Did you keep track of your twins schedule, eating, diaper changes, etc?

Did anyone keep notebooks for each twin or one for both on what they ate, when and their poop and pee?

Do I need to do this? Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks

 

I didn't. :blush: But I know it is recommended & lots of doctors like for people to do that as a record of what's been going on in case there's a problem. I was just so exhausted, the last thing on my mind was writing down every time someone pooped or peed.

 

DH and I did for the first month after that I just made a mental note of everything. Within a few months, things became more predictable.

 

for the first 2 weeks or so i tried to log poops and peeps. it did end up being relevant because of those early wellness visits when they first came home from NICU. but after that i didn't worry about it.

for feedings we have a whiteboard in the kitchen and i wrote down ounces there after each meal. i kept a list of total ounces per day down at the bottom just to be able to average it out. i did that for about 4 months. we're dealing with reflux, though, so we had to worry about intake. i'm not sure i think it would be necessary for everyone to do that.

 

For the first few weeks. The hospital really didn't give us a choice, and then the pedi wanted to know the information. We stopped between 2 and 3 weeks.

 

I still keep a log at 5-1/2 months since they were born. It helps me remember things like which breast was which baby last, how many days it's been since S pooped and he needs prune juice, and did I just imagine or did one sleep 5 hours last night? It's also very useful when you have others watching your babies regularly. Have they fed, changed diapers, etc? Did A eat all his formula? I just modified a Word template - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC102178861033.aspx?CategoryID=CT101440991033

 

We kept one for them in NICU so we just continued doing it at home. I find it really useful still to this day, it sort of keeps me sane-ish!
I just fill it in after the girls nap but before i clear up, that way any poo diapers and formula amounts are fresh in my mind! It is just two columns listing times we wake, feed, nap, sleep, wake, feed nap, sleep, wake, feed, nap, sleep, wake, bath, feed, bed, sleep. Next to the feeds i write the formula amount drank and BO when necessary (i.e if bowels were opened)
My Mum looks at me as if i am crazy filling it all in but it is second nature now and helps me feel a little more in control of our crazy days. In the early days we spent alot of time too and from the drs because of reflux and various illnesses so it was handy to take with us as they alomst always asked about how much the were drinking and when they pooped, my sleep deprived brain would never in a million years of remembered who had what and when.

 

I did for the first month because one twin was having issues gaining weight and the doctors were freaking me out. So, I made a log in excel and had it near their changing table and would log every diaper and fill in feedings there too. After those first few weeks though their stuff was all pretty predictable at our house.

 

Ha, we *still* do it! Okay, I actually make the nanny do it, but she's continuing what we did when we brought them home. Since they were early and small, we wanted to keep track of feedings and diaper changes so we knew they were getting enough nutrition. Eventually we stopped doing it for the nights and weekends we spent with them (at probably 4 or 5 months), and the nanny does it so we know how they're doing during the day. But my guys are still not on the growth chart, so we're pushing hard on the food and are still concerned about ounces.

I would definitely suggest doing it at least for a few weeks after they are born, just so you get an idea of what they're doing and to notice any patterns. This will really help during those sleep deprived early days when you can't remember who fed whom and whose diaper has been changed! After thing settle down you can re-evaluate and see if you need to continue.

 

I think we did this for about 3 weeks after we brought the babies home - so for a month total because we were in the hospital for a week. It really helped us keep track of who ate what, when and how much. I knew for a fact that they were going through enough wet and dirty diapers a day but we logged that too. My doctor's first questions were always about eating so having that info handy at those several appointments in the first month or so came in handy. Plus, if you have friends, relatives, neighbors helping out they may not remember so writing it down will help with that when they feed.

 

DH and I did this for the first 2 1/2 months, we were terrified that we'd forget something for the doctor's appointments or get confused about who did what. Once we were more confident in what was going on, we stopped the diary.

 

I never kept track of poops and pees but always have and continue to keep track of times and amounts of feeds. At first it was necessary to remember which one ate when and not get them confused, and when my Mom or DH would trade off with me it helped with communication. Now it comes in handy with scheduling and sleep training.

 

Thanks so much for your responses, this helps a lot!

 

I am still doing it. Since I am SAHM with no help I find it very helpful. My twins are not greatest eaters, so it helps me see how much food they consume each day. I had to take them to nutritionist and my notes were very helpful.
I am not sure when I am going to stop writing everything down, perhaps when my mom will visit us for six months.

 

Yes, we used a 2 subject notebook for each baby and recorded time of bottle, amount taken, pee/poop, meds, vomit. I also used a dry erase board in my kitched to keep track of times of feedings and notes to myself about the day.I did it for 8 months :faint:

 

For the first 4-6 wks we did too, who fed how long, at what time, took what meds, had a poop or pee diaper. It did help when i was so exhausted it felt like i had just fallen asleep and when i looked at my chart it had actually been 3 hrs since their last feed.

 

I found that taking notes about the time & amount of food each baby ate was extremely helpful! I also noted poop/pee. During the first couple months, taking care of the twins was so exhausting and I found it really hard to remember when I fed the babies & which one. Time seemed to go by so fast! I took notes hit & miss for the next couple months after that, but only when it was a bad day. The babies became more predictable & I just didn't need it anymore.

 

I did for 2 days. After that I realized that I was losing sleep by doing it and it wasn't accurate anyway since I was tired and not marking it every time.

 

We kept a note book for the first couple of weeks. Ben's blood sugar was a bit all over the place when he was born so we kept note of how much he was eating and I kept forgetting who'd done what when so decided to write it all down so that I could tell the midwife when she came to visit... otherwise i wouldn't have a clue when she asked me how often they were pooping etc. Stopped after a while just because we started to forget or the notebook was downstairs and it was 3am ...

 

I did for the first couple of months or so. We had reflux, so I was constantly worried that they weren't getting enough.

 

Yes,and we still do. It has really helped us in many ways. Plus it is fun to look back on.
I have a main Excel spreadsheet that I make minor changes when we started solids or needed medications.

 

Heck no! We didn't even do it regularly in the hospital. We were too exhausted. The nurses probably thought we were horrible parents. Oh well.

 

I still keep a notebook--I find it helps me remember things. I write down length of feeds, which breast, poops, length of naps (that's the big one now that we're working on sleep training) and anything notable that happened, like rolling over, etc. I find it helps me--like pp's said I don't have to remember things, it's handy to take to the pedi, and as a bonus my DH likes it because he comes home at night and can read the book as well as ask me questions. To tell you the truth, I've become quite attached to doing it and don't know when I'll stop--it would feel odd to do so. It came in really handy when they were sick and I could look at how much they had been eating/pooping/throwing up etc. We just use a steno pad like this one--each girl gets her own side.

 

We did and it was a good thing too. David did not have a bowl movement for 6 days after the meconium was done. I recommend it for 2-3 weeks, but after that, you do not want to go batty with it!

Jenn

 

I have a little timer called an Itzbeen that I use to track how long it's been since each boy was fed, but I reset it each time we nurse. Otherwise, I don't track anything. I can't even say that this is because these are my 3rd and 4th kids because I never tracked with my other two either. :spy:

 

Similar to what a lot of others have said... we did it too. I logged when I nursed, how long I nursed, when I gave bottles, how many ounces, and wets and dirties. I was sort of obsessive about it for a month and then I forgot one night and just stopped. I think it's a good idea in the beginning - it helps you remember things when you are tired.