Baby Feeding Math

We have a new baby in the house and with her arrival came various logical riddles that appear very simple, yet the solutions are not trivial although can mean quiet, health and happiness of the whole household.

What time did I last feed her?
What breast did I last feed her from?
How much did she drink?

While I have been trying to remember the last feeding times, I have not always been able to keep track of the "last breast." In many cases you can feel the pressure of the milk, however not always - just recollect the sleepless zombie state new parents find themselves in. I mentioned this problem in my newsletter and many of you wrote suggesting placing a sticker on a bra, writing L or R on a notepad, moving a ring from one hand to another. Someone proposed this as a great idea for a startup.

Today another creative solution arrived by mail from the Similac baby formula company. A present or an advertising trick, depending on how you look at it.  An elegant hand bracelet:

Instructions advise to put the bracelet on the hand corresponding to the side of the last feeding (when breastfeeding) and slide the heart-shaped window to the mark corresponding to the time of the last feeding. Two riddles are solved with one bracelet! Very neat - I am already using it.

Another puzzling and usually annoying question that is frequently asked by nurses, doctors or grandmothers is: "How much milk does your baby consume in one feeding?" When baby is on a formula - it is easy to answer. When breastfeeding - the only way to answer this would be to pump, measure, then feed.  Too much work just to satisfy the curiosity. Feeding time may give a clue to the answer, but as experience shows milk sucking speed depends on the baby's age, temper and hunger state. What other optios are there? You may weigh the baby before and after the feeding or weigh the mom, but the 100-200mg consumed will likely get lost in the noise of the weighting scale or a burp.

Undoubtedly various creative solutions to these questions are in the works.  Have your own ideas - rush to patent it; use someone else's idea - share it with us.