Could it Be?

This past week we fell into a new night time routine, which we are hoping is somewhat of a long-term change. Tuesday when I picked Norah up from daycare they had just heated a bottle (doh!). Since breastmilk is so prescious I did not want to waste it, so I fed it to her as soon as we got home. Right after she sucked down the last drop, I decided to try a little rice cereal. While it is not completely natural for her yet she definitely ate several tablespoons.

That evening we went through the typical bedtime rountine and she was down and out soon after 7PM. Here comes the "new" part of the routine - she slept all the way through until 6:30AM!

It's funny how even though we can only speculate that the reason she slept through is because of the extra food, we've worked very hard to duplicate the routine since that evening. And the results have been good - we are 4 for 5. Last night she got up at 4AM to eat, but we had a minor change in the routine that could have made the difference. I was babysitting my nephews for the evening, so instead of me feeding her right before bed, Seth gave her a 4 oz bottle. Our assumption at this point is that 4 oz was not enough and she typically gets more from me. Also, we gave her some solids yesterday, but did it earlier in the day.

Interestingly, I have read that it is a complete myth that starting solids (or eating habits in general) are linked to better night time sleeping. Supposedly sleep habits are completely neurological. Based on our experience, I'm just not sure if I buy it. I mean, I know I sleep much better when I'm full. And I can recall many nights during my pregnancy that I woke up too hungry to sleep in the middle of the night and had to eat something before I could go back to sleep. Why would this be any different for wee ones?

It's not that I really need the answer. I'm just happy to have a routine that seems to be working and you better believe that we'll be back to it tonight.

As a side note, Tuesday night (the first time she slept through), I was up at 2:30 AM and never went back to sleep. Part of it may have been that I was anticipating a cry from Norah at any moment, but I also had a lot on my mind regarding work. I find it quite ironic that the first night my child slept 11 hours straight I only slept 5 the entire night. Lucikly it has been better ever since.