Stay Calm, Keep Your Cool... It's Just a Growth Spurt.

This is a new thing for me; having to recognise and deal with bubba's growth spurts. Seeing as Drayven is an exclusively breastfed baby, the idea that growth spurts would cause such furore in this house, or to my sanity, did not occur to me. And by "furore", I do mean constantly crying, wailing, flailing, spluttering, screaming, kicking and shaking the entire foundations of my already dithering existence.

In fact, I was not even aware of this very significant stage as both of my children were exposed to some formula and did not experience the same torment during these stages of growth. Either that, or I simply do not recall such tyrannical episodes.

So far, we have survived one spurt and have now embarked upon our first day into the second. Sometimes, I feel as though I'm about to pull my beautiful hair out, but I must remind myself that it is the little fella who is in really agony... and whatever my pain or distress; this period of anxiety shall pass as did the last. I just have to survive the next two days or so.

Most exclusively breastfed babies experience at least five growth spurts within his/her first year alone. It is in my own experience that, for what ever reason, formula/mixed feed babies' growth spurts are not nearly as excruciating in experience compared to that of a breastfed baby. Perhaps it has something to do with the composition of breastmilk being so entirely different from that of formula - I mean, come one, one is produced from the same species and the other from a completely different species/source.

So, when DO babies have their growth spurts?

Really, a baby can have growth spurts at any time during the first year, but in general and in Dray's case, he has correlated with the general rule of  a spurt between 1 and 3 weeks, 6 and 8 weeks, then one at 6 months, and again at 9 months.

Just when Dray had settled into feeding every three hours or so, he suddenly (at around two weeks old) wanted to feed off of me non-stop - I mean constantly, all day and all night long. He would just howl and yell until he was put to the breast and once there he would latch on and suckle vigorously for a while and then yank his head back, still clamped on tight... OUCH! He would continue with this charade of latching on and attempting to latch off; it was almost as if he wasn't getting enough milk to satisfy himself. When my cranky boy want milk; he wants milk - now!

I will admit, it was frustrating. The next day, I got a call from a breastfeeding counsellor as a routine check-up. She advised me of all the useful titbits of information that made the previous few days and nights make absolute sense. It was like a shining beam of knowledge which made everything all better - growth spurts.

The BF counsellor was great! She explained to me that the more baby feeds, the more milk I will produce... so keep feeding him, even if I felt that he wasn't getting enough. Eventually, it will boost your milk supply and baby will be sated. And you know what, it worked. Bubba is getting plumper and rounder than ever. I can only hope for more.

Sleeping Babe: Finally back to his 'normal' sleep patterns, complete with his much loved skull blanket.

Now, my advise for all of you breastfeeding mothers out there...

"I know it's one of the most trying experiences in the world...But keep going!"

During these hard and strenuous times - don't be disheartened and certainly don't give up breastfeeding now because you have already come so far! It truly is awesome; the things our bodies are capable of - I totally love and appreciate mine. I grew a human... and now, I keep that little human alive and nourished. He is happy and getting bigger, gaining weight and producing more and more filled diapers for me each day. So I know I am doing a great job... What is even greater is that when he feeds, he smiles up at me with this perfectly joyful little smile. It is a visual reminder for us mums; a kind of quiet, peaceful recognition and appreciation of our efforts that is given to us in the most profound and momentous way. A perfect smile.

Remember, breastfeeding for six weeks means that your baby is less likely to have digestive problems, or get sick; he now has less risk of chest infections up to seven years. Breastfeeding for at least one month alone gives your baby significant protection against food allergies for up to three years, as well as respiratory allergies until seventeen years of age. Now it is my turn to smile.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7564787