Can someone explain growth spurts & developmental milestones

[babyOcho]

DD is 10 months old and has not really had growth spurts/constant feeding so I've never really looked into what they are all about.

In the past few days she has been feeding every 2 hours. I've read that the constant feeding can be related to developmental milestones - she started crawling properly on Wednesday.

Now... with this in mind would I have expected the constant feeding before the milestone hit, or is it normal that she wants to feed constantly even after she has achieved this milestone?

I think once they become mobile it's a bit scary for them because they can go further away from you, so they come for a feed mainly for the reassurance that you're still there. IMO anyway. DD fed loads after she started crawling, about every 45 minutes!

I've not seen any research evidence anywhere that so-called growth spurts are in fact linked to physical growth/weight gain. Some people talk about the frequent feeding bursts helping your milkt to 'mature' and keep pace with your baby's needs, but again, hard evidence is lacking. If anyone knows of any research on growth spurts, then I'd be really interested. The info on kellymom isn't referenced.

What I'm about to say is not evidence based either, however. Some people think that more frequent feeding is one of those things that just comes and goes. Breastfed babies feed frequently, and at some times they feed more frequently than others. Likewise, the level of independence babies and children show comes and goes in waves. Often they seem to branch out and be a little adventurous, learning new things, and then they see, to unlearn things and regress a little and become more clingy again. Some people find that more frequent feeding co-incides with the clingier times. Others say it's more wit the branching out times -their LO 'checks in' with them often just to reassure themselves all's well. Maybe it varies? In babies, some of these clingy times can be predicted by developmental stages, such as for example the classic separation anxiety experienced by 9-10 month olds as they learn that objects (including their mother) disappear and reappear. I certainly noticed that at that age my children woke frequently at night to feed, almost as if they needed reassurance that I was still there or that they could touch me before settling again.

Maybe the only good answer is that frequent feeding is normal for breastfed babies, and that at some times this is more intense than others.