Like Kirsten the hospital I work at in Australia has feeding charts for the
mother to fill out - it's a tick system for output and BF for the breastfed
or the volume of formula taken if it's a bottle fed infant.  As an HCP I
like it - it is an excellent teaching prompt, and you can identify the
baby's who haven't fed for ages, usually due to intrapartum drugs.  Also
the babies who are feeding poorly are usually picked up by the output or
someone noting urates in several consequtive wees.

Very occasionally I've had a mother ask if she could take the form home to
continue writing it down - like about 3 or 4 times in 20 years.  Counting
nappies on the clothes line is my favourite way of reassuring mothers of
infants intake.  I do take (was it) Heather's point that babies wee
frequently, but I do talk about degree of wetness of the nappy.

Once a mother rang me and told me the baby had fed for XXXX minutes in the
last 5 days (it was the total figure) and was that enough - that really
stunned me!

I think culture has got a lot to do with how mothers breastfeed, parent,
etc.  Our cultures are all changing and these days it seems that many
mothers feel that a breastpump is something to purchase along with nappies
and singlets.  I think it's got a lot to do with the move to dependency on
technology for just about all other aspects of our lives.  So while
breastfeeding diaries at home aren't commonplace here in Australia they may
well become so as we trust our instincts less and what we can quantify more.

Denise

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Denise Fisher BN, RN, RM, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies
++++++ earn 120 L CERPs +++++++++
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.BreastEd.com.au

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