How long should I track feedings?

dmland17 · October 2015

I was wondering how long I should keep track of feedings. My DD will be 4 weeks in a few days and is already a pound over her birth weight, so I know my milk supply is doing ok. Is it necessary to keep track of the duration of every single feeding or am I ok just making a mental note of when her last feeding was?

BeachBabe22 · October 2015

I haven't tracked them since we left the hospital.

monicaP · October 2015

I only keep track because my brain is like a sieve.

blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby · October 2015

I stopped tracking around week 5. I feel like I can mentally keep track of when I fed her and better tell when she wants to eat again.

rebeccabloomwood · October 2015

We just feed on demand so I don't really keep track. The hosptial wanted me to keep track until I saw my family doctor (who wasn't involved in my delivery) to make sure everything was on track. So I stopped keeping track around day 3. I do make a mental note of how many hours it's been, and how many dirty diapers in a day. If this is something you don't want to keep track of mentally it might be helpful to still track. If not, go with the flow!

ForeverEverAfter · October 2015

I only keep track sporadically, for my own curiosity if things are changing, or I'm concerned. I stopped keeping track after my milk came in.

jen83mn · October 2015

Baby is 5 weeks old and I'm still tracking using the "Baby Tracker" app on my phone, but mostly so I remember which side to feed on next and when he last ate so I can better gauge if he's crying because he's hungry or for some other reason. I also keep track of his diapers and sleep on the app; I'm not so concerned about the diapers anymore since he's doing great in regard to eating, but it is nice to notice his sleep patterns.

GeorgiaDottie · October 2015

Pediatrician said no need to track. As long as it's at least 8 feedings a day and poop/pee diapers.

caityrose · October 2015

I track to remember the last side and when I ended. Like others said if you can remember there's probably no need

Kayciejoe56 · October 2015

We stopped formally tracking after our first dr appt. I try to remember around when he ate last, since I try not to let him go more than 2.5 hours without eating during the day, even when napping. I try to alternate sides, but since sometimes one side produces more/less and sometimes one side hurts really bad, I just kind of pick which side I need to use. I also don't really track the amount of diapers, but feel like I would notice a decrease if something was wrong.

hakettler · October 2015

I track for my own curiosity too and I also can't remember for the life of me which side I last fed lol. My LO is 2.5 weeks. I feed her on demand but she'll wake up every 2-3 hours without me waking her anyways. She also has good poops/pees, so it's really just for my own paranoia!

kanga915 · October 2015

I stopped tracking at about three weeks once I knew her growth was on track. She'd gained a pound and a half and our pedi was happy with that so I stopped using my app.

shelbydd · October 2015

I'm still tracking at 4 and 1/2 weeks pp and have no plans to stop anytime soon. Maybe it's just me but I've found tracking feedings and diaper changes to be extremely useful for a number of reasons. I can time trips around when I know he's going to eat again which makes that super easy. It's also nice having a general idea of when to have a bottle ready. I know down to the ounce how much he is eating every day which is useful to know when we see the pediatrician and to know if he's eating a normal amount. I know if he might possibly be constipated based on his last poopy diaper. I know some people can probably keep up with that off the top of their head but I'm very forgetful.

theglitteredpterodactyl · October 2015

jen83mn said:
Baby is 5 weeks old and I'm still tracking using the "Baby Tracker" app on my phone, but mostly so I remember which side to feed on next and when he last ate so I can better gauge if he's crying because he's hungry or for some other reason. I also keep track of his diapers and sleep on the app; I'm not so concerned about the diapers anymore since he's doing great in regard to eating, but it is nice to notice his sleep patterns.

This but mine is only for weeks old. I'm not perfect about always recording but I find it the most helpful for sleep, to know how long and what the loose patterns are.

AccidentlyEvil · October 2015

theglitteredpterodactyl said:

Baby is 5 weeks old and I'm still tracking using the "Baby Tracker" app on my phone, but mostly so I remember which side to feed on next and when he last ate so I can better gauge if he's crying because he's hungry or for some other reason. I also keep track of his diapers and sleep on the app; I'm not so concerned about the diapers anymore since he's doing great in regard to eating, but it is nice to notice his sleep patterns.
This but mine is only for weeks old. I'm not perfect about always recording but I find it the most helpful for sleep, to know how long and what the loose patterns are.

This is me too - I 'feel' like we're getting more sleep, but SO disagrees... so we started watching the numbers. It's a nice distraction from (or maybe justification for) sleep deprivation!

cjstats87 · October 2015

I haven't tracked at all with this baby...once you feel comfortable with a general schedule you should be fine. There is no right answer!

Boobopgirl · October 2015

I track until mine regain birth weights and I have a fair idea of patterns. If I feel a pattern has changed, I will track again. I also keep close track of patterns, feeds and diapers when we start introducing solids?

dmland17 · October 2015

Thanks! I went ahead and stopped recording every session and switched to making a mental note of her last feeding and which side she started on.

MiromiM · October 2015

I track using an app because it remembers which side I started on last and how long it's been since a feed. We are mostly on demand. I wake her up by hour 3 during the day if she ever goes that long. I also try to stretch her out at least 1.5 hours between feeds as recommended by her doctor. She's a comfert sucker so it's good to know when she actually needs food versus a snuggle, pacifier, sleep, attention, ect.

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