Lactivists top breastfeeding tips – 38 ways of coping with a growth spurt.

These amazing words of wisdom are from mums on the Lactivist Facebook Page.

Growth spurts take a lot of mums by surprise so I asked what helped and what information would have helped. Here are the answers:

1. Be patient, sure its tiring but they are growing and thats great! It doesnt last more than a few weeks and before you know it they are back to normal
2. The thing that helped me the most was seeing the chart that details the weeks most likely to have developmental & growth spurts – bad weeks marked by thunder clouds and settled weeks marked by suns! Made me realise it does all fall into a broadly identifiable series of phases… Each one does pass…
3. I think providing strategies for coping, such as nursing holidays knowing that that is all your going to do for a couple of days geting some good films in etc. Giving timeframes for how long to expect the constant feeding to last for. A section for grandparents, philosophies have changed and actually having literature stating this would be helpful for the “in my day” comments. Reminding mums that babies can’t read the calendar and may start spurts earlier or later than the “lable” given to them. What helped was talking to other mums, Breastfeeding cafe’s, online forums etc. For me generally the worse of the spurt would be the first three days whilst my body catches up, having lots of snacks, drinks to hand and a good stock of tele to watch and a good forum to chat on helps. Having friends with babies help who I can go and visit and not have to worry if baby feeds the whole time cause they understand too.
4. I think the most imporatnt thing to know is that they are normal, and the easiest way to get through them is to follow the baby’s cues. The baby will direct what they need and fighting against it will make everyone miserable, but going with it and following their lead will be the best way through it to the other side.
5. http://www.thewonderweeks.​com/index.php?option=com_c​ontent&view=article&id=120​&Itemid=236 heres a link with the chart on
6. For me it helped to know when to roughly expect them and that it doesn’t mean you don’t have enough milk or that your milk isn’t enough for them anymore, just that your baby wants to make more as it can be a confusing time when people worry about their supply and might give up or supplement. To trust your baby knows how much they need, that it is normal. That your baby won’t just want to be feeding all the time but may also be unsettled, more tired, cry more, be grumpy, until they get more of that milk! And to prepare for it and enjoy it as time to chill out with your baby and read/knit/do anything you like to do as soon you won’t get so much of all that lovely time to rest and do something for yourself. Good excuse to be lazy and looked after. And you need to eat and drink more, I lose a few more pounds during each growth spurt so love them!
7. you do not need to top up with formula x
8. Have support from other moms who have either been there or are currently nursing. Stay positive and patient.
9. I agree that it was helpful to know when to expect growth spurts but to also mention that a baby doesn’t follow calendars so they may have one earlier or later or skip a growth spurt. Also the importance of a growth spurt in that it’s not just physical growth but when lo is going through developmental milestones which is why mummy milk is so important – I’m sure you can word that better but thinking this helped me get through them so far! also it would be good to have a section on the signs of a growth spurt such as baby waking more and remind us that we will make what is needed & that the baby nursing is putting in their “order” so you WILL have enough supply! maybe put some signs of a good supply such as lots of wet nappies, weight gain, etc so women can be confident that it’s not low supply. Maybe little milk booster tips such a little tips like choosing oaty snacks or drinking fennel tea may see a slight increase the next day and a growth spurt survival guide (a bit like a newborn survival guide!) such as sleep when you can, have lots of snacks and quick cook food to hand, lots of DVDs! Might be useful to say that you could be lucky and have a baby who goes through one day growth spurts or ones that last weeks! X
10. That they don’t last forever. and its normal during a growth spurt to have baby on your boob all day and night!
11. just like a flower needs sun and water BEFOR it grows, your baby will feed and feed and feed for no obvious reason dont fret, you are producing enough, within 2 weeks your see they have bloomed and grown loads.
12. The thing I don’t like about the whole growth spurt thing is people using it as an explanation for nursing not going well. They ask “how old is your baby” and you can say *any* amount of time and they’ll say “oh, it’s the x week growth spurt”. But anyway, my bit of advice is that growth spurts don’t come at specified intervals, so just go with the flow (pun not intended) and let the baby at the breast as long as he/she wants… your supply will catch up- it’s another beautiful thing about BF, your body knows what to do!
13. It helped me to know that the length of each growth spurt extends as baby gets older, so each one lasts a bit longer than the previous, as I kept think this can’t be another groth spurt its too long!
14. We had cluster feeding from 6pm-11pm for 1-2 weeks at a time and every hour feeding round the clock! Just relaxing and telling myself it was normal helped me along with the hubby realising it was non negotiable and he had to help out more!
15. Information from ‘Wonder Weeks’ helps me the most. The knowledge that my baby is going through major neurological development and that it’s just as difficult for him like it is for me. Plus that when it’s over, he will have new skills or perceive the world differently. Fascinating!
16. What helped me was a bottle of water / snacks always at the side of where I nursed in case I got stuck there for a while, and having meals ready prepared! Sit back with some dvds or the tv remote and relax! They last for as long as they last – just nurse nurse nurse and use the excuse for a rest ))
