Hi everyone my name is ILO and I'm a registered Midwife and childbirth education instructor I practice full scope Midwifery in a very large Urban setting in Canada and I have two children of my own at home I love educating families through the course of their pregnancies the birth itself and in the postpartum in today's video we're going to talk about growth spurts cluster feeding and building your support network so let's get started let's talk a little about growth spurts and what happens during a growth spurt your baby may have settled into a feeding pattern and then all of a sudden they're back to treating breastfeeding like a 247 Buffet the baby is insatiable they want to feed Round the Clock and never seem satisfied you can be reassured that this is a normal physiologic response and your body will meet the needs of your baby in almost all cases baby will want to feed frequently and it can be quite tiring for mom so make sure that you're settled in for the long haul you have your snacks your hydration your podcast your shows to catch up on close by and recruit friends and family members to help with food and chores and the little things that need doing around the house generally as a growth spurt sets in babies are growing physically which we can see on the outside their bodies fill out a little bit they put on some weight they get nice and rly poly and their head circumference and length increase too keep in mind that there are developmental changes that can happen as well as babies hit certain Milestones like rolling over sitting up crawling they can trigger a growth spurt as well at the end of the day remember this doesn't last forever babies will in a few days settle back into their normal feeding pattern and hopefully go back to resting and sleeping for longer stretches and then you can catch up on your sleep too next we'll chat about cluster feeding and what is cluster feeding exactly cluster feeding is when babies want to have their feeds closer and closer together at certain times of the day these often take place in the evening cluster feeding can be really tiresome and often accompanies a grow spurt try and respond to babies cues whenever they're asking to feed as frequently as they want to offer the breast after a few days they tend to go back to their routine feeding schedule here are some cluster feeding tips to keep you on track and motivated during this particular particularly challenging time it's partly mindset so just remember the amount of time you're putting in now comes back to you in benefits to both you and your baby to start make sure you're wearing something comfortable so a loose pair of pants a light top maybe a soft nursing bra you can try changing positions often and feeding in different positions as well have your snacks your drinks and your techn techology close by and maybe even consider checking in with a friend during this downtime to help pass the time you could also consider practicing feeding your baby in a carrier or a sling that'll keep your hands free throughout more of the day and if you know your baby always feeds at the same time every evening plan ahead use the toilet before you settle in have your snacks and your drinks ready to go and your favorite shows queued up and ready to watch here are some tips for breastfeeding in public remember you are absolutely entitled and have the right to breastfeed your baby in any public setting if you feel more comfortable doing so you can always practice in front of a mirror first to see what it looks like consider taking a friend a partner or an advocate with you into those public settings and until you feel more comfortable you could also wear adaptive clothing or if you choose to wear a nursing bra one that Clips open easily so you can quickly feed your baby if you prefer a more private setting you could always request a private space if there's one available or perhaps consider using a nursing cover a baby blanket or a Shaw to create that space around you let's take a minute to chat about building your support network I like to think about a support network like the ripples in a pond you start with yourself and your partner the person who's been there to support you through the pregnancy the birth and the postpartum a little further out we have our family members our grandparents aunties moms and dads and our close friends friends that may have also breastfed and can help out you might have a friendly neighbor who could bring by food take the dog for a walk and moving a little further out we get to our healthc care team so reaching out to your healthc care provider is always an option there are community-based breastfeeding resources peer-led groups and hospital-based dropin support groups as well and as you're building up that Network just remember remember everybody loves you and wants to support you when you're a new parent it can feel overwhelming at times and like there's too many things to get done in one day so when people offer to bring by food or to do the dishes or do a little vacuuming make sure that you take them up on those offers it can feel self-indulgent to say yes but it's really important that you take care of your yourself as well finally you can look to resources online like the public health agency of Canada your local public health network the international breastfeeding Center or breastfeeding committee for Canada well that brings us to the end of this video I hope you've enjoyed it and there's lots more in this series so please be sure to check out all the others take care and we'll see you soon