Oh my teething child...that and other ails :(

[LATE POST: This happened before her 1st birthday...]

I thought we were done with the ouchies in her 9th month...not quite, not quite!!! The little one's teething again and it looks worse than the previous one. During those times she's just beyond fussy...I just look up and pray to God to help me find out what's wrong, help me soothe her. 

So I turned to the one thing I knew that would give her the best comfort - breastfeeding! Haha..it's actually like a comfort blanket for the both of us, especially when this mommy doesn't know what to do anymore. According to my hubby, it's my 'agimat'. But that particular night, breastfeeding didn't do it's usual magic. Fact is, I feel her gums were really tender and sore to even allow her to latch. She'd just come really close to the breast, attempt to latch and then back away while shaking her head and still sobbing ;(

Baby wearing before sleeping

I just wanna 'hang out' mommy...

Hey daddy please stop taking photos..

 I tried to cradle her and sing a lullaby but she was fighting the cradle hold. At that point I really did not know what to do. I know she's not hungry so food is ruled out. She's definitely sad and sleepy but our usual sleep routine didn't seem to hold. What gives?

As a last resort, I reached out for our Tula baby carrier. She did not refuse. I belted out a few of my "best singles" hahahaha and she seemed to like it :p I carried her to the living room and the kitchen, talking to her, even reciting her Muddypaws story. Okay at that point I tried to gamble taking her out of the Tula, crossing fingers and hoping she had been pacified enough. 

I really hoped she would sleep by then. We were after all, trying for an earlier bedtime...

So after removing her from the carrier and placing her on the bed, she latched well and it was the start of a better night for us. Oh babies, sometimes we'll never guess..now I'm truly convinced that toys and more toys are not the important thing...when it comes to comfort we can truly rely on a parent's love, powered by babywearing and breastfeeding :)

Oh, it's mommy's request pala

The following morning we went to have her checked by the pedia. Turns out this is a complicated case of teething, fatigue from the holiday travels, colds and a bacterial infection. Gaaaaahhhh!!!!

Since this is a late post, I'm now able to tell you that Z's well and good. After a round of antibiotics, nebules and the gum-soothing paste (which we weren't able to use), and well-deserved rest the little lady was back to her old self. She just lost a few pounds but she got it back again with a better appetite.

So here are the things that this episode taught me:

1. Breastfeeding is best for babies but it isn't a cure-all. Every now and then, they can get sick too!
2. Always check with baby's pedia. All the while we thought it was just another teething phase but through the eyes of an expert, other problems were uncovered. And because of that, we were able to act quickly to nurse her to health.
3. Holidays are fun times, the holidays are family time but babies are still babies. Their little bodies can't take too much travel, late night outs, being around smokers (who are not necessarily smoking, but there's still an effect). They'll hardly complain if we keep tagging them along. We should respect that and put in mind that we are their caregivers, we shouldn't let them down. 
4. Okay on a practical note, I sorta learned how to administer meds via dropper to a hesitant (to put it mildly) baby.
5. Make sure that we follow doctor's orders especially with the dosage and times. Yes, even with a sleeping baby!

The morning after: Nebulizer time