Not only does measuring milk tell us very little, but doing creamatocrit of
ONE feeding only tells us LESS than nothing and often results in
inappropriate advice (add formula; your milk has no cream in it!)  What?!
(see my hands on each cheek with mouth in an elongated O!)

Measuring milk OUTPUT (what we get from the mother) is useful only in
certain situations and ideally where every feeding is measured.  Measuring
creamatocrit is only useful in certain siutaitons and when ALL feedings are
assessed.  Cream content varies between feeds and within feeds (hence the
need to mix well the feeding collected prior to measurement).

Where is the baby in all of the above? What a mother obtains by pump or any
other expression method is often quite different (in both volume and cream
content) from what a baby obtains/stimulates mother to give.

Basic research is essential to the profession of lactation science.  The
science, however, must be conducted in a contextually accurate manner,
however.  Too often, this second element is grossly missing.

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"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly
disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask]
WEB PAGE: http://www.telcomplus.net/kga/lactation.htm
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