No,
growth spurts shouldn’t hurt your baby. Although it's easy to see why you may worry that they do, if your baby is grizzly and unsettled.
There's no evidence that babies suffer from growing pains. Your baby is programmed to grow fast in her
first year. In fact, this is the fastest she'll ever grow!
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So try not to worry and just do your best to adjust while your baby's going through a growth spurt. It's normal for her sleep and behaviour to change when she’s growing quickly. She may:
- sleep more than usual or less than usual
- sleep lightly, or find it hard to settle
- seem fussy or clingy when she’s awake
- cry more than usual
None of this disruption is caused by your baby feeling any pain. Babies can be restless at night for all sorts of reasons, ranging from feeling unusually tired or hungry, to
teething.
A growth spurt will not cause your baby to have a fever. If your baby has a fever, she may be unwell, so see your doctor for a check up.
Always listen to your instincts, though. If you think that your baby is in pain or discomfort, whether or not she’s having a growth spurt, talk to your
doctor or
child health nurse.
Find out more about
growth spurts.
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