Hi Karleen,
   
  Yes my assessment would have been different. This mom and dad had no clue there was an issue with milk supply. They were supplementing the baby 3/4 oz formula every 3rd feeding and wanted the latch checked because they were going to cut out the supplement all together. So just by looking and listening I would have said fine. But closer examination revealed something entirely different and I counseled them on ways to increase milk supply and an appropriate amount to supplement. 
   
  I work in Manhattan just like Susan and unfortunately with the many interventions used in our health care system. The use of a scale for babies that  are having problems with milk intake is a very necessary tool. 
   
  All the babies and mothers I see in the walk-in clinic  and in the hospital have "issuses". When I weigh a baby after a feeding and can say to the pediatrician-this baby took in 30cc- I can get the pediatrician and nurse off the mother's back and the formula bottle off her bedside table.-the scale is a very necessary tool.- maybe not for your practice but for mine, it preserves breastfeeding, gives the mom necessary info, and allows her to begin to trust her instincts. Its amazing how many women always say "I don't know".
   
  Normal nursing babies may not need pre and post feeds, however that's not the majority of my practice. I not a LLLeader I am a nurse and unfortunately I don't get those women who just need to sit and talk. They have an issue and need to know why, how, what, who, and how can I fix it. The scale is only a tool to begin this exploration.
   
  Tamara 
   
  Tamara
   
  

Karleen Gribble <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  Hi Tamara,
Sounds to me like no test weighing was required to show that breastfeeding
was not going well...surely you would not have assessed this baby
differently without the scale?
I'm not one who says that scale can never be useful but I find it difficult
to see how it would make a difference with this case history.
Karleen Gribble
Australia

> I totally agree susan. I had a mom at a a walk-in session yesterday. Her
baby seemed to be guzzling only to find no weight change on the scale after
feeding and this was a baby who has been supplementing, feeding every 2-3
hours but not reached his birth wieght after 20 days of life.
>
> The parents came in only to get the "latch checked" because everything
else was fine.
>
> Tamara Hawkins RN, IBCLC
> NYC
>

***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html



             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html