6 month old growth spurt???

[lize566]

Hi Everyone, my son is 6 months old and is pretty active. He is breastfed with 2 solid meals a day, one in the morning and one at dinner time. I still do a DF. He takes a full feeding and sleeps longer b/c of it. We just recently got back on track at night from the 4 month sleep regression/teething. We've been on EASY since he was 2 months, and overall I'm pretty happy with out schedule. He takes 2 1.5 hour naps usually and a 30-40 minute catnap, then he's down between 7:30-8:30 most nights. Our wake up times vary, which I know should be more consistent but I just can't seem to get that together just yet. Oh and he goes down awake usually (it depends on who has him since I work) and he can resettle himself. At least I'm pretty sure he can. I've heard him cry out for a minute or two and then settle back down, but I don't know if he is fully awake. We do use a pacifier for sleep, but he hasn't been wanting it lately.

Okay, so now my question. Last week, he seemed like he was starving, wanting to eat every 2 hours but it only lasted for 1/2 a day (like from noonish until maybe midnight that night). Well yesterday he went down for his first nap great. Then when it came time for his second nap he screamed for 15 minutes. Nothing would calm him down and he was rooting something awful, so I fed him. He at for 7-8 minutes, which is normal for him, he's an efficient eater, then feel asleep. I could tell he was relaxed but still sucking, so I tried to pull him off and he just started screaming again, so I let him back on. Same thing happened for his catnap and at bedtime. He took a great DF, then was up at 4 am (which again, is typical, but then up again at 6 with the same screaming and rooting. He ate pretty good both times. Finally up for the day at 8, but only ate for 5 minutes and was off and on. Could this be a growth spurt, or I am just pacifying him with feeding? Do I need to just let him cry. I really don't want to CIO b/che's never been one to soothe himself with crying if we let it go very long. He has put himself to sleep after crying for 5  minutes or so, but after 10 minutes he's usually asleep or so upset it takes us forever to calm him back down. I'm so frustrated with not being able to tell if he's really hungry or not! Any advice??

[lize566]

I forgot to mention that we are on a 4 hour EASY, and have been for about a month. And he hasn't been eating his solids all that well the last two days (he seems to go through phases where he eats great then he doesn't seem interested) but he roots almost constantly and seems really clingly today. Not fussy, but he normally plays independently really well, but not so much this morning. Maybe my supply is low? I have a manual pump and I can't ever get much out, but I think that's more of a let down problem, b/c I feel full. I'd really appreciate ay advice you guys have!

[~ Vik ~]

There is a 6mo growth spurt, so that could definitely be the cause!  I don't think that it's really a supply issue since it seems to have come on so suddenly - and you're right that your pumping isn't a good indicator of your actual supply.  If you're feeding him and he's taking a full feed, then that tells me that he's hungry - if you offer him the breast and he takes in halfheartedly or just takes a few sucks and dozes off, something else is likely going on.  Teeth maybe?

Growth spurts usually last up to a week, so I would feed on cue for the next few days - try not to feed right to sleep, but don't worry if feeds happen before naps or you do a couple extra night feeds for the next little while.  Don't let him fill up on solids (they're not as calorie dense as milk is, and will take up space without giving him the necessary calories and fats), but if you're doing 2 meals per day try to add in extra milk to his food to get the extra in. 

hth?

[lize566]

It does help, thanks! He didn't seem quite so hungry the rest of the day, but he has started to take both sides where as before he was alwas content with just one hopefully whatever it was is gone now!