Sunday, June 5, 2011

Cake and data

Bun Bun is one month old today. It's a bit hard to wrap my head around. What have I been DOING for the past month?

In honor of this important occasion, we had cake. I also created a chart representing the intervals between Bun Bun's feedings for the past four weeks or so. Ever since the YOUR BABY IS WASTING AWAY TO NOTHING AND WILL SOON BE DEAD episode in the hospital, I've been writing down the times of her feedings. First it was to be able to provide information for the hospital nurses, the pediatrician, and the lactation consultants, but after a while, it was more about feeling like I'd accomplished something. Writing information down after every feeding makes me feel like my existence has some kind of form to it. And certainly, when I look at it, it's very clear what I've been doing for the past month.



How to read the chart: The x axis is days, and the y axis is a 24 hour period, with midnight at the bottom. Each colored block represents an interval from one feeding to the next. And on the right, you can get some information about scale.

Careful observers may note that:
A) There are usually only 8 feedings per day. I.e., my baby is not driving me insane by needing to eat every ten minutes. That may change at any moment, but while it lasts, I'm very grateful.

B) The first three bars (black-grey)--which represent the dreaded When We Would Like To Be Sleeping Times--are fairly large, typically in the three hour range. I hesitate to jinx myself, but...Bun Bun kind of sleeps at night. Which is merciful and amazing. Of course, we are not necessarily sleeping during those beautiful, long intervals. She grunts and squeaks (and now SHRIEKS) all through the night, all without waking up. Meaning she wakes us up for no reason. So at night our lives are about ignoring as much of this as possible until it seems clear she's actually hungry. (And trust me, I've tried feeding her any time she makes a peep, and it does not work out well for anyone.) I think this is a known downside of co-sleeping (we're doing the in-bed cosleeper): babies are fucking noisy. But for me, the fact that I don't have to go to another room to make sure she's still alive makes it all worthwhile. I should also point out that during some of those intervals, Mr. Bunny is watching international cricket matches with an awake Bun Bun while I sleep. Sux 2 B him. That said, in general I think we've gotten off quite easily for the past month, and I'm hopeful that month two will not bring about any radical changes. Unless they want to be in the direction of her sleeping even more--or even more quietly--at night--that would be okay.

C) There's probably something nonsensical about this chart, like what happens between days. Don't call me out on it, man. I'm not exactly at my intellectual best.

And of course, in spite of the FUCKING DEPRESSED (which I assure you is transient and not even all that frequent, and in fact hasn't reared its head in about a week, so who knows, maybe the moment I finally come up with a good name for it, it will vanish forever) I sure love my baby. I feel like this goes without saying, so there's no need to mention it. And it's also un-sayable, in the sense of not being easily put into words. But I mean, seriously, look at this tiny foot. How could I not be in love with a creature sporting such a tiny foot?


I totally am, heart and soul.

16 comments:

  1. Not that I am suggesting you do this, but I STILL keep track of feedings, sleep times, and diaper changes. There's an app for that. (It should be called "Good For Newborns and Through Age 12 If You Are a First-Time Parent.) I like to delude myself that I will be able to see trends in sleeping habits, nursing habits, etc. But really, I like it for the same reason you like it: it gives me a sense of "what the hell did I do with this day?" and of accomplishment (I spent 2 hours nursing today!).

    I heart your chart. The scientist in me wants to make out with you. Or with your chart. Either way.

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  2. Love the chart, missy. That foot is downright nom worthy. And it appears to be wrapped in a drawstring gift bag, bonus! I am sending the bun quiet sleepy time thoughts and just telling her mom how fucking amazing she is at this biznaz.

    A month with some sleep and a baby that's fed (and happy, no?) is worthy of a cake, indeed.

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  3. omfg, the grunting. yeah.

    i am so jealous of your 8x that i'm ignoring it. i didn't have the heart to count until closer to 7 weeks. and it was 13. (it's fewer now, which is why i'm still talking to you.)

    re: F.D. yep. right here. better now. (though in my case, getting the horrible self-mashing nipples under control had a lot to do with its lifting.)

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  4. Yep, like JB said, "There's an app for that!" I use the Baby Geek app. Best .99 I've ever spent. You can email the charts to yourself (and others), keep track of feedings, diaper changes, sleep, growth, vaccinations, etc. It's pretty rad. I think I'll be tracking O's trends like, oh say, foreeeeeeever! Congrats on 1 month! It only gets better from here! ;) Bun Bun's little foot is so super sweet. ♥

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  5. Yeah, we had the babies in our room for exactly one night and the noise was just too much. Arden is especially grunty, hence her nickname Grunty Gertie.

    We charted rather obsessively, too, and just stopped. It was hard to let go - I totally know what you mean about entering the data the day's accomplishments!!

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  6. What a beautiful chart! Oh yes, I think I will be the same way. Glad to hear everything's going so well. And oh, that foot!

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  7. I don't think it's possible to NOT love that foot.

    Nice charting, too!

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  8. Only an academic could come up with a chart like that,

    (And I want to eat that foot - in the nicest possible way of course).

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  9. Oh my lord! You are such a Psychologist. You have to make graphs while on mat leave. Oh Bunny. You crack me up, you crazy fool.
    Ok, ok, ok, ok, the graph IS beautiful. I admit that I <3 it. (I'm a Psychologist too, after all).

    Oh, that little foot. So delicious. No wonder you are head over heals. I'm glad the last bout of FUCKING DEPRESSED is at a good distance in the past (yeah, just me, mother hen Augusta, worrying about her friend Bunny). Hoping for some longer sleeps in month 2.

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  10. Yay for graphs, double-yay for sleeping, And triple-yay for that gorgeous little tootsie! I am so damned happy for you!

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  11. That foot is perfect. Those toes are just the right amount of chubby, round and delicious. I don't know what it is about baby feet but they just melt me. And your chart is beautiful. The coloured bars would make a lovely piece of nursery art.

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  12. Still lol.

    That chart, oh that chart! I never felt such love for a chart.

    I had my baby log (inputs and outputs) until Toddlerina was over a year old. My sister staged an intervention and threw it out one day. I laughed (maniacal I am sure) but dug it out of the garbage when she left. One more wk of charting, then I decided I inputs>outputs and I had me a Take Home Baby and stopped charting.

    Chart on, Momma, chart on!

    I love the look of that Flintstone sack your baby is nestled into so sweetly. Can we get some more please? It looks beyond darling. I love Bun Bun.

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  13. Ohhhhhhhhh that is a very lovely little foot, makes me want to play "this little piggy". Great fancy pants graft. I just scribbled times and amounts on random bits of paper for a few weeks till it was clear he was not going to f-ing starve to death. Glad you are enjoying mommyhood!

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  14. Oh man, this reminds me of the excel sheets and charts hubs and I kept for the first 8 weeks. It was SOOOO helpful and satisfying watching the babies' numbers trend up (food intake, not sleep time unfort). Now we keep track of feedings and bathroom stuff on a whiteboard in their nursery and keep a running total.

    Also, the babies were in our room for the first week and the amount of grunting and groaning and yip-ing and squealing they are capable of making WHILE ASLEEP is astounding. You are awesome for attempting to get Zzzs through all of that racket!!!

    And, oh, that foot. So very very sweet.
    xoxo

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  15. LURVELY photo, indeed. Shrieks? Really? Blimey.

    I like your chart. Proof you've been busy, alright. Am here cheering you on - so glad to hear the FD is abating somewhat.

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  16. heh. yeah, i admit a few murderous thoughts at the comments in general on that post, not just yours. i'm over it, though. send me your email some time, would ya? bionicmamas AT gmail

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