Teething and New Motherhood: Thoughts from your Therapist Palm Desert

You Had it Figured Out in Palm Desert

Therapist Palm Desert Lauren Fox, LCSW, supports women during the transition from woman to mother.

You knew it was coming - the gummy smile disappears and those first bottom teeth begin to erupt...or not, but you are pretty sure you’ll be seeing teeth soon. Teething signs in an infant can look like general fussiness, escalated crying, a desire to be held more and less willingness to be separated from caregivers…especially at night. The nights are not going as smoothly as they felt just a few nights ago…hadn’t you just gotten onto a more regular routine?! It feels like just when you thought you had things figured out, another change is coming your way.

Were you prepared for teething?

When babies are experiencing the sensations of teeth growing in their mouth and erupting through the gums, it can be painful for them. When babies are in pain, they are communicating in the only way they know how – through their behavior. For your baby, that might look like crying or fussing or not being able to be laid down apart from you – they are telling you they need the support of a calm, regulated adult to hold them and help with the pain because they are not yet able to support, comfort and hold themselves. This can feel like a lot for new moms who are already tired and giving so much of themselves.

Treating your baby’s symptoms in Palm Desert

Therapist Palm Desert Lauren Fox, LCSW, supports the mental health of new mothers so they can support their infants.

Speak to your pediatrician; does she suggest using a homeopathic option like liquid teething drops or using an anti-inflammatory like Motrin? What are her thoughts on treating nighttime symptoms, when the sensations are sometimes louder for little bodies because there is less stimulation in a dark room, less to hold your little baby’s attention away from the discomfort?

Support for Mom

When there is any period of disruption in a developing baby’s life, it can be difficult for the adult in the baby’s life to identify and then accept that yet another change has occurred. Some bouts of teething are only a few days, others are a few weeks. Figuring out how to access additional support for yourself is very important when teething stretches into increased night time parenting and leads to more exhaustion during the day.

What could feel supportive to you?

Some moms ask themselves this question and decide that they want to be the one holding and rocking their baby at night, so support could look like asking a trusted friend, family member or neighbor to take over for a few hours in the early morning when baby is maybe more open to separation so mom can sleep uninterrupted and start her day more rested and less exhausted. Can your spouse or partner go in late to work on these days when the nights have been hard in order to relieve you and allow you to sleep uninterrupted from 7-11 am? Other moms ask themselves what could be helpful and identify wanting help during the night and exploring what that could look like for their family – hiring a night doula? Having a helpful friend or relative stay overnight and hold the baby? The solutions to what might be helpful will be your own, but I invite you to explore the question with yourself as well as with the other caregivers present in your baby’s life.

This time period will not last forever and doing what you can to stay regulated, calm and able to think clearly is imperative for yourself as well as for your baby. Getting to a place of intense sleep deprivation where you start to feel angry and resentful towards your baby for having these needs is not where anyone feels good about themselves, so thinking about what YOU need in order to support your baby in a healthy way is imperative. The continuous changes in routines and schedules in the life of a young child is one of the best reasons to be focusing on your needs as a mother so that you can support your child the way you want to.

I hope this blog on teething was helpful for you. If you are wanting more support for yourself in your motherhood journey, reach out to me! We can schedule a 15 minute phone consultation to discuss what is happening for you and explore if more individualized mental health support could be beneficial for you. I would be happy to help get you connected. Feel free to call me at 805-930-9355 for a free 15 minute phone consultation. If you are looking for help with pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, infertility, birth trauma or hypnotherapy, you can read more about how I can help within this website.

Serving the Coachella Valley and surrounding areas, including: Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Thousand Palms, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio, Bermuda Dunes, Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and virtually across the state of California.

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