Growing Boy

Taking care of a baby is pretty easy. All this newborn does is sleep, wakes up for a diaper change and feeding, and falls back asleep while feeding. So don't believe anyone who says otherwise. After all, I have a whole week and a half of fathering experience, so who better to believe than me?

I would have believed that, until we hit Day 10. Now, this kid no longer wants to sleep. His eyes are wide open after a feeding, and I have no idea what to do with him. He can't watch TV with me, because he can't focus his eyes more than 6 inches in front of him. He can't play video games with me, because he isn't strong enough to hold a game controller. He can't wrestle with me, since he hasn't learned how to walk yet. And he's not old enough to drink with me. But it seems like he he wants to keep feeding... which is not normal.

Bringing him home from the hospital, he would drink two ounces of milk, every two to three hours. Since then, he's upped his intake to three ounces. Now, all of a sudden, we can't even keep track - he just wants more and more. And he won't sleep until he gets it.

A little bewildered, we deduce that this is beyond even my own endless well of baby wisdom. We start flipping through all the books, guides, and manuals we own. In my "The Baby Owner's Manual," I find the following snippet which I've never heard of before:

Growth Spurt Waking: Most models experience growth spurts (a sudden increase in body mass) at the ages of 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 months, 3 months, and 6 months.During these spurts, the baby may be restless at night,and his appetite may increase, especially during the night. These spurts, which can last up to 72 hours, are an essential part of the baby's growth, and there is little the user can do to change them. Feed the baby as necessary, then re-activate sleep mode.

Now that makes perfect sense. Keep eating kiddo, and we'll try wrestling again at 3 weeks.