Little One is 13.5 weeks old today and he is smack in the middle of the good ol' 3 month growth spurt. Last night was RUFF. He woke up every two hours to nurse.
I'm not going to pretend it doesn't suck (because, let's face it, it really sucks), but I will tell you that it hasn't sucked as badly as previous growth spurts. How's that for encouragement? :)
He's definitely hungry and definitely cranky, but I haven't resorted to sobbing into my pillow (yet).
For those of you who aren't familiar with infant growth spurts, allow me to enlighten you. There are periods in each baby's development where said baby turns into a cranky, sleepless, boob-hogging gremlin maniac. These growth spurts typically occur during your first few days at home, 7-10 days (for me, this was the toughest spurt), 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months (ding ding ding!), 4 months, 6 months, and 9 months.
Woof.
These times are really freakin' tough on a mama. Baby is more irritable, sleeps less, and eats all the time. I remember at one point when my guy was about 10 days old, he and I both cried for a solid 3 hours straight every night for 4 nights. It was a killer. But, notice I said it WAS a killer, meaning that it eventually ended (thank you, Lord!).
It's really hard to imagine you'll ever get to sleep again when you've been up all night for several nights with a boob shoved in your babe's mouth. But I'm living breathing proof that growth spurts are not infinite and you will make it through!
Here are some things that I try to keep in mind when I'm headed to the nursery for the bazillionth time to feed my growing babe:
1) This will be over soon. (Hallelujah!)
2) (if you're a breastfeeding mama) Frequent nursing serves a purpose: to boost your supply. Your baby is helping you (ha! Helping!? Letting me sleep would help!!!) keep up with his increasing appetite. An added bonus for breast feeders: more nursing sessions = more calories burned!
3) Most importantly --- You are not alone. Don't give up. You're a wonderful mama and you can do it.
-Katie
PS: Do you have any words of encouragement for mamas enduring crazy growth spurts? Please share!
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