When your baby is brand new and you are establishing breastfeeding, we track how often your baby is eating, how many wet and dirty diapers your baby has, and your baby’s weight. These metrics help us determine if breastfeeding is going well and when there is cause for concern. Tracking this data is very important in preventing underfeeding of your newborn and protecting the milk supply when a baby is not eating efficiently at the breast.

In the past few years, baby tracking apps have become very popular, but they aren’t actually a great way to track what is going on with your baby. The purpose of tracking this data is to help you determine if you need professional support, and for the health care providers and lactation consultants that may be providing this support in determining how your baby is doing. This data is often utilized to create customized care plans when breastfeeding is off track to help move things back in a positive direction.

Apps may feel like they are more convenient, but they complicate making that data you have carefully tracked sharable with the professionals supporting you. Doctors have limited time with patients as do lactation consultants with clients. Even private practice home visits by lactation consultants are not an infinite amount of time. The time professionals have to spend figuring out what the data is telling them is time that could have been spent better supporting you.

The Genuine Lactation Written Infant Feeding Logs (see below) are designed to track nursing sessions, pump sessions, supplemental feedings, diapers, and weight. The form is organized to make it easy for parents to write things down, and it takes minimal time for health care providers and lactation consultants to assess to see what is going on and provide you with the support you need.

As an added bonus, the written logs are easier to wean yourself from, whereas the baby tracking apps encourage you to continue tracking data long term. Once breastfeeding is well established and your baby is eating well and gaining weight, we don’t want you to spend time tracking your baby. We want you to learn to trust your parental instincts and ability to respond to your baby. It’s that responsive parenting that is necessary to maintain the breastfeeding relationship long term, and no tracking app is going to beat watching your baby and responding to their cues without the pressure of the clock and data.

Genuine Lactation Written Feeding Logs

For the first 14 days of life, we are typically closely watching your baby and the metrics for your baby to see if they’re doing well and change daily as your baby grows. This log provides daily metrics to help you feel more confident in your breastfeeding situation, and it helps you determine if you need additional support.

Download the 14 Day Genuine Lactation Feeding Log

After the first 14 days, the metrics for breastfeeding success are fairly steady, and there is not a need for a customized daily log. Most babies will not require tracking after the first 14 days, but some special situations require tracking for longer. This log helps facilitate continued monitoring and support for these babies.

Download the Genuine Lactation Feeding Log

Are you a lactation consultant and want this form for your own private practice clients? This feeding log is available for professional purchase as a Breastfeeding Brandable.

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