Your Baby’s Growth Spurts
Most people associate growth spurts with teenagers and young children, your newborn baby will eventually have them too. They will suddenly not fit in their clothes or become inexplicable cranky. Fortunately these growth spurts do come with predictable changes in behaviour in your baby.
It’s important to keep in mind that by their first birthday they’ll probably triple their body weight. And these periods of weight gain come in sudden bursts that last a few days. Your baby can and will expand and lengthen noticeably within 24 hours. Literally overnight they might no longer fit in their clothes.
You can expect around five of these bursts. The first will occur between 1 and 3 weeks of age, the second at 6 to 8 weeks. Then you’ll get a break until the 3rd, 6th, and 9th month of age. Keep in mind that these feeding sessions should not last longer than a week and if they persist any longer you should seek out a pediatrician or similar medical professional.
One of the first signs is sudden sleepiness. In the days leading up to a growth spurt you might find that your baby is sleeping more than usual, even throughout the whole night. Asides from the first week of life don’t wake them up for feeds and just let your baby sleep. They’ll make it up soon.
After bouts of increased sleep, they’ll be wanting to be fed frequently, thus a sudden increase in appetite. Naps will be much shorter if not outright non-existent.
It’s common for you to finally get used to a set feeding schedule and now seemingly out of nowhere your baby is now wanting to be fed constantly, even after they’ve just finished eating. We’re talking every hour on the hour they’ll be wanting some more milk. Don’t worry if it feels like you’re not producing enough milk. Continue to breastfeed and your body will adapt to the new demands soon.
If formula feeding exclusively, watch to see any signs your baby isn’t sleeping as long and/or seems to still be hungry with the current amount you feed - increase the volume as needed until you see your little one looking more satisfied and more calm.
Being fed this much means much more frequent diaper changes too. Where they might have been going through two to three diapers a day now could become six to eight. This makes perfect sense since what goes in must eventually come back out. If possible it’ll definitely help if you can do feeding and changing shifts with someone just so you can get some sleep. I highly recommend getting the services of a night nanny.
And if they’re sleeping a lot less they’ll also be crankier. Expect your baby to be also more impatient and fussy during feeds as they want their food quickly and right away. This is fairly normal behaviour during their growth spurt periods. Although this might try your patience, be more loving towards your baby and give them the extra tender loving care of cuddles, skin to skin, singing and whatever bonding exercise your baby enjoys with you.
It’s important to keep in mind that by their first birthday they’ll probably triple their body weight. And these periods of weight gain come in sudden bursts that last a few days. Your baby can and will expand and lengthen noticeably within 24 hours. Literally overnight they might no longer fit in their clothes.
You can expect around five of these bursts. The first will occur between 1 and 3 weeks of age, the second at 6 to 8 weeks. Then you’ll get a break until the 3rd, 6th, and 9th month of age. These target times aren’t exact science and may be sooner or later for your baby. Take it as a grain of salt and follow your baby’s cues. They will let you know about their upcoming growth spurts, follow the trail of crumbs (their initial increased sleep)!
It might feel like a lot and it totally is but you need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself too. Make sure to hydrate constantly and don’t be afraid to ask for or hire help for things around the house such as cleaning, cooking, or laundry so you can focus on your own energy levels as well as your baby’s caloric and physical needs. You are one person and it takes a village to raise a child, you’re not alone.
Although these growth spurts can be very taxing, keep in mind each one of these are milestones and are beautiful. It tells you your baby is growing and you’re watching it unfold before your very eyes. Gather up your support people and prepare for the ride, your little one won’t be so little forever.