Seems the consensus is that babies should have as many wet diapers as
days of their life recorded on the bf log....but what puzzles me is
how we know enough about the urine outputted by a newborn to make
this recordable as a norm....indeed, to make the achievement of that
number a positive sign, and anything below it a warning.
Newborns pee many times in a day.
One of our standard textbooks here (The newborn child, ed. DG
Vulliamy, Churchill Livingstone) says up to 20 times a day in the
second week. Any mother or father knows this, anyway, as they are
quite likely to be pee'd on any time the baby's bottom is uncovered :
)
My point is, you could be counting those diapers and be misled, couldn't you?
Wetness, and the 'need' to change the baby's nappy, is very subjective.
We've often discussed the drawbacks of the 'numbers' game on this
list. My contention is we just don't know enough to make 'checking'
of bf in this way into an exact science. Honestly, is it not better
that we encourage those mothers who lack confidence and possibly
information, to be looking at their baby, and the way he is feeding
and behaving, (and learning to ask the right questions ourselves if
there are doubts), rather than getting them to count feeds and
nappies?
Bf logs seem to me to be an intervention, and where an intervention
exists in the context of normal, healthy term babies, we should be
sure it does more good than harm.
I think also we are talking cultural differences here - what do you
reckon, Magda? I really don't think UK mothers or their HPs would
respond well to a bf log - it would be something very new and could
even be considered intrusive. US mothers may accept it more readily,
and may even take heart from it.
Maybe there should be an RCT of bf logs - seriously.
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK
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