Growing up and Chowing Down

Growth Spurts in Breastfed Babies

By Felicia Hodges

When Emily Fischer decided to breastfeed her first child, the idea of nursing whenever her little bundle of joy demanded made her more than a bit apprehensive. But she was pleasantly surprised when she and her newborn daughter, Lyndsay, settled into a pretty regular nursing pattern once they arrived home from the hospital.

"We would relax together in her nursery about every four hours or so for the first few weeks," she says. "That was about as often as she seemed to want to be fed." Sometimes, Lyndsay would even sleep for five hours between feedings.

But as soon as Lyndsay turned about 3 weeks old, the predictability of her feeding routine went haywire. Suddenly, the quiet, leisurely nursing sessions Mom and Baby shared began to come at more frequent intervals.

"She was waking up and needing to be fed about every two hours or so," Fischer says. "I was asking myself, 'What happened to our schedule?' It was puzzling because she was so easy-going and had such an even temperament at first. But I was beginning to feel like an 'Open All Night' diner."

Most medical experts say that this experience isn't all that uncommon, citing growth spurts as the reason for the increased feeding demand. According to La Leche League International (LLLI), "Increases in the frequency [of nursing] usually show up in relation to growth spurts." In their book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (Plume Books, 1997), it's made clear that, "Like the rest of us, babies are hungrier at some times than others. Rather than check out the refrigerator, Baby looks to Mom."

According to Board-certified Lactation Consultant Ellen Mahoney, growth spurts (which are sometimes referred to as "appetite spurts") commonly occur when infants are between 2 to 3 weeks old and again when Baby is 6 weeks, then 6 months of age – although every baby is different. The increased demand for the breast is usually the signal that Baby's growing body is in need of more food.

Because breast milk is produced on an "as-needed" basis, a baby's demand for more milk during a growth spurt may get temporarily ahead of the mother's milk supply. In order to get Mom and Baby back in sync, it is important to let Baby nurse as often as he wants to.

Want to see more?

• Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?
• Your Baby's Rise Through the Charts
• Your Breast Friend: The International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
• Talk about it!