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Milk supply and growth spurts (baby)
This tips explains the link between growth spurts and milk supply.
As your baby becomes established in a predictable feeding pattern of every two to three hours/eight to twelve times per 24 hours, this helps the breast understand how much milk should be made at each feeding. The amount of breast milk removed at each feeding signals your breast to continue making this amount at the next feedings. Frequent feedings also match young baby’s stomach capacities. As your baby grows, they take more milk at each breastfeeding and begin to have more time in between feedings. Growth spurts are common around three weeks, six weeks and every few months. This is your body’s way to increase your milk supply.
Let’s say your baby is taking about 3 fluid ounces (85 ml) at each feeding from the breast and her body is beginning to grow bigger and gain weight. To support this new weight, your baby will need 4 to 4½ fl oz (115 to 125 ml) at each feeding, so the breasts need increased stimulation to signal the need to increase the milk production. This signal comes in the form of increased nursing frequency over two to three days. You will be able to recognize this change because the baby will want to nurse frequently, but everything else will seem normal – for example, the baby is happy after feedings and baby’s wet and dirty diapers are the same amount. Most of the time you will only understand the baby went through a ‘growth spurt’ when the baby goes back into a predictable nursing pattern after two to three days of frequent nursing. This is a normal phenomenon called a growth spurt. This shows the importance of cue-based feeding and not timed or shortened feeding.
By Linda Yandell Smith RN, MSN, IBCLC Co-author of Caring for your newborn: How to enjoy the first 60 days as a new mom
As your baby becomes established in a predictable feeding pattern of every two to three hours/eight to twelve times per 24 hours, this helps the breast understand how much milk should be made at each feeding. The amount of breast milk removed at each feeding signals your breast to continue making this amount at the next feedings. Frequent feedings also match young baby’s stomach capacities. As your baby grows, they take more milk at each breastfeeding and begin to have more time in between feedings. Growth spurts are common around three weeks, six weeks and every few months. This is your body’s way to increase your milk supply.
Let’s say your baby is taking about 3 fluid ounces (85 ml) at each feeding from the breast and her body is beginning to grow bigger and gain weight. To support this new weight, your baby will need 4 to 4½ fl oz (115 to 125 ml) at each feeding, so the breasts need increased stimulation to signal the need to increase the milk production. This signal comes in the form of increased nursing frequency over two to three days. You will be able to recognize this change because the baby will want to nurse frequently, but everything else will seem normal – for example, the baby is happy after feedings and baby’s wet and dirty diapers are the same amount. Most of the time you will only understand the baby went through a ‘growth spurt’ when the baby goes back into a predictable nursing pattern after two to three days of frequent nursing. This is a normal phenomenon called a growth spurt. This shows the importance of cue-based feeding and not timed or shortened feeding.
By Linda Yandell Smith RN, MSN, IBCLC Co-author of Caring for your newborn: How to enjoy the first 60 days as a new mom
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