> I'm not a stickler for "those charts" either but they do serve a
purpose and I would think dropping from the 98th to the 30th percentile
would be a red flag for the ped.<

This is tangential to the Ezzo story reported by Heather, but I thought I
would point out that in the UK the mother was being seen by a health visitor
who spotted the weight.  The birth weight would have been done in a hospital
by a midwife and any weight in between birth and ca. 14 days by a midwife at
home on a spirng scale (like a parcel scale) then the HV would have taken
over care at about 14 days and started weighing on a portable electronic
scale or the electronic clinic scale when the mum came to the clinic.  No
doubt there was a huge drop in the weight (and how much might have been a
catch down phenomenon to begin with?) but the weighing practice in the UK
muddies the usefulness of weight as an indicator of anything.

Also, the doctor that the mother is going to see is *not* a pediatrician.
Very very few UK babies see a paed after they leave hospital.  She was going
to see her GP (General Practitioner).  GPs will have less training in baby
stuff than a paed would -- they are the first call doctor for everyone in
the community.  I know my local practice has about 7 doctors and they all
have some special interest.  If you go to the GP you are registered with she
might not be much of a baby specialist.  If you know the system, you might
get an appointment with the doctor in your practice who does the baby
clinics/has an interest in paediatrics.

Just thought I would seize the moment for a bit of cross-cultural
elucidation.  I should also say that women in the UK might go through
several pregnancies and hardly ever see an obstetrician.  Even when I had my
baby in hospital I saw the obs about three times and various other random
doctors from time to time (but some appointments I only ever saw a midwife
and I only had midwives at the hospital delivery)  (I hasten to add that
that did not stop it from being a nightmare body-assault experience).  When
I had my baby at home I only ever saw the GP and the midwife and the only
reason my baby *ever* saw a paed was that we had ABO incompatability, so the
consultant paed turned up in the evening of the day she was born to have a
quick look at her.  This is the only time in her life my daughter has seen a
paediatrician.

I just thought I would explain the UK system a bit.  I don't put it forth as
a shining model but it does offer some interesting differences.

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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