Cindy Why is so much store being put on daily weight gain? Is this baby in a special category? I would have thought that if the baby is feeding well, getting plenty of wet/soiled nappies, and looking healthy with good muscle tone, there would be no need to monitor the weight on a daily basis. The trouble with this seems to me that the weight differences are less than the weight of a feed. If a baby has just fed when weighed on one day, then weighed just before a feed on the next, then if a feed weighs for example three ounces, then a one ounce increase in body weight would look like a two ounce loss! Add to that the effect of the baby evacuating the bowels... Were the same scales used each time, and was the baby stripped? If the baby is left in a nappy then if the baby is just about to feed then the equivalent weight is probably in the nappy, making it less prone to error. I suspect that this pattern would reflect the difference between breastmilk which passes through the system quickly and formula which remains in the digestive system longer. A mother is so vulnerable in the early days, especially with a first baby, and too much reliance on weight gain can undermine her belief in herself and her ability to breastfeed. Almost any comment made by a health professional can be misinterpreted by an anxious mother, so no wonder if she's feeling stressed! It sounds to me like this mum needs to be told she's doing well and to throw out the SNS and scales. -- Linda Cairns Tilehurst, Berkshire, UK - Mum to Jonathan (9), Stephen (8), and Nicky (6) National Childbirth Trust Breastfeeding Counsellor and Volunteer Egnell Breastpump hire agent Snail: 6 The Cedars, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6JW, England