Poor Dorothy has been working on her first four molars for a few weeks now. The first one came through a week or two ago, and a second one seems to be imminent (it's difficult to tell much, since she really doesn't want our fingers in her mouth). She's obviously in a lot of pain, and really needs Tylenol and/or Motrin to make it through the night.
Last night, she woke up a little before 4AM sobbing inconsolably, and we got her some Tylenol. I tried to rock her to sleep - I rocked and sang until almost 5:00. She was quiet in my arms for a good part of that, but absolutely wouldn't close her eyes. Finally I tried nursing her, and that seemed to make her feel a little better, but she simply did not want to stop. I brought her to bed with me, and I have only vague memories of periodically helping her switch from one side to the other for what seemed like an endless time. Finally, I woke out of my doze enough to notice that she had fallen asleep, and I could roll over and get some sleep myself. Unfortunately, someone telephoned us (a wrong number) at 8:00, waking us both up. She was a little cheerier, and Tom took her out to get some breakfast while I tried to make up for the lost time from last night.
I'm afraid of how long this might last. I'm glad I haven't weaned her yet, since nursing seems to be the only thing that calms her, but it's frustrating being the only one who can help, too.
Posted by Elizabeth Nugent at April 3, 2005 09:30 PM