Growth Spurts????? Please help

[corrina01]

My lo is 16 weeks old. I think she is actually going through a growth spurt.  She took 4oz at 7.00am and then 6oz at 9.45am.  How can you keep them on a routine when DD wakes up for feeding at different times of the day. I am at a lost what to do.  Do I just feed her when she wants it and do the ASY part again? or do I just wait and see what she wants to do?  :?

[Deb_in_oz]

have you tried giving her a little break after she takes the 4 oz - 90% of the time that is the maximum my dd2 will take in 1 session ( except at bedtime feed when she will drink more).  what we have been doing since she was 4 mo is to offer her the bottle - she takes 3-4 oz and then we give her 15-20 min to play (away from feeding) then we offer it again and she will take anywhere from  NO oz. to another 3-4 oz.  at least she has some time to digest a bit and have a break and gets another chance to top up.

sometimes this is fine and other times, even now at almost 8 months, she will refuse the 2nd offer and then cry desperately for food an hour later - i figure it is fine to feed her the top up then if she needs it as long as that is not the habit at every feed  HTH

[corrina01]

I do that every feed time, give her a break, then she sometimes will or sometimes wont take another feed.  Do you think she is going through a growth spurt, because I don't know how to read her now, she has changed so much over the last few days.

[Deb_in_oz]

i really don't know - i feel for you.  It has not improved for me since day 1 of bottle feeding at 3 mo (apart from her 6 mo Growth spurt when she was an eating machine for a week or 2).

i truly hate feeding my daughter and am so thankful that she is enjoying her solids because i have been advised to stop stressing about her feeds as she is obviously a happy, fat little girl.  i still find it upsetting and every bottle feed i hold my breath praying she will keep eating so i don't have to keep offering the stupid top ups.  also - when she does decide she is hungry later on she is now very vocal about it - you woudl think i had been withholding the food  :roll:

it must be the spirited part of their personality  :lol:

[corrina01]

Thanks for that, ever since she has hit 16 weeks she is a changed little girl, I follow the same routine everytime.  She won't take naps like she used to, she won't be swaddled unless at night, she cries so often now.  I think she is teething too.  I hope her naps won't mess up her nights, they haven't so far.  My DB says she will nap when she wants to.

Thanks again.

[Deb_in_oz]

i do hope it is a growth spurt and that she returns to "normal"   

[corrina01]

I hope so too, as I don't know where I am now.