Heather, you said:   routine weighing can possibly provide a safety net.
Babies who feed infrequently and who sleep a lot are thought to be 'good'.
If those babies aren't weighed, they could fall through the net. I have
come across a few situations where it was *only* the weight that alerted
mother and HP to a potentially dangerous situation.

I agree with you, actually in theory.  Weighing actually opens the gateway
to some clinical examination of the baby and a focus on on-going
development.  However, there is also a literature which shows that not only
is the practice of weighing (calibration of scales, undressing of babies,
time of day, accuracy of recording, continuity of weigher/scale) often poor,
but the ability of professionals working in the field to accurately
understand, interpret and appropriately intervene or refer is also not
stunningly reassuring.

Having started looking into this field with great scepticism on the value of
weighing I am beginning to see some benefits, but I think these are usually
overwhelmed by a) poor practice and b) unintelligent and slavish use of
weighing as blanket proceedure.  Question is -- having got ourselves into
this pickle, how to retrieve something from it?

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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