Baby Growth Spurt

I mentioned the other day about Wells going through a growth spurt and I don't ever remember experiencing that with my other boys. I'm pretty good at remembering things too so I'm fairly certain this was my first experience with a growth spurt. And by growth spurt I mean Wells needed my supply to increase. Even though I hadn't ever gone through it before, I knew exactly what was happening. From about 3:00 until bedtime he just wanted to constantly eat. He has always gone 3 hours between feedings during the day so I knew his desire to eat more frequently just meant he was in a growth spurt and needed my supply to increase.
I have learned to have confidence in my breastfeeding and not freak out so I never worried something was wrong with my supply and I knew he could take care of it himself. Your body adjusts to an increase or decrease in demand in 3-4 days so I told myself I would wait it out and if by day 5 he still seemed hungry then I would pump to see if that helped or supplement with all of that milk I have stored in my freezer. After 3 days I woke up feeling like my milk had just come in (ha!!) so Wells most definitely increased my supply all on his own and now he is satisfied and back to going 3 hours between feedings! It's kind of amazing to me that he needed more, nursed more frequently, and made it happen....it a very big way!!! I'm proud of my little man and continue to be so in awe of what a woman's body is capable of doing!

I just wanted to write this because I get a lot of questions about breastfeeding and I think it's important to be confident in your breastfeeding journey and to always let nature take it's course. On the first day that Wells seemed like he was wanting more milk, Scott asked me if I wanted to just thaw out some milk and let him have a bottle. I told him no simply because I knew if I did that, my supply wouldn't increase and I would always have to supplement with a bottle from this point forward. I can't even begin to tell you how often I have to feed Wells on the go, so bottles would be a huge hassle for me. Wells wasn't starving by any means so I wasn't concerned that he was hungry. He just wanted a little more available to him.
Sometimes we can make breastfeeding out to be so complicated and it's important to just relax and let nature do it's thing. We can get so caught up in ounces and weight gain and growth charts and pumping output, etc. If you pay attention to your baby's cues, they will let you know what they need or don't need! If day 5 had rolled around and Wells was still wanting to nurse more frequently, I definitely would have taken the next step. Which for me would have been pumping a few times a day while giving him a few ounces in a bottle after a feeding or two, until I felt like my supply had increased and it wasn't necessary to do that anymore. I'm glad he took care of it on his own though!
I just thought I'd share for anyone who may need to hear it. Have confidence in your breastfeeding journey!! I'll leave you with this quote from La Leche League for a little breastfeeding encouragement.
"Breastfeeding is an instinctual and natural act, but it is also an art that is learned day by day. The reality is that almost all women can breastfeed, have enough milk for their babies and learn how to overcome problems both large and small. It is almost always simply a matter of practical knowledge and not a question of good luck."