He must be teething

One thing I have learned since I have become a mom is that everything can be blamed on teething. And I mean everything. Fussy baby - teething. Not sleeping - teething. Drooling - teething. Refusal to eat - teething. Diarrhea, fever, runny nose - all teething. Before I had children, I probably would have thought it was ridiculous to blame everything on teething. But I have recently found myself convinced my son is teething. I mean he has been drooling excessively for weeks now. And it is about that time for him to sprout his first teeth. Of course, I can see no teeth and I don't really have any good reason to believe his teeth will be coming soon. My daughter starting drooling at 2 months and didn't get teeth until she was 10 months old. But, without fail, every time we are out in public and someone sees my son's soaked shirt and wet chin, they always comment, "He must be teething!" I used to explain that he probably wasn't because my daughter drooled too and, late teeth run in the family. But then one day he was fussy and I thought to myself, "Well, maybe he is teething." And then the next night he woke up every 2 hours. And one time he refused to nurse. And his gums do look a little red. So, I have become convinced - he must be teething.



My daughter never had much trouble with teething so I never really needed any remedies. But this time around, I have discovered teething tablets. These are wonderful! For those of you that don't know, they are a homeopathic tablet that dissolves in the mouth and is supposed to help with teething. I have no idea if these really work. Trust me, I am the first person to be suspect of any thing "natural." I am a medicine kind of girl. But I do love the idea of having something I can give my son and not feel guilty. They are like a security blanket. I obviously have no idea if he is really teething, but I can give him a few tablets before bed - just in case. The first night I gave them to him, he slept 7 hours! He hasn't done that in months! So of course, the next night I was too afraid to NOT give him the tablets. What if he is teething and they really do work? I can't risk a bad nights sleep. Again, he slept 7 hours! And then yesterday, was a little bit of a fussy day. Must be that teething again. So last night before bed, I was really worried about his sleep. So, not only did he get tablets but a dose of Motrin as well. I confess. I gave my son medicine without really knowing if his teeth were bothering him or not. I don't even know if he really is teething. But somehow, I have let those strangers at the grocery store convince me. He must be teething. What else could it be? Every mom knows, teething is the cause of everything.