17. I found Kellymom to be my saviour. Huzzah for her.
18. I remeber DS feeding what felt like constantly for his first 4 months. I think the key with growth spurts is to just feed as often as baby wants to and try not to worry about myths like ‘I’m not making enough milk’, it’s all supply and demand. Don’t be tempted to top up with formula
19. yes ignore all those that tell you baby MUST need PROPER food as it’s obviously not satisfied *rolls eyes*
20. I’ve always been told “if in doubt, get your boob out” and its worked for me. Especially 2 o clock in the morn where we have tried every possible thing, he has just finished a feed, is clean, warm etc offered him the boob again and he took some more! A week later he grew out of one clothes size and into the next.
    Trust your baby to let you know what they need : )
21. They happened and i didn’t really notice until after when i thought phew that was a tiring few days! lots of feeding and sleeping so more excuse for feet up
22. They are Normal, Nessecary, Not gonna last forever!
23. My daughter seemed to have a growth spurt from birth – 5 months I would of liked to have been told that some babies just need to feed a lot she took a long time to gain weight then at 5 months she gained 3 lbs in 2 weeks and I now get a break I’m pleased I kept it up but there were times when I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel
24. If u go with it and feed feed feed your milk supply catches up much quicker so the whole thing will not last as long Mums that still try to stretch their babies to ‘every 3 hours’ during a growth spurt means they will be just extending the period of time the baby is unsettled! I tried it with my twins Learnt very quickly not to and go with the flow a bit more
25. The baby is feeding so frequently for so long in order to increase your supply, NOT because you don’t have enough milk! Growth spurs seem to be times when mamas stop breastfeeding, either because it’s too tiring or because they are convinced they don’t have enough milk, or both.
26. often once baby has increased the duration or amount of feeds- they dont let you supply decrease, they simply adjust the duration of their future feeds, or your milk will flow in vast quanities.. Guess what im trying to say is
    Dont expect that the feeds will decrease after a growt spurt.
27. expect cluster feeding/fussy time in the evening. We had fussy time from 5-8pm every evening I could set my clock by it! Oh one BIG thing for me to learn was: What you can express is NOT an indication of milk supply!!!!!! This is such a common mistake: “I can only express 1oz if I’m lucky therefore I don’t have enough milk” is such a commom myth. Baby is the best at getting milk out if you can’t express successfully
28. when your sitting watching the telly, offer baby snuggles and the breast, often comfort feeding in their sleep is a great way of increasing feeds during a growth spurt… Or indeed any other time, remember your baby is constantly developing.
29. Trust your body. It’s normal for your baby to be more unsettled during a growth spurt. Don’t give into temptation to give formula to ‘satisfy’ them. It will only hinder your breastfeeding relationship. *You* are everything your baby needs.
30. I would say that growth spurts can happen at any time. If your baby suddenly wants feeding a lot more often, it’s probably a growth spurt and don’t panic, your boobs will catch up to their demands if you just keep feeding them – it might seem like you don’t have enough milk but don’t be fooled, it’s a booby trap, you DO!
31. Learning to enjoy it really helped me get through them! When we have growth spurts my tiny person is up all night feeding, the first few times was really really hard but now I enjoy it! It’s special quiet time for just me and my little boy when the rest of the world is fast asleep and nothing else matters. Seeing him staring lovingly into my eyes for feeding him at stupid o clock makes everything worth it Trust your baby AND your body, when breastfeeding they work together like a miraculous well oiled machine and every feed is for a reason. Our longest so far has been 3 weeks though I barely noticed until it was over, letting baby and body take over works for me and seeing him thriving from mummas milk only makes me so proud and shows me just how important letting him lead the way is
32. That it is okay to feel overwhelmed during a spurt, and that everyone else does too! That they happen at all, as no-one mentioned them when my ds was born and I did the ftm freak about not enough milk! That everyone thinks the same about that too, even 2nd time round!! And that the 4 month one is NOT a queue for food….a spurting baby needs full fat milk not steamed carrots to fill them up xx
33. It won’t last forever! With my first daughter I got really depressed and wanted to give up. Second time round you know it gets better so I’m just trying to enjoy it more!
34. That your baby needs you to sit on your bum, relax, look into their eyes & enjoy been fed on demand. That it won’t last forever and before you know it they’ll be running around doing somersaults, with your nipple in their mouth still! Your meant to be a Mom, not a robot cleaning woman making ta for strangers. Feed feed feed & enjoy it!
35. I think any info on growth spurts helpful as I didn’t know about them at all from our ante natal classes, that it’s normal for them to feed more and especially at night due to prolactin which stimulates milk supply being highest then so it’s best way of upping supply to meet the demands of a growing child.
36. It’s temporary, it’s necessary, it’s healthy. Ride it out.
37. It can feel like you are feeding non stop, go with the flow and spend some quality time and lie down in bed to feed/ try different positions and enjoy that bonding time as they need their mummy.
38. Don’t take too much on yourself and commit to a load of things you’ll feel bad about not getting out of.

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