Growth Spurt symptoms

[Missy Lou]

How do I tell if my lo is going through a growth spurt?  She's 11 weeks old tomorrow but was three weeks early (if that matters).  She hasn't been going down for naps easily in late afternoon/early evening.  So today at 4:30, she ate 3.5 ounces (she usually takes 3.5 to 4 ounces) and then at 6:30 I tried to feed her again because she would drift off and then wake up fussing after about 10 minutes.  She ate another 3.5 ounces.

Is that a growth spurt indicator?  Or I am putting her off schedule?

[Leah's Mom]

Growth spurts seem to occur most commonly around one to three weeks, six to eight weeks, three months and six months of age. Like most milestones, these time frames are just guidelines. But at corrected age your LO would be about 8 weeks, so it could be a growth spurt. Normal symtoms are eating more often and taking in more ounces during the day and waking at night, when they normally sleep thru. To be honest, I had a really hard time in the early days telling when my LO was going through a growth spurt. I would try upping her ounces and feeding every 2.5 instead of 3 hours if she seems more hungry.

[Missy Lou]

Thank you.  She has been wanting to eat before the 3 hour mark sometimes.  If she's sleeping really good, she won't wake up but then other naptimes, she can't go back to sleep and if I feed her, she'll eat the whole bottle in just a few minutes. 

This is a different question, how do I know when to up the amount?  She eats fast so could she still want more?  Did you guys just start putting in an extra ounce and see if your lo could finish?  There are times that she'll eat slower and leave a 1/2 ounce or so in the bottle so I haven't increased the amount.