4 Months Old and Too Hungry To Deny

Our little angel has the most wonderful temperment in the world, so I really didn't think anything was wrong with her. She's been putting on lots of weight and reaching every expected baby threshold early. So why wasn't she sleeping??? Calla started off well each night (2.5-3 hours) and then after her first feed things would go downhill. She would wake up every hour and require anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour of settling afterwards. I often look like a zombie, but it was beginning to get out of control. I even moved her into her into her cot/crib in her own room to see if that would help. Initially she slept rather well, but the next night she was back to her old tricks. I tried to put her on a more rigid routine and settling program configured from multiple parenting books. No go, the kid would not go to sleep without settling in my arms.

The other day and picked up some baby rice cereal that day for 4 month olds. I thought, this is the only thing I can think of. A few of the "other generation" of moms had mentioned that this could help, but it is highly recommended that you not start your child on solids until 6 months and even then to keep them on breast milk as long as possible. She ate 1/2 tbsp the first night and slept 5 hours straight (however, this coincided with an immunization earlier in the day, so pure fluke?). The second night she seemed to humour me and ate a tbsp of rice cereal, breast milk and sweet potato/apple puree. Every bite she would raise her eyebrows in surprise, but sucked it right off the edge of her lips. That night she slept for three, 3 hour intervals. Still pretty good.

The third night she was too tired to eat properly and shooed away my attempts and I obliged, but noticed that she awakened earlier than usual and only slept two, 3 hour intervals. We'll see what happens tonight, but the kid polished off her 2 tbsps of sweet potato, carrot, rice cereal and breast milk and wanted more. When I say " polished off", she literally stole the spoon and bowl from me and started licking them clean. She would make sucking noises and then smile in delight when I gave her each spoon full.

Moral of the story...heed the advice of medical professionals, but listen to baby as well.