Letting go of the log

For the past 21 weeks, I have kept a 'baby log', recording breastfeeding, pumping (when I was still doing it all the time), formula supplementing, diaper contents (in the early days), sleep habits, etc. This helped me see patterns in his napping & sleeping so I could better understand why he was fussy at particular times of the day. It reassured me that he was getting enough nourishment when he produced lots of wet & dirty diapers. It helped me figure out a balance between breastfeeding & formula supplementing that maximizes the amount of breast milk he drinks.

As the weeks dragged on, I eliminated tracking of various bodily functions, one by one. I kept setting milestones when I would give up this logging completely, but I never quite got to the point where I wanted to quit; there was always a reason that I needed to keep track of something.

I stopped logging this weekend, realizing that now that we've got a routine in terms of sleeping, breastfeeding & supplementing, there's really no need to continue. I'm still reflexively looking for the log to write down when he last ate or what time he napped. However, I'm glad to have left such vigilance behind in 2010.