Hi Karleen,
   
  I do see your point  about the use of technology and I was just reading a post that commented on the difference  in assessments and treatments maybe lying in social medicine. Anyway....
   
   I am enjoying this thread soo much. I don't think it is right or wrong to use a scale. I believe that is useful in some situation and as we advance the "science" aspect of breastfeeding, scales will come into play more and more. In my practice in the hospital as well as in private practice if the scale will save the baby from a bottle of formula-I'm using the scale and many of times it does just that.
   
  I work with a population of women who are busy busy busy not with babies but social appointments and Doctors and nurses who have no faith in breastfeeding.  If I worked in a Baby Friendly Environment I probably would not have adopted the practice of test-weighing. But for now this is one small step that is protecting breastfeeding in my area.
   
  Tamara Hawkins, RNC, IBCLC NYC
   
  

Karleen Gribble <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  Hi Tamara,
It was this phrase that made me think you would have known without a test
weighing that something was up.

"this was a baby who has been supplementing, feeding every 2-3 hours but not
reached his birth weight after 20 days of life."

But anyway...I just don't think that LCs in Australia see any lesser
severity of issues as LCs in the US and somehow test weighing is just not a
part of practice here. I find this difference very interesting and that was
my point in posting on this subject, to understand why this is the case. The
opinions are so incredibly divergent on this issue. I guess part of the
concern for LCs outside of N America could be that the "technology trend" in
all areas of breastfeeding (including things like more mums choosing to
express and bottlefeed and test weighs) could travel elsewhere (any
non-US/Canadian LCs care to comment??) Maybe that's part of the reaction??

Karleen Gribble
Australia

> 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.
>
> 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.

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