11/2004 14:52

My poor dd's asthma flares up with her teething. also poor darling can't sleep- interesting to read about loss of appetite- my dd's appetite is poor at times- just realised it's probably teeth

Bozza · 10/11/2004 15:03

Think you should (with luck) be in for a break once the front ones are all through. Also it sounds like he might be the exception and I certainly never expected it to work like this but DS didn't seem to suffer as much with his molars as with the front ones. He was an early teether so the first ones did seem very concentrated and it made it hard because I had just gone back to work. DD (almost 6 months) has got the two bottom ones and we think is heading towards another.

Original poster
Zinger · 10/11/2004 19:14

Thanks for all the experiences everyone. DD has just gone to sleep with some medised & herbal powder thingies - will try anbesol when she wakes later

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Original poster
Zinger · 11/11/2004 13:31

Well, here's how last night went:

6.30pm: Medised + herbal powder, then milk
7pm: asleep
8.30: awake - Anbesol + Nurofen - back to sleep
10.30: awake - Anbesol + Medised + herbal powder - back to sleep
7am: Had to wake her as we couldn't believe she'd slept so long!

Hooray!!!! Thanks for the advice everyone. Even if it doesnt work everytime, (a) I've had one night of 8 hours sleep - miracle! - which will set me up for any further disturbance ahead, and (b) I now know that by giving extra cuddles, letting DD sleep in our bed etc, I haven't ruined the good sleep habits she's built up over the past 9 months.

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