Your wellbeing matters more than the data

For many parents, keeping track of feeds, pumping, nappies, sleep and other everyday baby activities can provide reassurance and help them remember what has happened during a very sleep-deprived period.

But everyone’s experience is different.

For some people, repeatedly checking numbers, timings or records can become a source of anxiety or reassurance-seeking. If you find yourself feeling that you have to record everything, repeatedly checking the app, becoming distressed when something isn’t logged correctly, or feeling guilty because your baby’s day doesn’t look the way you expected it to, it may be worth taking a step back.

You do not have to track everything.

You do not have to track anything.

And you can delete the app, put your phone down and come back to it whenever - or if ever - it feels useful again.

Your baby does not need a perfect dataset. There is no such thing as the perfect parent.

The postnatal period can be emotionally difficult, and struggling with your mental health does not mean that you are a bad parent.

Postnatal depression, anxiety and OCD can affect people after having a baby. Sometimes the signs can be difficult to recognise, particularly when you’re already exhausted and adjusting to life with a newborn.

You might notice things such as:

• feeling persistently low, hopeless or unable to cope
• feeling unusually anxious or fearful
• worrying constantly about your baby or something going wrong
• finding it difficult to switch off or relax
• intrusive or upsetting thoughts
• feeling compelled to repeatedly check, count or seek reassurance
• feeling guilty or like you’re not a good enough parent
• finding it difficult to sleep even when you have the opportunity
• losing interest or enjoyment in things you would normally enjoy
• feeling overwhelmed by everyday tasks
• having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

You don’t need to have every symptom, and you don’t need to wait until things feel “bad enough” before asking for help.

If something doesn’t feel right, please talk to someone.

A GP, midwife, health visitor or other healthcare professional can help you work out what support is appropriate. NHS guidance also recommends seeking help for postnatal mental health difficulties rather than trying to cope alone.

We want to be particularly careful about this because tracking apps can sometimes interact with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

If you have experienced OCD, anxiety or intrusive thoughts, or if you notice that using Boobery is making you repeatedly check, count or seek reassurance, please consider taking a break from the app and speaking to a healthcare professional.

Boobery is not designed to diagnose, treat, monitor or manage OCD, anxiety, depression or any other mental health condition.

The information shown in Boobery should not be used as a substitute for professional medical or mental-health advice.

And if using Boobery isn’t helping you, you don’t need to use it.

It’s very easy, especially in the early weeks and months, to look at an app and feel that everything can be measured.

• How many feeds?
• How many minutes?
• How many millilitres?
• How many hours of sleep?
• How many nappies?

Those numbers can be useful. But they don’t tell the whole story.

Use the information when it’s useful. Ignore it when it isn’t.

Boobery is a tracking tool and is intended to help you record information about your baby’s routine.

It is not a medical device, diagnostic tool, treatment service or healthcare service.

Information displayed by Boobery is provided for general informational and organisational purposes only. It should not be relied upon to diagnose a health condition, determine whether your baby is feeding adequately, determine whether your baby is gaining weight appropriately, or decide whether medical attention is required.

If you have concerns about your baby’s feeding, weight, hydration, development or health, please speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Never delay seeking medical advice because you have information, records or statistics in Boobery.

There is absolutely no pressure to use Boobery.

If you find that tracking is increasing your anxiety, making you feel guilty, encouraging compulsive checking or simply making your life harder, please stop using it.

Your wellbeing comes first.

You can always come back to Boobery later if you decide that tracking would be helpful again.

If you’re struggling, please don’t feel that you have to deal with it alone.

The NHS, NHS mental-health services, GPs, midwives and health visitors mentioned on this page are UK services and may not be available if you are located elsewhere. If you are outside the UK, or if one of the services listed below is not available where you live, please contact the relevant medical or mental-health professionals, emergency services or crisis support available in your country or region.

If you are worried about your mental health but it is not an emergency, contact your GP, NHS mental-health service, midwife or health visitor if you are in the UK. Otherwise, contact the relevant medical or mental-health service where you are located.

Boobery is designed as a practical tracking tool, not as a replacement for professional care.

By using Boobery, you acknowledge that:

• Boobery does not provide medical, nursing, psychological or mental-health care.
• Information provided by Boobery is not a diagnosis or personalised medical advice.
• You are responsible for deciding whether using a tracking tool is appropriate for you and your circumstances.
• You should use your own judgement when deciding what information to record and how often to use the app.
• You should not rely on Boobery instead of seeking appropriate professional medical or mental-health advice.
• Boobery cannot monitor your mental health, identify a mental-health crisis or determine whether you or your baby require medical attention.
• If using Boobery causes you distress, anxiety or other negative effects, you should stop using it and seek appropriate support if needed.
• You should contact appropriately qualified medical or mental-health professionals and emergency or crisis services available in the country or region where you are located.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Boobery and its owners, operators and developers do not accept responsibility for decisions made solely on the basis of information recorded in or displayed by the app, or for any consequences arising from the use or misuse of the app.

Nothing on this website or in the Boobery app is intended to create a doctor-patient, therapist-patient or other healthcare-provider relationship between you and Boobery.

Nothing in this section is intended to exclude or limit any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.

This wellbeing information is general guidance only. It does not replace the Boobery Terms & Conditions or Privacy Policy.