Hi,
>In our hospital, we flag babies who have lost 7% or more at discharge in order
>to be sure that they receive early weight checks, home visits, or lactation
>support, depending on the problem (if one has been identified) or on available
>resources (such as home visit program eligibility, connection to community
>agencies, etc.).

Surely the point is not whether you flag a baby as at risk of feeding
difficulties if they lose 10% or 7% or whatever, but what actually you
*do* about it? Around here, what most HCPs do about it is advise
immediate supplementation with a bottle of formula (usually at the end
of every breastfeed without realising that even a well-fed bf'd baby
will often take a bottle), or worse (and more common around here), tell
the mother her milk is "too thin" or inadequate in some way and advise
total weaning. If the baby still doesn't gain weight, some weeks down
the tracks they *might* start investigating the baby for health problems
:-^

If OTOH, you see a baby with a large weightloss and immediately see that
the poor baby is hanging off the nipple with it's tummy uppermost, it
doesn't take an Einstein to work out what's gone wrong. Fixing the
bf'ing would quickly correct the problem, without the need to resort to
supplementation etc.
--
Anna (Mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995, Alice, born 11th Sept 1996,
??? due 18th April 1998)
Email: [log in to unmask]  Web Page: http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna