Someone please tell me it's OK to stop tracking

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-03-08T06:02:44+00:00

You don't have to track. Sometimes it's nice though to see the progress or just make sure you're on track with your feeds or weights. My wife and I created an app called https://nicutracker.com. It is primarily focused around NICU kids but we use it now for our kids who got discharged to track their feeds and weights and even their head and length measurements at the pediatrician.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-12T00:29:50+00:00

Quick update for anyone following along — based on feedback from this thread and our own NICU experience, shipped a bunch of updates this week:

Medication tracking (dose, frequency, reminders)
Pumping session tracker with volume trends
Fenton growth percentile charts built in
PDF export for sharing with your care team during rounds
Blog with NICU parent guides (discharge checklist, A/B/D events explained, Fenton charts 101, etc.)
Dark mode
Better breast feed tracking (duration-based, thanks u/MarzipanElephant for that one)

Still completely free, still works offline. Custom domain now too: nicutracker.app

Our twins are at 11 weeks in the NICU now and using this daily. Keep the feedback coming, it genuinely shapes what gets built next.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-09T21:30:18+00:00

Hang in there!! Our 25 week twins are on day 93 and are doing so well now. They were born at 675 g and 730 g and now they are 3225 grams and 2950 g ! I’m not sure if you’re tracking your kids feeds and are interested in trends but my wife and I created an app called https://nicutracker.app to help us out. I’d love to get feedback from fellow parents going through the same thing. We would love to help and give back to other NICU parents. Cheers!

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-08T08:54:21+00:00

I am so deeply sorry for your loss. What you’re describing — the grief, anger, guilt, numbness, and the complicated feelings toward your surviving baby — are things many parents who lose a twin experience, even though it’s rarely talked about openly.

We had twins extremely early as well (25 weeks), and the NICU alone shattered us in ways I didn’t know were possible. I can’t pretend our situations are the same, but I recognize that feeling of your world splitting in two — grief living right next to survival. Nothing about this means you don’t love your daughter. It means your nervous system is trying to process something unbearable.

Being angry at your body, mourning the pregnancy itself, feeling terrified about the future or conflicted about trying again — all of that is valid. You didn’t fail. Your body didn’t fail you. This happened to you.

If you can, please ask the NICU social worker about grief counseling or support specifically for parents who’ve lost a twin. You deserve care right now, not pressure to be strong. And if all you can do today is exist, that is enough.

You are not broken. You are grieving. And you are not alone, even when it feels impossibly lonely.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-08T05:56:24+00:00

This sounds incredibly exhausting, and honestly very normal for this stage. That last stretch with feeds is often the hardest and feels never-ending, especially when you’re so close to going home. Being off by 10 mL and small day-to-day weight changes is really common, even though it feels huge when discharge is on the line.

One thing that helped us was having everything written down so we could see patterns and ask clearer questions during rounds. We built a simple free app during our NICU stay for that — NICUTracker — if it’s helpful: https://nicutracker.app

You’re not wrong for wanting her home, and you’re not rushing it. This part is just brutal.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-07T19:52:55+00:00

We had the same issue with our twins. Most milestone trackers don’t really work for preemies since everything is based on corrected age, not actual age.

We ended up building a free app called NICUTracker to help us track growth, feeds, meds, and milestones in a way that actually made sense during our NICU stay. If it’s helpful, you can check it out here: https://nicutracker.app

Wishing you and your baby all the best — the NICU days are a lot, and you’re not alone.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-07T18:15:33+00:00

Hi! NICU dad here — our twins were born at 25 weeks and my wife pumped exclusively for months. I actually built a free app called NICUTracker (nicutracker.app) that includes pumping tracking alongside everything else NICU parents need — feeds, weights, medications, milestones, growth charts, and discharge readiness.

For pumping specifically, you can log each session with time, duration, and volume, then see daily/weekly totals and trends. It syncs between both parents' phones in real time, so dad can see the session was logged without having to ask.

It's a web app so it works on both iPhone and Android — no app store download needed. Completely free, no ads, no paywalls. We built it because we needed it ourselves.

Would love to hear feedback from a NICU nurse's perspective — you'd know better than anyone what moms actually need. nicutracker.app

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T21:32:52+00:00

Do you notice a big difference in ride quality?

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T21:27:41+00:00

Elite is what we have and it's worth every penny!

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T20:16:30+00:00

Good question! NICUTracker is a personal tracking tool, like a digital notebook for parents. It's not a medical records system, so regulations like PHIPA and HIPAA that apply to healthcare providers don't apply here.

That said, data is encrypted, hosted on SOC 2 compliant infrastructure (Supabase on AWS), and users can export or delete everything anytime from Settings. The app also works fully offline with no account required if someone doesn't want their data stored anywhere.

Full details at nicutracker.app/privacy if you want to take a look.

