Is she on a growth spurt? A couple a questions on how to deal with!

[lottieloo]

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I'm new to the site, but have been following the baby whispering way for 7 wks,my DD is in her 11th week.She's had a typical 3/3 feeding routine, waking at 7am, feeding for...wait for it! 10mins-15mins..but she's gaining 8lb born is now 13lb.
She has 3 groups of big sleeps, followed by a shorter sleep of 30-45 mins ready for bath time...bed time and sleeping by 7.30pm.
I dream feed at 10.30pm and she sleeps through till 3.30...I had experimented with the wake to sleep and she was going through till 4.30-4.45....It was all going so well 
Yesterday she woke up all over the place her patterns have gone haywire....so I guess she's on a growth spurt, i've tried to feed her every 2 1/2 hours but she is only staying on for 5-10mins and then gets really fussy...I mean REALLY! and I try to encourage her and she'll take it for a few sucks and then she's fussing again.....i'm getting worried she's not taking enough milk, as my breasts don't seem to feel full..So i've been doing two things which i'm not too sure are 'right!' The first is to feed her more  on demand and secondly swap breasts in one sitting, letting her have the foremilk from both breasts, as it comes out quickly and so she has to suck

p.s.. today the longest pattern of sleep 1hour 50mins, was after the morning feed which was a good typical feed, after that my DD woke up every 45mins-60mins... , hunger cried,  I fed her, again she feeds for 5mins tops before she fusses, so I stop feeding her, she then is niggley sleepy...because she hasn't fed enough to get her through a good block of sleep, so she's sleepy, I shush pat her tosleep...and the cycle begins....Do I keep holding her in shus pat to carry her through till she will take more milk, I wonder if i'm not producing enough milk to fill her and this is why she's fussing, or might I be miss reading her crying..maybe rushing in and feeding her when she could be shush patted back tosleep....I don't think it's her tummy because she's not bringing her legs up or screaming in that shrill cry that comes with pain....please someone can you advise?

p.p.s...hello...tonight my DD last woke at 5.30pm I hung on from feeding her till 6.00 as I'd fed her 4.30....we went through the bathtime bedtime, she was asleep by 7.15pm....She has just stired but is sound asleep, hasn't woke as yet!!  I'll dream feed as usual, if she hasn't woke....oops spoke too soon....she's waking up! bye-bye

last night I fed her at 9.15pm! I tried to ssh/pat, but she was hungry,we don't use paci.I dream fed her as usual.I was awake at 2.15am so did w2s.she slept through till 5.15am. She had a good feed at waking then normal e.a.s.y. is still asleep now, happy and content!
My plan of action is to keep feeding her from both breasts to increase the milk,I read b.w.last night and found that I could also pump to increase supply..i'll see if that'll help.

[Samuel's mum]

You may well be right about it being a growth spurt. Yes, feed on demand if you really want to ensure supply is secured BUT don't swap breasts to give her the faster foremilk twice.

She needs to get the hindmilk in order to do the growing. If you tell your breasts, 'Hey guys, We don't need that fattier hindmilk' - they will adjust the quantity accordingly and make less of it.

Babies who get an imbalance of thinner foremilk often get fussier/ have more gas/ have digestion difficulties/ don't sleep as well.

If you go back to longer feeds on one side/ less foremilk in the balance you may well find a lot of problems you are describing go away. If you've been doing the extra foremilk thing for a while it may take your breast 1-2 days to resume normal hindmilk production. You could use pumping after she has finished feeding to send your breasts signals that more hindmilk is needed.

I'm going to PM you incase you check emails but not here.

[JacobMarksMummy]

It definatly sound like a growth spurt to me. Your right to feed on demand during a growth spurt but I have to second the problems that sudenly offering both breats can cause if this isnt what you have always done. I think you have probally decided to do this to your LO fussiness but it would be best for you to carry on as before. She will get through this fussy stage, I know how distressing and frustrating it can be. Alot of babies have a patch like this for a week or so and often we can seem to identify why, could she be teething?

It is definatly worth pumping if you are concerned about your supply. If it is that she hasnt taken a feed properly you shud pump then.  If you feel your supply has allready dropped a little you could pump in between feeds. I found pumping around an hour and a half after my LO had fed helped me when my supply became low. Keep in mind though that it can take anything from a week to ten days for your babody to get the messge to increase milk production. I hope you LO gets better soon and if you have any more questions please ask 

[lottieloo]

Thank you so much Emma....I was beginning to go a little crazy!

This morning has been better, last night I fed her just from one breast at a time, although my night time breasts are fuller? weird...we're back on a 3/3 pattern...and my angel baby is back...hooray x

The b/w really works, I wish i'd known about all this wonderful information with my other two children, such is life.

The advice you gave helps make sense of the difficulties, this sort of information should be open to all at school age then the babies of the world would be happier...
And their mothers.

Again I thank you, Jo...Scarletts mum x

[lottieloo]

Hello MarkJacobs mummy
             You know I thought she might be...because she's been fisting for days now, but isn't she too little for teeth yet?
Goodness it's all new to me!
Thank you for your response I will stick with the one breast at a time, they seem to be fuller today the advice I received has helped so much, pointed in the right direction, doing the right thing.....feels great.... and on Mothering Sunday...

[JacobMarksMummy]

Glad things a getting better. I think babies can get teeth whenever so it could well be she has a sore little mouth right now also she could teeth and then end up not pushing them through just yet. Have a nice rest of your first mothering sunday 

[lottieloo]

Hi ya....no I have two other children a ds aged 11 years, and dd aged two and a half....Billy and Maggie neither of them showed signs of teething....well I say that maybe my ds did it was a long time ago
We did the bw late with our older dd..but she was an angel baby and is an angel toddler...I believe it's got a lot to do with bw.
I parented my son sooooo differently, very go with the flow! He slept in my bed till he was five and breast fed till he was three....the breast feeding was wonderful...putting to bed became a really hard work it would take hours....and I fed him to sleep every time.
Tracy Hogg is worth her weight in gold and some....top bird, peace and light to her memory....
Mothering Sunday was a blessing cheers galz