E’s first tooth is coming in. At least I think that is what is happening. She is slobbering even more than usual, has rosy cheeks, is licking her bottom gums madly, her nose is running profusely, and she is very clingy. In short, she is having what I term Snotface days.
Thanks to my sister C, I started listening to the Simple Mom Podcast by Tsh Oxenreider. One of her guests made a comment that I have really been trying to keep in mind these past few days while E is teething. The guest said something to the effect that when we are with our child, he/she should be the primary focus and the other stuff (i.e. laundry, being on the internet, blogging) is secondary. She said it from the perspective, I think, that it is oftentimes really easy to feel like a child is interrupting us or throwing our daily plan out of whack. My apologies for not remembering which guest this was. I am playing catch-up on the podcast and so am listening to several back-to-back.
Well, at least for right now while E is teething, my primary focus is getting her through this milestone and anything else I can get done is a bonus. I write this also knowing that, on Monday, E goes off to daycare and I go back to work. In many regards, my daily routine can go back to normal because the daycare will help E with teething. Thankfully, E is also still sleeping through the night right now so my discomfort is relatively minimal.
What is getting Baby through teething?
I have heard from other mothers that the only thing that gets their child through teething is constant nursing. It is comforting physically and emotionally for the child. And, for some, it seems to be the only thing to get either the baby or the parents some rest. So, for the past few days, that is pretty much what I have been doing – nursing. I have also heard the same things about teething gel and baby paracetamol (Tylenol/Calpol). I am taking the two-pronged approach – also using teething gel (UK brand Calgel). And we have baby paracetamol waiting in the wings.
But what is getting me, Mama, through it?
Well, in short, my Ipod. I nurse E laying down while listening to a podcast or an audiobook. Laying down works well for both of us especially in times like these and also as she grows, gets heavier and squirms more. I mostly use a small couch in E’s nursery that converts to a double bed. It is not that we had great foresight in doing this. We just had no other place for it and getting furniture out of a narrow Dutch canal house literally requires a taking it out through the window with a crane.
My Ipod has really helped me to enjoy nursing (and pumping). It helped me get past the sometimes mind numbing boredom of it and also the feeling that I was nothing, but a nipple. Laying down and plugging in changed “E’s feedings” into ‘Me & Our Time”. And, ironically, it makes me more mindful of being there with this great little being in my life, E. I get out of my thoughts and have enough mind space to see the bigger picture that we are so lucky to have E and have been so fortunate so far with how things are unfolding with her in our lives.
So what is in my ears?
Podcasts (from iTunes)
- The Simple Mom
- Freakonomics Radio
- This American Life
Audiobooks (from Audible)
Currently On: Private by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (In hindsight, this was not great for a Mom nursing since it is about serial killings of teenage girls.)
Recent Listens:
- Guilty Wives by James Patterson & David Ellis
- Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
- Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth
- Kill Shot by Vince Flynn
- The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
- Quiet by Susan Cain
- State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
- Bossypants by Tina Fey
My tastes are eclectic, at best. I also listen while pumping and walking so I get through a lot of audiobooks.
More than an Expat 