How do you know when it is a growth spurt?

[Shayleesmom]

Hi there,
It is my first time to this board. I have visited the nap board and have now progressed to working on the sleeping issues.  I have read alot and have found this a very helpful venue but I still have questions.  How do you know when they are experiencing a growth spurt?  My 5 month LO has been sleeping really well lately after a month of tedious pat/shh and PU/PD but she finally caught on.  We put her to bed between 8:30 and 9:30 pm and she usually sleeps through to 4 or 5 am and then gets a feed then back down until 9 am.  She usually wakes at least once but I give her a little time and sometimes she self soothes and other times I go and do pat/shh without picking her up and that seems to work. 
However, the last couple of days has been a diaster and we thought maybe she ws havinga growth spurt.(?)  She seems to have forgotten how to sleep.  She has been waking 3- 4 times a night and not self soothing and after I put hr back down she is awake again in a half hour.  Last night she was up constantly between 2 anf 4:30 am  t 4:45 qam I gave in and fed her as she was due to feed at 5 am anyway and then she selot through until 9 this morning.  Needless to say I was very frustrated and dread this evening as I don't know what to expect now.
She is on a very predictble 4 hour EASY routine which I love because anyone can watch her and know what is coming and when, but lately her nigthitme routine is killing me in the sleep and patience department.

E- 9 am breasfed
A - anywhere between 1 to 1.5 hours
S - 10:30 for only 20 - 30 minutes but always wakes up happy so we are leaving it like that
E - 1 pm (formula 7 oz)
A - again 1 - 1.5 hours
S - 2:30 pm
E - 5 pm (formula 7 oz)
A - 1 - 1.5 hours
S - 7 pm
E - before bed and during wind down routine so anywhere btwn 8:30 - 9:30 pm. 4 oz formula and nursed the rest of the way
S - usually unil 4:30 or 5 am
E - 5 am breastfed

Any ideas, suggestions or help would be wonderfully appreciated.  She is swaddled at night but gets out of it and has both arms free by the time she wakes up.
Thanks all.

[Mia and Lily's Mom]

Well, I don't really have an answer for you but our dd who is 6 month has been doing the sudden night wakings for the last two nights as well, maybe it is the moon or something like that :-).  With regards to the growth spurts, we always knew with dd#1 and have already seen it with dd#2 that it is a growth spurt because she wakes up and will not settle without being fed and will then eat a lot, which means that she needs the additional food because she is growing.  Those type of nightwakings usually only last about 3 days, and we usually try to adjust her daytime feedings to get more food into her during the day to compensate for the growing.
Good luck tonight.  DD has been asleep so far since 7:30 pm and has not woken up, but we also went back to swaddeling her in her special blanket that she cannot get out of, so maybe that is helping as well.