Most likely, your baby is going through a growth spurt. Infants have pretty predictable growth spurts through the first 6 months of their life, and then experience growth spurts as they reach other milestones in their life through the teenage years (although by that point, it's not quite as predictable when it will happen). It's pretty typical to see growth spurts at 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months. Growth spurts happen with stages of development, not only for the body but also the brain. So in the beginning, they need those crazy nursing spurts to grow in size, but later on they'll need them for the purpose of brain development as they learn to sit, use fine and large motor skills, crawl, walk, talk, etc...The day my daughter "found" herself in the mirror at 5 months, she nursed like an animal for 3 days straight.
So what can you expect. Well first of all, you can expect to stop sleeping soundly for a few days. Growth spurts are exhausting. However, overnight is when baby does the majority of their growing. You may also find that baby sleeps longer stretches but then nurses every 1/2 hour in between those stretches. It can be different for every baby, but the main thing to know is that there will be a lot of nursing. In the first 6 weeks, these growth spurts are also super beneficial to building and regulating your milk supply. On the other side however, after a growth spurt babies can be extra sleepy. So hang in there!
Another thing to expect during a growth spurt is a fussy baby. Fussy, fussy, fussy. As adults, we don't really think about (or remember) what it's like for our bones to grow and our bodies to change rapidly. Once we reach a certain age, our body just kinda does it's thing over time. Babies, however, double, triple, and even quadruple in size in their first 1-2 years of life. That means growth spurts are a time when those little bones are lengthening and their little bodies are rapidly changing. During times of major milestones (rolling over, sitting up, becoming mobile), their little brains are on hyper drive, trying to keep up with their development. So now consider all of this as an adult, and now put it into the tiny mind of an infant that has no ability to cognitively understand what is happening to them. And I go back to my original statement, expect a fussy baby. You aren't doing anything wrong, your baby has't turned into a gremlin you have to be afraid of after midnight, they are just unhappy and want a boob. The best way to get through a growth spurt with the least amount of anxiety and issues, is just give them what they want. The more we fight their needs, the more exhausting it all becomes.
In the early stages of a growth spurt, you may find that baby is beating you up and changing up the way they suck. They aren't protesting. When your typical nursing "schedule" is every 3 hours and your body has gotten used to that, baby has to work a little harder to alert your body of his/her needs for the purpose of the growth spurt. So the first couple days, baby is going to attack your breasts in an effort to stimulate prolactin release (the hormone in your brain responsible for milk production), which in turn kicks in your letdown. Once your body gets used to this new way of nursing (at least for the moment), it should regulate to your baby's needs for the growth spurt. It's really important to respond to your baby's cues to nurse because your body needs to make the extra milk to keep up with your baby's demand. If you are working or going to school during a growth spurt, it is advisable to get in a few extra pumps a day to keep up with what baby will need, and to keep your supply going for those overnight feedings.
Do not be surprised if you become engorged, especially the day or 2 after a growth spurt when baby's nursing becomes less frequent again. Unless pumping is part of your daily routine anyway, it is advisable to just follow your baby's nursing cues and refrain from pumping off the extra milk, as this will continue to signal your body to make more. If you become uncomfortable, try hand expressing a little bit into a cup or bottle to add to your stash, just to relieve the pressure. But a full on pumping session will just continue the cycle of production and engorgement. If you typically have an oversupply, it can be helpful to block feed for a couple days after a growth spurt to help signal to your body that production can slow down.
Another important piece of advice is to stay hydrated and don't ignore your body if it says its hungry. Don't be afraid to add an extra 300 calories a day to your diet during a growth spurt. You WILL burn it off with all that extra nursing. Eat things like fresh fruit, whole grains, coconut oil, and high protein items like fish and chicken. These food items will increase your energy and keep your body going strong. Avoid food items that are high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white processed flour, and dairy as their empty calories will likely only contribute to weight gain and cravings.
Sleep when you can. The rest of the world will wait. Trust me. This will not last forever. This is just a 3-5 day blip on the radar of the rest of your life and it is soooo important to your baby's growth and development.
