Dear all:

Ingrid states that you have to conduct 48 hours of test weighing to gauge milk production.  

First, I have seen no evidence in the 26 studies that I read (yes, I actually read all the articles that Scanlon cited in her metaanalysis) that you need to conduct 48 hours of test weighing for anything other than a research study.  And even then it highly depends on the research question.  I could easily design a quite excellent study by using one test weigh per 24 hours as long as it fit the research question and the parameters I was trying to measure.  

Second, test weighing measures intake, not milk production.  So, even weighing for 24 hours is not necessarily a gauge of milk production.  We all know mothers who can produce more than their babies need.  We all know babies that are incapable of extracting the milk they need from the breast from mothers with completely fine milk production.  What test weighing measures is what a baby drinks at a particular moment.

Finally, I will repeat what I have said many many times before.  Anyone who uses their eyeballs or ears to judge a baby's intake for a SINGLE feeding falls prey to the same problem with judging a baby's intake through any other indicator of intake.  It is but ONE feed.  This is not a problem of the measurement tool itself be it eyeballs, ears, a pump and bottle or a scale.  This is why we MUST always ask the mother how a particular feeding fits into the overall picture of feedings that she has observed with her baby.  EVEN IF WE DON'T USE A SCALE.  

I noticed this on a Manhattan subway train and I think it is applicable to the situation of the polarized attitudes that a mere weighing scale has the power to destroy breastfeeding or the contrary to predict the exact quantity that a baby should drink.  Again, I will repeat, good chefs don't need to use measurement tools as much as a beginner chef, yet they may use those tools when for certain dishes that require accuracy (e.g. fine pastries).

"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the need for thought."  Henri Poincare 1854-1912.  Science and Hypothesis.

Sincerely,

Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

Who is happy to respond more in detail to anyone's questions via email regarding why a 48 hour test weigh is not necessary.

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