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growth spurts in newborns

5 replies

Cl · 26/08/2001 11:08

Are growth spurts an urban myth? If not how do you cope with them? My three and a half week old baby has gone on a feeding frenzy - having managed to last three hours at least once every night for a week or so, he suddenly hit three weeks and is up every hour/ hour and a half. I've tried expressing some milk earlier in the day and giving it before bed, in case it was just that my milk supply was 'tired' as he'll still often go two to two and half hours during the day, but I'm getting so exhausted and even beginning to think of giving formula - something I never did with my first child - a girl. My mother-in-law (mother of boys) says he's hungrier because he's a boy, one of the books I read in the wee small breastfeeding hours I think said three weeks and six weeks were common growth spurt times - but I can't remember how you're supposed to deal with them except just keep on feeding every five minutes? Is this all I can do? forgive stream of consciousness - no brain left!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Bloss · 26/08/2001 11:52

Message withdrawn

Chairmum · 26/08/2001 13:31

No real comfort here, either, I'm afraid! Mine went through hungry spells at 6 and 11 weeks. I found the best way to deal with it was to have a 'babymoon'. I stayed in bed for a whole day, with magazines, comfort foods, drinks and the baby and fed him/her each and every time he/she so much as stirred or squeaked! Two days later my supply had visibly increased. The main problem is that you need someone to look after your other child so you can feed, read and sleep. Hope everythhing is soon back to normal for you.

Emmagee · 26/08/2001 20:47

First, great news about the baby, haven't got round to saying congrats! My 12 week old - also a boy - has been exactly the same and I have struggled to cope with demand. I think it was probably the same with the first child but you didn't notice because it was ALL so new. Now you are more tired because of the demands that your toddler is making on you and it feels harder on them when you seem to have the baby permanently clamped on, especially when you're trying to compensate for all the changes they are going through. Try to get friends/family to take number one off your hands as much as possible to get some rest, and take to your bed with the babe. I have learnt one very important lesson this time around (finally some might say!), which is how to accept help and not just power on regardless.

Pupuce · 29/08/2001 15:00

Gina Ford talks about growth spurt at 3 and 6 weeks and it did happen like that for my son... so to me they were not myths... She suggested dealing with those by expressing milk in the morning (about 1 or 2 oz) but BEFORE you hit the 3 and 6 weeks so that you could give him milk you had collected a few days early. This maybe something you can work towards for the next growth spurt. As soon as you have passed this phase (with me they lasted 2 days max but I was feeding him defrosted breast milk) you can start building a small reserve for the 6 weeks milestone. Good luck.

Also if you read GF she will recommend that you encourage your son to eat more during the day so that he can last longer during the night... that may mean waking him during the day to feed him.

My daughter is 2 1/2 weeks old and you have just reminded me that I might need to build my own stock !!!!

AnnaCam · 16/10/2010 20:53

I'm just going through exactly the same thing. My son is 2.5 weeks old and feeding like mad. He feeds for 3 hours at a time and then can sleep from 1/2hr to 5 hours...unfortunately the 5 hours is in the day and the 1/2 at night!

I just keep feeding, but at night it is really hard to get him to settle for more than a few minutes before he's feeding again. I might try a dummy to see if that settles him more quickly.

I also find that after about an hour of feeding, he can go into overdrive and feeding becomes frenzied. Has any one had this? I'm not sure if it might be wind, or not enought milk? Last night I resorted to formula, but he still didn't go to sleep.

I'm trying to build up milk reserves and i'll definately do it for the 6 week growth spurt!

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