Show First Tooth Cut Put Household in Uproar Editors Editor's Note Louise Do De head nurse for the quintuplets quintuplets quin quin- completes her series serle of six articles les written exclusively for forThe forThe forThe The Telegram By LOUISE DE Copyright 1935 NEA Service Inc What will you do when all your little littI girls start teething I used to be asked Why nothing nothing we we wont won't even know they are doing it I always answered And we didn't either Naturally we had long before noticed little cu cushions on the gums where the teeth were to appear and we the teeth were to appear and we were anxious to see each come up through its little bed But I be believed believed be- be there need be no other sig sign of teething Sure enough we waited waited wait walt ed and watched the babies Nothing NothIng NothIng Noth Noth- ing happened and I 1 mean literally nothing Every child was just as happy and as well weli as ever No so- so called teething troubles at all aU Then one morning Annette was lying squirming laughing and kicking on the scales and 1 I 1 tho thought of teeth I 1 put my inger finger lightly on her lower gum and nearly screamed A sharp little incisor had pricked my examining finger Annette Anisette had a tooth tooth even even though it was so small that one could hardly see it itI I 1 rang every bell In the place and called madly fo for all to come and view the wonder The household rushed in and displayed enthusiasm enough to satisfy even me m me while Annette preened herself and arid anden enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en en- joyed the center of the stage Sh She didn't know what she had done but she realized our approval and basked in it Tells Mother I immediately sent the orderly across the road with the good news to Mrs Dionne hoping that she would come at once t to see and ad ad- mire But she did not come that day P Perhaps she having had so many babies before did not think quite as much of f the occasion as we did Dr Dafoe however was routed routed routed rout rout- ed out of his good morning sleep to take part in the rejoicing Annette had not long to hold her new title for the very next morning Yvonne followed s sisters sister's lter's example Her first tooth jingled on the spoon as she was fed A week or two later little Marie Marl got a tooth and then they came thick and fast And during all aU this I period we never had any trouble I with crying or fretting The Dionne I babies cut their teeth as they grew their hair and fingernails Must 1 Guard Against Fear It was all as natural for them themas I as it is for a puppy to open his eyes and it never need bo be any other way Mothers arc are all too prone to lay any upset to teething That is grossly crossly unfair The trouble may be indigestion from careless feeding or fatigue from careless handling One great danger there is however however however how how- ever that every person connected with the care of a baby must recognize recognIze recognize rec rec- and guard against That Thatis is fear You must shield a baby from fear If It you let him slip sUp and fall it is not the moments moment's hurt burt that is important It is the sense of insecurity that comes from the childs child's being allowed to slip Inthe Inthe in inthe the first place Of all the Dionne babies Yvonne was the only one who ever definitely definitely definitely showed fear We never were able to decide what had happened to implant in her this complex But we tried to deal with it care care- fully Yvonne Yonne Scared Seared Once after r the babies were settled settled settled set set- and alone for the tho night Yvonne began to cry We knew no reason for it but we went back into her room room and carefully investigated to see if anything could be bo wrong There was nothing but she stopped crying as as soon as one of us came Into the room When we went out she began to cry again This time I 1 came in and sat down down- q quietly a little distance from I her bed bedIn In a moment I 1 noticed that thata a blind blind was flapping In the tho wind and that whenever this happened Yvonne would look Jook toward the blind with frightened eyes then turn to tome tome me e in in anxious inquiry with a little sob in her throat Why that is nothing r I 1 murmured murmured murmured mur mur- in my most casual tones as 03 I adjusted ed the th blind so that it would not ot flap 1 I talked to her herfor herfor herfor for a moment re reassuringly When she was quiet I J left the room She cried again I 1 came came back and talked to her a n little more and again went vent away She slept peacefully peacefully peacefully peace peace- fully through the night and the thing never happened again No We Ve had ah almost ost no no don'ts for forthe forthe forthe the babies And I can ean s say y truthfully truthfully truth truth- fully that they never cried unless there was something genuinely wrong with them and never never all cried at once The best way to explain this statement I think Isto is isto t to say that we we believed in prevention prevention tion Our whole aim was was' to lo look k ahead and see that everything was done before they could cry cry for it to be done They did not cry because they had nothing to cry for tor At night for instance they were carefully carefully carefully care care- fully arranged for complete comfort com corn fort They had drinks of water all round We Ve saw to it that they had plenty of fresh air that they were dry that they were neither too hot nor too cold that their covering did not weigh them down They were made to know that when it was time timo for sleep they were to sleep The blinds were pulled down and the they were left alone They were never given toys when hen hen it was the period either cither f for r rest or sleep Seek Seel Source of Trouble If a baby did cry in the thc night or was fretful in the day we took it as a warning and investigated carefully to find out what was wrong Then we treated it preventatively preventatively pre pre- and usual usually y succeeded |