would a newborn sleep more or eat more during a growth spurt?? my little peanut is 10 weeks old and has been a great sleeper and eater from day one! nothing has changed in his daytime routine but the last 3 nights he'll only sleep 3-4 hours at a time...when he WAS consistently going 6-7 hours at night. is he just needing more food? i just can't figure out what else it could be since nothing has really changed...i already miss the days of plenty of sleep! we were doing so well!
According to Dr. Weissbluth in his book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," a newborn still has melatonin in his body from his mother's body (when he was in the womb). At about four months the melatonin is gone, and he stops sleeping as well. His body won't manufacture its own melatonin until he is about six months old.
Hang in there, but at least know that this is normal.
I have two kids age 17 and 14, ran my own in home daycare for years and have several godchildren who I helped raise so I can tell you from experience....this is normal! Kids always eat way more food than is normal right before a growth spurt, in fact my friends and I call it the 'Buddha Belly', the little pudgy belly that they get from packing on the pounds right before a growth spurt which disappears as soon as the growth spurt happens. If your little guy is getting enought to eat, then during the actual growth spurt you will notice he will sleep more than usual then right after, have more energy than he knows what to do with for a couple of days to a week. Also, right after a growth spurt he will eat less food for a few days then settle into a normal eating pattern again which will be more than before the growth spurt munchies but the portions will be more in keeping with what he should be eating.
Another little tip that I've learned over the years that helped especially at potty training time....your little one's breath will smell 'poopy' (stinky) right before he needs to go poo (usually for about 15-30 min. prior). This helped me when I needed to run errands, I'd check thier breath and if they had stinky breath, I'd wait until they went rather than having to change them out in the public restrooms! This was especially helpful when taking the daycare kids on an outing such as a walk :)
Sounds like a growth spurt to me. He probably needs more food and that is why he is waking up. If he drinks a bottle or breastfeeds and goes right back to sleep, that is probably what it is.
Yes, he would eat more and sleep more! Lots and lots of food!
Yes they do bulk up just before a growth spirt. At least both of ours have. They also have problems sleeping when teeth start to come in.
L.,
You are right on. Growth spurts happen typically at 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months. They aren't exact. Nolan is probably hitting his 3 month growth spurt a little early. The expected signs of a growth spurt are "cluster feeding," especially before bedtime and that babies stop sleeping through the night or don't sleep as well.
The important thing is to get them well fed so they can get back on track. Growth spurts last a few days or maybe a week. If baby keeps getting up and eating in the middle of the night two weeks later, it's because he has adjusted to eating at night again, not because he is still in a growth spurt. (Even if grown-ups starting getting up for a midnight snack, eventually our bodies will wake us up in the middle of the night and say "I'm hungry.")
Fill him up in the daytime as best you can. Give him an extra feeding in the day and stuff him very full before bed. After a week, when you hear him in the night to eat, wait a few minutes to see if he is really hungry before going in there. You can start shortening the meal then, too. Just enough to satisfy, then head out. Give this a week and he should be back to sleeping 6-7 hours or even longer. By 2-3 months, healthy full term babies can go 12 hour stretches at night, so you are almost there.
Good luck,
S.
Welcome to motherhood! Yes it is common for little ones to wake more when they are growth spurting. They are just to hungry to sleep through the night. Or she could have growing pains (cramps in legs and other parts). Hopefully it will be short lived. But expect many more sleep changes in the next year or so. My 14 month old was recently waking 3 times a night because of teething. Just remember all phases are relativly short and they do pass (even the good ones). Enjoy your new baby!
one perhaps little known fact is that sleep is never a constant, no matter what age we are. think of adults you know who have sleep problems! :D so this is normal, and actually healthy for your infant - the more frequent the waking, the lower the risk for SIDS - which is a BIG deal. :D so you totally have that going for you. thats a thought that you can think - though sometimes it may feel horrible to think it, remember that every time your baby wakes up at an odd hour, at least hes waking up at all. some parents dont get that anymore :(
either way, this is normal, could be to do with anything almost, growing, new developmental stage, or just wanting to be closer to you.
one website that i found EXTREMELY helpful and supportive is www.askdrsears.com
good luck - and always have patience with sleep issues. how you deal with the issues can affect their sleep throughout their whole lives.
