I don't think the  issue is whether test weighing is accurate - it's that
the 'snapshot' offered by isolated test weighs doesn't say anything about
how much milk a baby is getting over 24 hours, as babies naturally vary
their intake over that time.

If test weighing is to be used, it must be done before and after every feed
for at least 24 hours, otherwise there isn't much point, and if mother and
healthcare providers are that concerned, chances are good that the baby
isn't getting enough.  In my opinion, it's be more productive to move on to
identifying and addressing why that's the case.

Ingrid
LLLL, IBCLC
British Columbia
Canada

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of R M WAHL
Sent: August 9, 2009 12:49 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: keeping up with research
If you scroll down the page you will be able to find all the journal
articles and the "Fast Tract" (unpublished) articles.  I had to include the
abstract of this article.  It is so important to those of you that do test
weights because it provides proof that the test weights do work accurately.


The Development of an Accurate Test Weighing Technique for Preterm and
High-Risk Hospitalized Infants


To cite this article:
Barbara Haase, Jeanne Barreira, Pamela K. Murphy, Martina Mueller, Jean
Rhodes. Breastfeeding Medicine. -Not available-, ahead of print.
doi:10.1089/bfm.2007.0125. 


Online Ahead of Print: April 15, 2009




Full Text: • PDF for printing (79.1 KB) • PDF w/ links (79.9 KB) 



Barbara Haase 
Lactation Consultation Service, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, South Carolina.
Jeanne Barreira 
Lactation Consultation Service, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, South Carolina.
Pamela K. Murphy 
Lactation Consultation Service, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, South Carolina.
Martina Mueller 
Lactation Consultation Service, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, South Carolina.
Jean Rhodes 
Lactation Consultation Service, Medical University of South Carolina,
Charleston, South Carolina.

Abstract
Background: Test weighing, or weighing the infant before and after
breastfeeding to assess milk intake, in which weight gain in grams is
converted equally to volume of intake in milliliters, is a controversial
topic in the literature. This study was initiated to identify variables that
impact test weights and to develop an accurate test weighing technique for
preterm and high-risk hospitalized infants.

Methods: Test weights were performed on a sample of hospitalized high-risk
infants with and without leads who were bottle- or nasogastric-fed. Volume
consumed was compared to weight gain to determine whether the developed
technique was accurate.

Results: In each group, with or without leads, only one measure of actual
intake versus test weight result was found outside the confidence limits
(95%), and only one measure was found outside the clinically acceptable
difference of ±5 g. Correlation coefficient (r2) values of weight gain by
test weight to volume of intake were 0.998 for infants without leads and
0.997 for infants with leads.

Conclusions: The data from this study support the use of this test weighing
technique as an accurate, objective assessment of the measurement of
breastmilk intake after a breastfeeding session, thus allowing medical
decisions regarding supplementation to be based on objective data rather
than inaccurate clinical indices of the quality of infant feedings at the
breast.
Sincerely, Rachel Wahl RN IBCLC 
 
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