How to Survive a Growth Spurt in 4 Easy Steps

Ah, growth spurts. Those few days that feel like a few years, when you have to double-check to make sure you're nursing a baby and not a piranha, when you forget if you've had a shower in the last week and you KNOW you haven't slept.... Yep, fun times.

But have hope! Growth spurts don't last forever (THANK. GOD.), and in the 21st Century, there are all kinds of resources that can help you come out the other side more or less in one piece, with a slightly fatter baby than you had before. Just follow these steps.....

1. Know what to expect!

Forget the What to Expect books; you're a modern woman and you need the latest information delivered electronically to carry you through this 48-hour hell! There are two resources that will be indispensable to you during these spurts: One is the wonderful Kellymom, with all the answers to the desperate questions that will come up at 3am when you're trying to latch that screaming infant and she's just not having it.

The other is the Wonder Weeks app. This magnificent tool gives insight into what is happening, biologically and developmentally, to that adorable, squishy, screaming, voracious infant of yours. It will tell you when to expect growth spurts so that they don't catch you by surprise!

Pro Tip: Keep a phone charger next to your nursing station so that you can access these lovely resources any time you need to without having to relocate.

2. Keep water and snacks within reach

It always happens: you sit down to nurse the baby and as soon as he's latched, you feel hungry and thirsty. But alas! There is no food or drink in sight and you just KNOW this is going to be one of those 45min sessions.... So make sure you have several gallons of bottled water scattered within arm's reach of all your favorite nursing spots. You need to keep replenishing your body's fluids both for your milk supply and for your own health, so drink up! Also consider the type of bottle that you can open with only one hand, in case the other is occupied with baby.

And as for food, it's whatever you want, mama! A little indulgence never hurt anyone, but that said, it's best to pack as much of a nutritional punch as you can into your snacks, since your little bundle of joy is getting all his nutrients from you right now. I always found I felt best when I ate something with protein, which usually meant cheese, nuts, something with nut butter. Trail mix or a good old-fashioned granola bar worked best, although the bars tended to make less mess since they came wrapped and all in one piece! Again, pile those suckers up right next to your nursing station: you don't want to run out!

3. Fire up that Netflix queue!

This is hands-down the best advice I got from another mommy-friend during those early weeks. Seriously, if your baby is going to be nursing non-stop for several days, this is the time for a marathon. Never seen Scrubs? Well, there are 9 seasons, so now is the time. How I Met Your Mother? The Tudors? Battlestar Galactica? Doctor Who? (Whoops, sorry, my geek is showing....) Queue up those guilty pleasure shows (sorry, anyone who did not recently give birth doesn't get a vote), plunk your butt down on the couch and just nurse the baby. Forget the dishes that need washing, the inlaws that need entertaining, and the pile of mail that needs sorting. Enjoy your show and don't worry about anything, unless of course your 3-year-old appears to be attempting to burn down the house.

4. Get your support system in place

Husbands, boyfriends, mothers, sisters, friends, and assorted other helpmates are indispensable during a growth spurt. As mentioned above, you will have neither the free hands nor the time to be dealing with chores or unruly older siblings, so someone else needs to be prepared to step in and take care of these things for you. They will also need to refill your food and water as needed (it does sound a little bit like caring for a pet, doesn't it?), bring you the remote control, change the baby, hold the baby while you take a few minutes to pee or even (GASP) take a shower, and say "Yes, dear" as you wax poetical about what damned liars everyone was to tell you that this breastfeeding thing was natural and easy.

This helper should also become an expert feeding pillow-adjuster, amateur psychiatrist, and foot-massager. Make sure they understand that payment is to be rendered in baby snuggles and a few screams as a bonus. DO NOT HESITATE to ask for help when you need it, no matter how silly the request may seem. If you don't have access to someone to help you in your home, make sure you have people on speed-dial who don't mind you calling at any time for a little venting session. Oh, and don't forget to include your lactation consultant in that call list!


.... and two big DON'Ts to keep in mind during these spurts, too: DON'T supplement without express direction from a knowledgable pediatrician, and DON'T try to put your growing baby on a feeding schedule. Both of these actions can harm your supply and negatively impact your baby's growth. Trust your body to feed your baby by nursing on demand!

These are the growth spurt survival tips that worked for me, but maybe you have some I didn't mention. Share your ideas here or on our Facebook page, and nurse on, mamas!

The Other Breastfeeding Essentials

Today we have a guest post from blogger Kary of Always Painted Usually Chipped, with her recommendations for products that helped her along her breastfeeding journey.

My breastfeeding journey was a long but good 14 months. It started with an extremely anxious pregnant woman and ended with a happy & healthy toddler (and mama!) I’d love to come back to share more details with you, but today I want to share with you my non-traditional list of breastfeeding essentials. Sure, you need your Boppy (LOVE that thing), some burp cloths and of course an iphone to pass the time, but these were my other go to items for the past year (plus!).

