I agree with Heather and Magda that test weighing is not routinely done
in Britain, though I have talked with midwives who want to recommend it
to mothers who seem overly anxious about their milk supply, something I
don't recommend.

I don't like test weighing for many reasons, one being the inaccuracies
of scales.  I didn't find it helpful when my own baby was in SCBU (not
test weighing, just the ordinary daily weighing) weighed on electronic
scales that were supposed to be accurate and discovering sometimes as
much as 20 grams difference in two weighings, seconds apart when the only
change was the digital readout was set back to zero.  I certainly would
have found test weighing once my baby was home unacceptable.

The one positive situation I know of where weighing was carried out
before and after every feed over 48 hours was a baby with DeGeorge
syndrone.  The baby hadn't been able to feed after birth due to heart
complications.  After several operations the baby was well enough to
breastfeed, but test weighing was required.  To the mother's amazement
this baby took two or three times as much milk as she had been able to
express at the same times of day (double pumping with a fully automatic
breast pump).  The weighing meant that the baby had no supplements during
that 48 hours and the mother had the confidence to know she could
exclusively breastfeed her baby.  The baby had been exclusively
breastmilk fed until then.  The baby continued to breastfeed for several
years, through more operations and is now healthy.

Jill Dye, La Leche League leader, Goodmayes, Ilford, Essex, part of
Greater London, England
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