52. Teething

Wow! Teething with triplets is fun!!!

To start with, all 3 seem to go through it all at the same time. All 6 first teeth came within a week of each other. To say babies start from any time from birth up to a year, I've even heard of someone who didn't get theirs until they were 3!! I'm amazed that their first ones all came together. It does seem to be a common age as a few of the babies at our mums club have started too.

Our boys have had a pretty relentless few weeks with it. They all have 2 bottom teeth, so we are waiting for the arrival of the next ones. 

They have all been a bit cranky and clingy, but this can also be put down to being in a 'leap'. Every now and then, one of them will, all of a sudden, let out a horrible pained scream. 

The signs that have become obvious ones for me are tugging or poking their ears, and rubbing their heads back and forth in their seat or cot. They obviously drool and chew a huge amount, but they also just put everything into their mouths anyway, so it's not always that obvious when they are chewing for relief. 

I mentioned to someone that at night when they are unsettled, they have been very congested, so I have been using nasal spray and snuffle babes to try and clear their breathing, then eventually try teething powders. She told me her baby is congested at night when he is teething. Who knew?!! Last night it was straight to powders and skipped all the congestion treatment. Well, to be honest, I gave all 3 of them calpol before bed last night. They had all been struggling in the late afternoon, so I delayed until bedtime and gave them all a dose to try and allow them, and me, a good stretch of sleep. Which we did, for the first time in what feels like a long time! 

The other horribly obvious sign, is their nappies. We had 13 dirty nappies yesterday, including one of Jack's. The pooing doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest, but they are getting sore looking bottoms now. Apparently, the gums cause a saliva which reacts with their tummys and cause a lot of poo which had an unusual smell. It's very acidic and causes nappy rash. Even when I change them as soon as possible, their bums are going to get sore from being cleaned continuously. Lots of cream is being used. And lots of nappies. And lots of wipes. Not to mention lots of teething powders and calpol. I've also been using a lavender and chamomile oil in the water I use to clean them which seems to soothe them. 

We have been keeping some teething toys in the freezer. They can be great to soothe the gums. They go nuts chewing them anyway, so I don't know if the cold is helping much but I'll try to remember to keep some in the freezer. I have also put some silicone ice pop moulds with lids filled with a little water into the freezer. That had been a hit. Frozen dummies is my next try.