How to deal with growth spurts?

[Perogi]

Alright so the 3 week growth spurt nearly killed me - I was so stressed by the constant nursing and discontent baby that I supplemented : DS just turned 5 weeks and I'm thinking he's coming into the 6 week growth spurt - more frequent nursing and some of the same discontent I saw at 3 weeks.
SO - how do you get through a growth spurt?? It's hard enough to sit and nurse all day with 2 other LO's to look after but it's the crabby baby that I can't handle. I hate when he's nursing, pulling off and crying. I want the breast to be a happy place Okay, but seriously, I hate him being upset and hungry and the milk isn't there. I know that if he keeps it up the milk will come but it can take 2 days + for that to happen. How do you get through it?

[quirkylayne]

Eat extra calories, drink extra liquids, add things like oatmeal and granola to your diet. Rest as much as possible. If you have been pumping cut down and allow baby to drain your breasts naturally. Switch nursing (switch sides after every let down). Most of all, hold on because it will only last a few days and hopefully get help if you need it.

[Jacksmum8]

Originally Posted by quirkylayne

Eat extra calories, drink extra liquids, add things like oatmeal and granola to your diet. Rest as much as possible. If you have been pumping cut down and allow baby to drain your breasts naturally. Switch nursing (switch sides after every let down). Most of all, hold on because it will only last a few days and hopefully get help if you need it.

:

I also want to add make sure you are getting enough time to yourself to balance things out. I find when Jack goes through a growth spurt (which he is right now) I can't even sit down without him climbing all over me and I get "touched out" Hang in there mama!

[quirkylayne]

Oh, can you nurse using a sling or other carrier? I never could get the hang of it with DS but if that is a possiblity you could at least go to the park or walk around the mall or something?

[courtenay_e]

Yup, the sling saved my sanity! The baby could nurse and pop on and off all s/he wanted and nobody else can see. And pp is right. If you're out at the store/park/mall/friend's house, YOU'LL be distracted, and baby will be stimulating the milk supply that it needs...and you won't go crazy! And so you know, the milk your baby needs NOW IS THERE! The baby is just asking your breasts to make more so that when he grows, the milk he needs then WILL be there!

[Perogi]

Hmm, switch nursing - I didn't think you were supposed to switch until the breast was "drained" and then just make sure to latch and nurse on each breast a few times. And, really, all the milk is there already? Because it seemed at the 3 week point that the milk wasn't there for a few days. Ds would nurse and fuss and grunt and cry like he wasn't getting enough/fast enough flow.

[alegna]

First step- remove formula and bottles from the house.

Then:

mother's milk tea
oatmeal
plenty of water
good snacks for you
several nursing nests around the house with everything you need
maybe some videos for the other kids :

You can do it!

-Angela

[clavicula]

we made it through the 6 week GS as well w/ success. i have no special recipe, only one thing:

nurse. around the clock. : and try to survive...

[quirkylayne]

Originally Posted by Perogi

Hmm, switch nursing - I didn't think you were supposed to switch until the breast was "drained" and then just make sure to latch and nurse on each breast a few times.

This is just one of many techinques. In general, it is a good idea let the babe finish one side and then switch. Some mothers find that switch nursing increases their supply faster. I recommend using each side at least 2 times during a session if you are going to do this. As always, you want to make sure that the breast is drained as much as possible during each nursing session.

[courtenay_e]

Oftentimes if a mom with a young baby is going to quit breastfeedng, it'll be when the baby is growth spurting, and the mom says, "I just ran out of milk...the baby was so hungry, and I just couldn't make enough milk to meet her/his needs." Really, unless you have a poor latch or were not nursing on demand, this is not usually the case. What the baby does is to hyperstimulate your milk supply, so that you are actually making more than the baby needs at that point...so when their brain/stomach grows in a day or two, the milk they need will be there--and then some! When your baby slows down and gets into a new ebb and flow, you might notice that for the first couple of days after the nursing frenzy that your breasts seem a little "fuller"...and then they regulate again and aren't so full anymore. This happens because the baby initially asks for more milk than it needs, and then when it's done and asks for exactly what it needs, there's PLENTY of milk there...plus a little extra, just in case. And when it doesn't ask for that little extra just in case, your production slows down a bit, but again, is still making more than it was before.


Is that too wordy? Does it make sense? You're not starving your baby! However, by supplementing, you COULD compromise the larger supply that your baby is trying to induce, and then not be able to meet the needs of the baby when its stomach DOES grow. Hope that helps...

[courtenay_e]

Oh, and pp's are correct, galactagogues (substances that help your body to produce more milk) can help. Oatmeal at least three times a week (the real stuff, not instant, has been shown to be most effective), fenugreek and BLESSED thistle (not milk thistle!) used together can all help to increase your supply a bit...but really the most effective way to increase your supply during a growth spurt is to let the baby nurse as much as it asks to!