For a few days I have noticed a kind of mismatch in terms of feeding my baby who has turned three months ten days ago.
As usual, the mothers who breastfeed we have a lot of doubts about this kind of derangement such as will I have run out of milk? Will it stay hungry? Will my milk not reach? I have investigated about it and apparently we are going through a very frequent situation called the three month crisis.
We will see what it is and fundamentally, how to cope with it.
What is the three month crisis
It is possible that you notice that your baby, who had more or less a regular rhythm of shots now claims the breast more often, wakes more at night, cries more, seems to always be hungry, breast twice and release the chest ...
In short, you notice it as restless, as if something had been misadjusted regarding the demand for milk. This worries mothers a lot, and of course me too. We doubt our ability to feed the baby, we believe that our milk no longer satisfies him, that we no longer produce the amount of milk he needs and he is hungry.
Although the three-month crisis is called, it does not necessarily occur at three months. It can also occur at three, at six weeks or at six months, but it is more common to be approximately the third month of the baby's life.
What happens to the mother and the baby
The crisis symptoms They are very noticeable, both for the mother and the baby.
The mother's breasts are softer and do not drip. They seem less crowded because they are no longer as swollen or "lose" as the first months. We do not notice the "rise" of milk, but if we squeeze the nipples, milk does come out.
The baby sucks less and for less time, no longer spend a good time on the tit as he did before. It makes shorter and more frequent shots.
To make matters worse, the baby is no longer fattening at the rate he did the previous months, but this is absolutely normal.
To this is added that the baby can suck his finger or put his hand in his mouth which is interpreted as a sign that he is hungry.
They also decrease bowel movements. We no longer change as many diapers as we did before when practically every time I suckled, I pooped.
Growth crisis
What happens is not a mismatch, but an adjustment between supply and demand. The breasts have adjusted to what the baby needs.
The baby has already become an expert in breastfeeding and does not need to be so long on the breast. Suction is more effective and eats more in less time.
Simply, what happens is that the baby is growing and his appetite has increased, so it is also called crisis or growth outbreak.
How to solve the three month crisis
Without the right information, the first thing that crosses our mind is to reinforce the bottle shots, believing that it will be more satisfied. But this is not the solution if we intend to continue breastfeeding because if we replace the breast with a bottle, the less we offer the breast, the less the baby will stimulate milk production.
What we have to achieve is to adapt to the new needs of the baby. This is breastfeed whenever you ask, as many times. If you need to eat more, then we just have to feed it more. Putting it more to the chest will increase milk production. Production can also be stimulated using a breast pump.
My baby is super demanding these last days, he just calms down in his arms or chest, doesn't want to know anything with his crib or being left alone in his hammock. We have to keep in mind that our baby may be going through a special stage and simply needs us to hold him more in his arms and put him to his chest as comfort, even if he doesn't breastfeed.
I know it's a bit tiring, tell me with two more girls, but if we don't get overwhelmed we will naturally overcome this breastfeeding bump.
