After Emily’s refusal with her dummy at a few weeks old, Emily has had little interest in using one, so I either gave the new ones away or threw them out. That was until the teething started. No amount of Calpol, Nurofen, teetha granules, bug-a-loops, teething toys or whatnot worked until I tried the dummy and it’s like her new best friend. It’s comforting, it’s her blankie, it’s her buddy and it keeps her calm. Teething sucks, not a little bit but a whole lot and it’s just shit to see our babies in so much distress, especially when little can be done to help them. Emily’s first tooth came through on Bank Holiday Sunday a few weeks back and the second, next to it, popped up the day after. Which caused all sorts of discomfort, tears, upset, grumpiness and every mood under the sun. From that moment on, even though they haven’t fully popped through yet, her cheeks are regularly red and flushed, she drools a lot, bites or sucks her thumb, wakes at night and wants cuddles and comfort, is super irritable and unsettled most of the time. Sucking on her dummy means she’s getting some form of comfort from chewing on the teet, it makes a change from playing with her bottle and not drinking but grinding her gums on that teet. She’s soothed by the action of sucking. I’m lucky in the sense that this is only when she’s in pain or discomfort that she relies heavily on the dummy, otherwise, she’s not an incy bit interested in it at all, so there will be no problems in a few years when I have to tempt her away from it.
It’s the biggest comfort to her at the moment and I’m pleased it seems to be doing more for her than the pain relief we’ve tried giving her with no luck. It’s a shitty time for her, it’s just one thing after another for our babies, the first year of their ickle lives suck quite a bit! Whilst the dummy works wonders, I’ve found that pureed foods seem to work a trick too, especially in this heat, the bottle is no longer favoured, instead, she wants something else to keep her calm. Hopefully, once these little biters pop through, the next few teeth to cut through won’t be as painful, but, who knows?!
Missy, Me & Him 