Surviving Growth Spurts

[Anonymous]

My two week old is seemingly going through a growth spurt right now- she is inconsolable unless she is nursing and will only attempt to nap unless she’s being held. This is very different to how last week was where she could fall asleep easily in her Snoo and sleep until woken up for feedings. Any tips on how to survive this phase? I’m feeling very overwhelmed!

[Anonymous]

This isn't a growth spurt, sorry to tell you. She is "waking up". This is just normal newborn behavior. It gets a ton better at 16 weeks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't a growth spurt, sorry to tell you. She is "waking up". This is just normal newborn behavior. It gets a ton better at 16 weeks!

I hate to say it, but +1

Your life will be better if you try to get full feeds in her.

[Anonymous]

This may be controversial here, but I'll say it: Cluster feeding is why I quit nursing. Or at least why I started supplementing and eventually quit. Do whatever's best for your mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may be controversial here, but I'll say it: Cluster feeding is why I quit nursing. Or at least why I started supplementing and eventually quit. Do whatever's best for your mental health.

This should NOT be controversial! Nursing sucks in the beginning. There's nothing wrong with deciding it's not for you.

-someone who has formula fed, EBF and combo fed babies

[Anonymous]

This is normal, aim for two swaddled, independent naps a day (Mornings are probably easiest).

[Anonymous]

Be sure it's not silent reflux.

[Anonymous]

Babies tend to “wake up” after 2 weeks. Often the first two weeks are the honeymoon period. Lower your expectations for sleep and for daytime activities and chores, remember this only lasts a short time. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed but this is temporary, this stage isn’t forever, you’ll get through it. And bring in help if your partner isn’t able to take additional time off. Also, think about supplementing or pumping and having your partner take a turn holding and feeding the baby for a 4 hour stretch at night so you get at least 4 hours uninterrupted sleep.

[Anonymous]

Agree with what's been said. The first 12-13 weeks of your child's life are not super predictable. I would not expect a 2 week old to be on a schedule. There could be so many reasons why she's not sleeping: reflux, gas, etc. Babies at this age eat when they want, they sleep when they want, etc. You just need to go with flow and work your life around the craziness. We started sleep training at 13 weeks and things fell into place with sleeping and eating schedule-wise after that (consult your ped before doing this, we were living in New York at the time and our practice was known for sleep training around 12/13 weeks).

The first few months are a marathon, not a sprint (and it will feel like a marathon, which is to say it will feel hard).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is normal, aim for two swaddled, independent naps a day (Mornings are probably easiest).

This. Leave a blind open to help your baby differentiate day and night sleep. Figure out when her witching hour is (ours was 6:45-10) and be ready for it; eat, shower, and have your book or tv show ready to go. Then just camp out for the cluster feed. This will pass but it will be easier if you don’t fight it. My husband and I actually have fond memories of all the shows we binged during cluster feeding— we feel like we’re never going to catch up on anything else until she’s two!

[Anonymous]

Are you sure your baby is getting enough to eat? I thought my baby had acid reflux because he started crying more between 2-4 weeks. We realized he was not getting enough and I needed to supplement. Many of my friends experienced the similar issues.

[Anonymous]

Weeks 3-6 suck in general. I think it’s called the purple crying period or something? Google it. Also check for acid reflux.