I'm catching up from last week.  Michelle, in your post of last week, you wrote:  "The association between epidural use and a .05% increase in weight loss within the first 2-2.5 days..."  and what I am posting to ask about is the figure of 0.05%.  Is that the figure you meant?  Unless my mind has completely degenerated, that means five one-hundredths of one per cent, or one twentieth of a per cent.  Considering that a typical weight loss after birth of a typical term baby is about 300-400 grams (about 10.5 to 13.5 ounces), the additional weight loss of one twentieth of one percent more than that would be so negligible it could not be registered on most scales.  I have to work in metric or I can't handle the fractions; please bear with me.  A typical baby might have a 'normal' weight loss of about 300 g without epidural.  One percent of 300 g is 3 g or about one tenth of an ounce.  0.05 of 3 g, (or 'three twentieths of one gram' or 'one two-hundredths of an ounce') is too little to detect on the scales we use where I work, and I can't help feeling there is an order of magnitude of error here in the citation.  

So, is this the figure you meant to cite?  If not, what is the correct figure?  

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome