growth spurts

[sloane]

i see a lot of posts that mention growth spurts & particularly in regards to the 6-8 week mark in NBs & i was wondering what they involve?

DS had just dropped 1-2 feeds a day to 9 or 10 a day but has gone back to 11 a day in the last couple of days & i'm wondering if this is maybe a growth spurt or whether it's just 'normal' for babies to change the number of feeds per day (although i know 11 feeds is perfectly normal for his age)? also, DS has put on 1.5kg in the last 4 weeks & grown about 1.5cms so i'm wondering whether a growth spurt is something other than weight/height? is it developmental at this age as well?

[MantaRay]

Sloane, babies do tend to change their number of feeds over time, but it could also be a growth spurt. A growth spurt is now known not to be so much a growth spurt as a phase of more intense neourological development. Most often these happen at around 6 weeks, 3 months, and 4 -5 months, although it can vary. At these times babies seem to want to feed more often, sometimes it seems like it's constant for a couple of days. It's all very normal and the best thing to do is just keep feeding on demand and rest as much as you can.

[sloane]

thanks MR i just couldn't think how much more he could put on when he's already off the scale if it was a weight-related growth spurt!!

that makes complete sense about a neurological growth spurt as i've noticed some changes in the last week