1 – Forever 21 $10.81 Jeans – These jeans saved me from a mini breakdown in the mall. After giving birth to my son I was elated to fit back in my prepregnancy jeans pretty quickly. It was so awesome…for about a week. Then I just kept losing more and more and more weight. My body could not keep up with the milk production. I didn’t want to buy all new clothes, but I HAVE to have jeans in my wardrobe. For a self-proclaimed jeans snob, I was shocked when these F21 jeans saved me. They are dirt cheap and fit perfectly. I am just about to outgrow them and get back to my regular jeans, thank goodness, but they were the perfect temporary jeans.

2 - Snacks!! -  In addition to new jeans I also had to buy and eat a TON of food. I like snacks, but the amount I had to eat to keep up with my son eating every two hours was ridiculous. I ate more while breastfeeding than while pregnant, times three. I went through bags of nuts and boxes of these Special K sandwiches, in addition to a ton of oatmeal, guacamole, hummus, string cheese, etc. I felt like I weaned off the snacks as I weaned my son off the breast.

3 – Button-Up Shirts – My personal favorite are from JCrew and JCrew Factory. They are just thick enough so you don’t have to worry about nipple coverage if you just slip on a nursing tank and just thin enough so that you are not sweating (because postpartum hot flashes are no joke!).

4 – Coobie Bras – I wore these bras while pregnant and for a solid year after giving birth. I just put on a real bra for the first time and I feel like a pre-teen with the itch factor going on. These bras fit me from my size A to my full C milk boobs, and back to my size A after breastfeeding. I never found a nursing tank that I LOVED. Sure, there were some that I liked, but I didn’t love any of them like I loved these bras.

5 – Perry Mackin Diaper Bag – I tried quite a few diaper bags. If I’m telling the truth, I tried three. Okay, okay, six. I tried six. After all my trials though I can honestly say that this is the bag for me. I love it and haven’t been inclined to switch since I got it.  You may not think of a diaper bag as a breastfeeding essential, but my son nursed every 2 hours until he was about 8 months old and refused a bottle. If I wanted to leave the house, he was coming with me and that meant bringing diapers, a blanket for a cover, an outfit change, snacks and water for me, etc. Definitely an essential in my book.

6 – Gel Pads – I keep wanting to remove these from my list because I really only used them for the first month, but I can still feel the love I had for these gel pads deep in my heart. The relief of getting one out and putting it on during that first, stress-inducing, nipple-hurting, “can I really do this?" month of breastfeeding keeps them on my list. To be fair, these are not the exact ones that I used since our hospital gave us some, but these seem to be the closest.

Kary is a stay at home mom to an energetic toddler and two cats. She is a military wife to an amazing man and she appreciates him very much for doing the cooking! You can find her over at Always Painted, Usually Chipped.

Thanks, Kary!

For more breastfeeding essentials, check out Christa's post, 5 Things You Really Need to Breastfeed.

Natural Products for the Breasfeeding Mom

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the resident "hippie" of our little group here :) I like all things natural, organic, and eco-friendly. So it's no surprise that when it comes to products for use while breastfeeding, I get excited about the natural options that are available to women.

Trilight Health makes a wide array of herbal remedies that are great for so many different things. I've used them for everything from assisting my little one with sleep, relieving headaches, and soothing sore throats.

As someone who has suffered from mastitis before, I can tell you that it is not something I'd wish on my worst enemy! It is absolutely brutal. Not only did I experience some extremely intense pain, but I was so exhausted and worn out. I used a number of different remedies, and I only wish I had known about Mastitix from Trilight Health. Users of Mastitix have great success with healing or preventing mastitis. Women only need to take 1/2 teaspoon (up to 150 pounds; those weighing more will need a little bit larger dose) every 2 hours. That's so much easier than the plethora of stuff I was taking to cure my mastitis. If I ever get mastitis again (God forbid!) I will definitely be taking Mastitix!

I've been fortunate enough to not struggle with a low supply, but I know many women are tortured by the fear of not having enough milk. While many times this is an issue that can be remedied by more frequent nursing; the elimination of artificial nipples (pacifiers and bottles); and nursing on demand; there are times when some women just need a little boost. That's where MegaMam can be a great help. (Did you giggle at the name, too?). As with most galactagogues, this is recommended for use under the supervision of a health care practitioner, such as a lactation consultant. Women take 1/2 teaspoon (again, per 150 pounds) for 2-3 times per day. It's that easy! So pills to take or teas to drink. I won't tell anyone if you want to keep making those lactation cookies, though ;)

And last, but certainly not least, we have the always useful Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter. This stuff is amazing! It was so helpful in the early days as we adjusted to breastfeeding, and was a lifesaver when Nora started teething. Now at 15 months, I still make sure I always have a tub on hand. It even does double duty for dry lips on some of those middle-of-the-night nursing sessions when I didn't have lip balm close by.


*Disclosure: If you purchase from Trilight Health through my links above, I may receive free products from Trilight Health for referring you. If you purchase from Amazon through my links, I may receive a small commission.