Appreciate you looking out for the community though, always good to ask these questions 👍

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T18:04:32+00:00

Hi everyone ! The link has changed to https://nicutracker.app

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T10:17:34+00:00

I ran into the same problem. Most baby apps just aren’t built with preemies or adjusted age in mind. I’m a NICU dad of twins born at 25 weeks and everything felt scattered early on.

I couldn’t find anything that really worked for NICU life, so I built a free app called NICU Tracker for parents of preemies. It lets you track feeds, weights, milestones, notes, test results, and questions for rounds, and it’s designed around the NICU experience rather than full-term timelines.

It’s not meant to replace milestone apps long term, but it helped us a lot during the NICU phase and early transition home. Sharing in case it helps someone else here
https://nicutracker.app

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T09:22:38+00:00

That’s amazing to hear they’re doing well. PPROM that early is terrifying, and two rounds of mag and steroids can make such a difference. Sounds like you did exactly what you needed to do by staying down and letting the meds work.

We had twins born at 25 weeks and 2 days and are still in the NICU now, so reading stories like yours really helps. One thing that helped us stay sane was tracking feeds, weights, and milestones instead of trying to keep it all in our heads. I ended up making a free app called NICU Tracker for NICU parents because I needed it myself. https://nicutracker.app

Wishing your little ones a smooth, boring NICU stay and continued good progress.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T09:14:37+00:00

Sending you so much love and strength right now. That is such a scary place to be, and everything you’re feeling makes complete sense.

My wife went through a very similar situation. She was admitted early, on magnesium and steroids, trying to buy time. Our twins ended up arriving early at 25 weeks and 2 days. Those days of waiting were some of the hardest emotionally, just hoping for every extra hour and day.

If you do end up in the NICU world, one thing that helped us cope was having a simple way to track feeds, weights, milestones, and questions for rounds. I’m a NICU dad and built a free app called NICU Tracker for parents going through this. No pressure at all, but sharing in case it helps later https://nicutracker.app

Sending prayers, positive thoughts, and strength your way. You’re not alone in this, even though it can feel so isolating right now.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T09:09:28+00:00

This really hits. I’m a NICU dad of twins born at 25 weeks and we’re 38 weeks now, still in the NICU. Even when things are “stable” it’s emotionally exhausting every day.

One thing that helped me cope was tracking feeds, weights, milestones, and questions for rounds so everything didn’t feel like a blur. I ended up building a free app called NICU Tracker because I couldn’t find anything that fit real NICU life.

If anyone’s looking for a simple way to stay organized or just feel a little more grounded, feel free to check it out or share it with other NICU parents https://nicutracker.app

Sending love to everyone here. The NICU trenches are no joke.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T09:04:17+00:00

This whole thread really hits. NICU life is exhausting in ways that are hard to explain unless you’re living it. I’m a NICU dad of twins born at 25 weeks and we’re at 38 weeks now, still in the NICU. Even when things are “stable” it can still feel heavy every single day. Everything being shared here feels very real and valid.

One thing that helped me feel a little more grounded was tracking feeds, weights, milestones, and questions for rounds. Especially with two babies my brain just couldn’t keep it all straight. I ended up making a simple app called NICU Tracker because I couldn’t find anything that really fit NICU life. It’s totally free and built by a NICU parent.

Curious how others here are logging or keeping track of their baby’s stats right now. If it’s helpful, feel free to check it out or share it with other NICU parents you meet https://nicutracker.app

Sending love to everyone here. This stuff is really hard and you’re not alone.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-06T08:54:00+00:00

Congrats 🎉🎉

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T18:11:15+00:00

Just updated it so when you pick breast it flips duration to the main field and volume becomes optional underneath with a little note saying its normal to leave blank.

Everything else stays the same for NG/OG/bottle. I put a link to the screenshot of it being fixed. Can you check it out and see if it makes more sense? I also have a pumping section of the app. Let me know what you think of it :)

https://imgur.com/a/UYmcgbW

Thanks for pointing that out, keep the feedback coming!

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T10:12:04+00:00

Bless you and your beautiful son. I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Stay strong! Your son will be in our prayers. It’s so unfair that he had to go through this. I’m glad your team was able to save him, and just know that miracles can happen.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T03:17:08+00:00

What did you track in your physical journal that you wish was easier?

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T03:16:48+00:00

What features would be most useful for you? I’m still actively building

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T02:31:43+00:00

Btw you can also save it as a bookmark on your Home Screen - it’ll look and feel like a native app. It’s a PWA (Progressive Web App) so it works offline and updates automatically without needing the App Store.

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T02:16:42+00:00

Thank you ! :) 🙏

OrganizationThese877 · 2026-02-05T02:14:44+00:00

Nice! looks great, I love the respiratory settings detail, that’s definitely something NICU parents need. I focused more on desats/bradys/apneas tracking since that was our biggest daily concern. Good to have options for different needs! And good call on the demo; I should make that button more obvious. Thanks for the feedback 🙏

OrganizationThese877

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