Yes, you read it correctly.
It wasn’t easy, but we (she) made it past the 1 year mark while tracking stats.
Though some of you might think so, I’m not really a stat nerd but I do like understanding things better. It’s like tracking your steps with a Fitbit or Apple Watch but this time, you get to track food and poop.
I just thought it would be great to have some data so it can be easier the next time around when we eventually decide for baby #2!
Anyway, we tracked it using the app called Blum Plus (formerly known as Basic Baby) which I reviewed back then here.
I hope you enjoy this article that’s literally “1 year in the making.”
My Thoughts and Expectations
I knew going into this, that we would get a better idea of how long Light needed to nurse. We would know how long she needs typically so we’d immediately know if something is wrong. We’d also know if she is still hungry.
Having an average diaper count per day would also show us if there are any irregularities so we can spot things early. Thankfully, we didn’t need that.
I expected that the bulk of mommy’s time spent was on taking care of the baby. Mainly, nursing and changing diapers.
Boy, was I wrong.
Check this out, boys.
It’s Baby Data Time
There’s not much to say. The images speak for themselves.
We pretty much tracked the number of nursing sessions, how long each session lasted, and diaper changes.
We tracked naps and sleeping habit to a lesser extent as they were practically the same throughout, just in a bit different times of the day.
In summary:
- 1928 Diaper Changes which is around 6/day
- 3293 Feeding Sessions which is around 9/day
- 375 Hours Of Feeding which is around 1 hour/day
Key Takeaways from Year 1
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It’s rather cheap to have a baby…
If everything was normal, no complications and you guys stuck with breastfeeding, it’s pretty cheap to have a baby in the 1st year. You save over 20 grand (pesos) at the least from the milk alone. Couple that with cloth diapers and you basically halve the cost since you will still need to use disposables in many cases.
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Expect a drop in nursing sessions between the 7th and 10th month
It’s usually when you start with solids, so sometime around the 6th month and onwards. That’s also the time you will see a big change in development, especially by the 9th or 10th month. More personality traits will start to show and you’ll be able to interact more. Expect to do other things, besides laundry at this point, like playing, keeping the baby amused, prepping meals and other stuff.
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You will keep changing diapers
You don’t have a choice. You will basically change around the same amount each day. I know each baby is different and the “capacity” will grow with each size upgrade of the diaper but expect to change the same average number of diapers. 😀
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It’s not much “work” to take care of the actual baby…
1 hour per day of feeding and 6 diaper changes which is around 30 minutes total? Take a bath for 30 minutes tops. That’s 2 hours.
You spend most of your time on other things, such as laundry, prepping food, doing your own thing and even planning the baby’s first birthday party, all the while juggling time watching or amusing the baby.
The baby will take 2 naps per day on average and will sleep around 9 hours during the night. You will wake up once or twice at night to change the diaper and for nursing.
So, assuming the naps take 1 hour each, the baby has 13 hours of wake time. Take away 2 hours from the diapers/nursing and you get 11 hours left to fill up.
Those are the reasons why moms feel tired all the time. (Do some exercises when the baby is taking a nap! Seriously, it helps a lot over time.)
Note to Fathers: I am not saying your wife isn’t doing anything. Don’t misunderstand this. It’s tiring and draining. Breastfeeding alone is hard enough. If your baby is low-maintenance like how Light is, then your wife can halve the time spent with baby by using toys for distraction so she might be able to do some actual work on the side with the extra 5 hours she has.
Over To You!
How about you guys? Did you notice the same things?
Be sure to share this out to people that have a baby or will be having one.
I’m sure the stats here will be pretty interesting to them!
We’d really appreciate you spreading the word and joining us in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!
Papa
I am just on our 7th month journey with my daughter and I should commend you for tracking all of those! I think I just tracked things until she is 12 weeks but after that I am just too distracted to do so. (finding a valid excuse, haha!) Feeding time for my little one I think will be longer as she feed every 1 1/2- 2 hours on a normal basis but when she is younger around every 30mins – 1 hour. So whenever a new mom would worry about her supply because her little one keeps on asking milk, I always tell them my story. Moreover, what is tiring i guess is doing all the side work and when you are too sleepy your little one wants to play and when she finally sleeps you have lost all the sleepiness in you.
Hi Krystle,
Totally! It’s not easy work and I really have to show my appreciation. I also understand what you mean with the last part haha.
It’s ok, you still got to 12 weeks. You at least knew enough details to know that your baby wasn’t going hungry 😀
How long does she feed per session? 10minutes? That’s a LOT of feeding (and waiting) time!
When she was less than 7 weeks there are days that she feeds for 45 mins and gets hungry after an hour. haha! But as she gets older nursing time also shortens. Now she is on an average of 7mins per feeding.
I always say to new breastfeeding moms, this too shall pass. Haha
LOL! That’s right. We’re now down to 2-4 feeding sessions per day. It DOES really pass hahaha 😀
I have never tracked my baby like you, but you made me thinking about it. I think I’ll start tracking my child now 🙂 I’ve learnt a lot form your family’s blog, thanks! Me and my family wish you guys the best !!!
Thanks Sandra! You should! It will help you estimate stuff and have more peace of mind. Appreciate the kind words! 🙂