Am I APing?...growth spurt, HELP!!!

[Natbug22]

Hello all, I have 2 topics to tackle:

1st) I  have a 18wk old and she is exclusively breastfed.  I have noticed that during the past 4-5 weeks she no longer releases a bm everyday.  She now will only go every 4 or so days!!! I miss those sweet potato looking diapers!    I can live with that,  I guess, but what I'm really concerned is that she is waking with gas pains.  Is this normal for a baby her age?  Any thoughts?

2nd) I believe she  is going through her major GS  and  is eating non-stop.  I try  and top her off about an hour after she feeds and that usually will  settle her.  Before her GS we were on a fairly steady routine but then it all went haywire.  Her nap are screwed, she eats all the time, no longer  sleeps at night.....I'm  exhausted!!! And  I have a 6yo as well.  Back on subject, how long can I expect this to  go on?.... And  when will  I know to cut back  on  some of these top-ups?  Will it take long to get her back on track?  I feel like all I do is feed her anymore.....(no problem, she obviously needs more milk so I'll let her boost my supply).   

Thanks in advance for any replies!!!

[amayzie]

Hi hon- it's totally normal for EBF babies to poo as little as once every 5 days to a week!! My guy NEVER EVER went this long- he pretty much pooped every feed for months!! But very normal! I think though the longer the time between the more.. um dramatic!

As for the growth spurt- just go with it. It should last 3-5 days and then if you are REALLY lucky your LO will sleep more!! My guy never did- but he did cut back o the amount of food he needed.

[Natbug22]

How will I know the GS is over?  I have noticed that during her TU's she is taking less and less but she seem hungry just as often.  When will I know to decrease the additional feeds?  Could her increasing gas be due to her increased feeds?

[Fiver]

I've generally fed on cue during growth spurts rather than sticking to a schedule and then adding in a top up, so LO may be feeding more often during the day, but I've been able to tell that a GS has passed when those feeds get further apart again.

WRT the wind, it could be due to additional feeds, it could be digestive immaturity. Always tricky to tell.
As Katy said, it's not unusual for the time between bowel movements to decrease as LO gets bigger.  You'll probably find that at some point they'll get more frequent again.  My DS managed to go for around 20 days between bowel movements at one point   When it came, there was a lot of it, but it wasn't as explosive as it might have been otherwise.

[Natbug22]

Thank you so much ladies!  That's the reassurance  I needed.  My mommy instinct was saying, "you're doing the right thing, just hold  on." It just gets hard when in-laws are lurking around looking over your shoulder wondering if you're doing what "they" did.  Or saying, "well, this is what my lo needs" and so on.... I finally said, "that's  great, for YOUR lo.  We are all different."  phew...again, thanks for the support/advice/facts. I absolutely love  this site!!!!   

Happy Whispering....

[Fiver]

Good to hear you stood up to the in-laws!  Well done!

[Erin M]

Listen to those instincts sweetie, you sound like you're doing great!