For years, some of the world's leading authorities on child health have refuted the notion that babies are affected by the teething process, but a new report reveals Australian mums think otherwise.

According to a recent report*, commissioned in conjunction with Tresillian Family Care Centres, 66 per cent of mums rate teething as the number one cause of distress in their child, outranking other potentially painful childhood experiences such as immunisation (34 per cent). 

Australian actress Kimberley Davies has a lot of experience with teething having been through it with her two eldest children and currently with her youngest son Ashton.  Here Kimberley shares her experience with this difficult milestone in an exclusive Q & A with Bub Hub:

BH: How old are your children, Kimberley?
My daughter Bella is 7, Josh is nearly 6 and Ashton is 17 months.

BH: How do you identify when your kids are teething?
Symptoms include, irritability, not sleeping, pulling ears, chewing hands, red cheeks, excessive dribbling and sometimes a low grade fever.

BH: How have you found teething affected your children?
My kids had all of the above symptoms, especially waking in the middle of the night and being hard to console.

BH: Did you find they all reacted differently or were there similarities?
I found that Bella was probably the least bothered by teething. The two boys really had all of the symptoms, and therefore a difficult time with it.

BH: Do you find it a stressful time as a Mum and does it disturb other members of your family?
Absolutely! The lack of sleep was a challenge for me. When I'm tired I think everyone in the house is aware of it as I turn into somewhat of a grumble bum!

BH: Can you relate to the latest findings revealed in the Bonjela Teething Troubles Report*?
I can very much relate to the findings in this report, there is no doubt in my mind that it's a stressful time for families.

BH: How do you cope with the teething process, do you have any hints for other mums?
I mainly used teething gel to rub on the gums. I also tried freezing strawberries and other fruit and placing in a net chewing device (it's like a dummy but has a little mesh bag on it so babies can chew on fruit without breaking bits off and choking). I also used rusks and chilled teething rings.

BH: How long did you find your children's teething troubles lasted?
About a week for each teething stage.

BH: What is your favourite thing about being a Mum?
There's this feeling you get when you hug them sometimes, feeling this tiny little body in your arms that you just adore beyond belief, I love that feeling. Plus they keep me laughing!

BH: Are you planning a return to acting anytime soon?
Who knows what's around the corner. I really miss acting sometimes, but I also love having time with the kids. Hopefully, I'll be able to do both.

*The Teething Troubles Report was commissioned by Bonjela Teething Gel in conjunction with Tresillian Family Care Centres and conducted online by Galaxy Research among 1002 Australian mothers with children aged between 0 and 24 months, in July 2010.