6w growth spurt - permanently altered sleep patterns?

[RevoltingPeasant]

Okay I kind of don't want to know the answer to this....

My 6wo is currently going through what I think must be a growth spurt, feeling cranky and not wanting to be put down, and feeding on and off, on and off. Also gone from waking once in the night to three times.

Fine, it will pass. .....except a friend just told me that after 6 w, her DC kept on waking every 1-2 hours. Really?? I thought a decent sleeper was a decent sleeper.

Am I wrong? say I'm right

Altered sleep patterns at this age are likely due to altered calorific need.

If you can keep up with baby's calorific need in the daytime then the growth spurt will pass and baby will be easier to settle, more content, easier to get to sleep and so on.

The difficulties arise when daytime feeding doesn't catch up with baby's needs.

Really at this age all baby wants is to eat and sleep. If not doing one, do the other.

Interesting! Trying to feed her as often as poss in the day but will make an even bigger effort tomorrow :)

Bumping for some help as really struggling.....

DD is now 7w 2d and the "growth spurt" is continuing.

Except, I don't know if it is a spurt. She was waking every 55-75 min last night but not hugely bothered about feeding. Woke around 4.45 am, e.g., and stayed awake till nearly 7 am. Would go on the breast on and off but more on than off. Just lay there looking wide awake.

She is not particularly wanting to feed more. So what is going on? Is this a "wonder weeks" thing? A growth spurt with no additional feeds? Is she just revealing her colours as a really crappy sleeper?

Cannot keep having nights like last night. Happy to wake to feed her but not to just sit there for hours :(

She has now been more or less awake since 7pm. She doesn't appear in the least distressed or tired, just lying there placidly in my lap snuffling. I know she needs to sleep, but how, if not feeding???

It's a phase. She will get through it and go back to normal. They develop so em rapidly at this stage that nothing is a constant.

You think? I am trying to tell myself that but it is really soul destroying ATM.

I keep telling myself to make it to 8 w and it will surely change....

I'd try dummy and swaddle (and bouncy chair in the daytime)

Fate thanks. She has a dummy but swaddling drives her bats.

So last night she woke every two hours, so not as bad, and fed to sleep again within about 25 min, so not so bad!

Trust me, I have 3. It's a phase. I need reminding sometimes too. It's hard work and when you're tired you can't see an end in sight.

Allisgood, thanks - genuinely.

I was in a bit of a bad place the other night and for some reason, your post just really helped - I know it's a simple enough thing to say, but it was what I really needed to hear

No worries Revolting

How are things now?

Thanks for asking! Better! DD seems to have gone back to her old pattern but even better, so last night we had 11.45-4.10 asleep, woke for a feed and change, then 5.10-7.45 and then took her into my bed for short morning feed and catnap.

She's done this for a couple of nights now so hoping it more or less sticks!

Did your baby go back to his schedule all by herself? I began having problem with my baby of ten weeks with the routine.
She sleeps through all feedings now and it is impossible to keep her awake (tried suggestions to keep her awake but it only works for a minute). So she is on and off, but mostly off with max eating of 15 min and only sometimes a full feed.
She was on Gina Ford routine (trying to get on it with some flexibility) but now it's all over the chart no routine at all, she sleeps when eating, but eats for fifteen minutes, she sleeps shorter periods at the nap times, may be 30 min or one hour but cries in between (although her eyes seem closed), then she wakes up very hungry and again eats for fifteen minutes. Even If I succeed to wait out three hours to pass between feedings, she will still eat fifteen minutes and fall asleep. At night - for her 10pm feeding she has close to four hours gap between feedings and it's again a fifteen minutes feed.
Tangential worry is that her fifteen minutes feeding will dry out my milk.

Ele. Don't worry. 15min is fine for a feed. Remember babies don't read Gina ford so ditch the books and follow your baby!

My DS is 6.5m. He sleeps mainly on boob during the day 45 min stretches and then nights are a mystery as I co-sleep. Nothing is consistent really with him other than a morning nap, afternoon nap and early evening nap. All on me. Seriously? It doesn't last forever.