Witching hour 🤷♀️
I am not sure why it is has been named this (I think it’s a horrible term). It is met with what seems to be an unsettled baby at the same time every evening.
If you have a newborn and are around week 3 to 6, and your baby seems unsettled of an evening (especially if breastfed) please be assured that the “fussiness” is totally normal. It’s their clever little way of indicating a growth spurt and if Breastfed, stimulating your milk supply ready for a growth spurt!
Signs might be:
- tiredness, not knowing what to do with themselves
- flapping arms when feeding
- pulling on and off the breast
- Cluster feeding (lots and lots of feeding)
Charlie is very content during the day, however this last week, around 7pm, he gets unsettled. It lasts a couple of hours.
Having breastfed 3 babies already, I know that this is a perfectly normal stage and will soon pass. However first time breastfeeding mums might not be aware and think that their is something wrong with baby or their milk supply not enough to satisfy baby, which is why a lot of mums stop feeding at around 6 weeks.
It can be quite upsetting to see baby so unsettled, But here are some tips that I found helpful to get through this stage:
- Babywearing (it might take a little more walking around / swaying than usual)
- Strip off and have Skin to skin
- Try giving baby a massage
- YouTube - look at Tiger in the tree hold
- If baby seems to not be taking the breast, then hum a little tune (it’s sends vibrations to baby, calms you both down and milk flows easier) Maybe change feeding position or even run a bath and feed baby in the bath.
This stage can be tricky, as it usually occurs in the evening, which for most mums is the busiest time of day with making dinner, getting ready for bed, tidying up etc. But honestly it passes and I hope that this helps ease your mind if your baby is going through a growth spurt and evenings of fussiness xx