hi pam
>Maybe we would not need our scales if moms had some understanding of
>what breastfeeding should feel like, if all the books did not tell
>moms to stretch feeds, encourage long stretches of sleep at night,
>swaddle, pacifier, self soothe, etc. Maybe if moms were taught to
>trust themselves, to watch more closely, to recognize a cue, etc.
>scales could be obsolete.  Unfortunately, I live in a world of 38 week
>routine inductions, a cesarean rate that is a crime, and mothers who
>are reading too many books that tell them how to disconnect, and not
>enough that say the fourth trimester is skin to skin and lots of
>feedings.  I wish I did not need a scale.  I wish babies could do as
>they please...be born in their own time, as little intervention as
>possible and be given unlimited access to the breast, etc.  I don't
>live there though, so I need my scale.  

when you are called to see a baby, you can give these informations to the 
mother, no? you can tell her that babies need breastfeeding often, even if 
every 10 mintues, that she can give the breast any time, etc, etc. can't that 
help maybe more then the scale?
i personally hate the scale, although it helped me breastfeeding my 1st child 
because it gave me a fright and it had the "beast" in me out for a fight: my 
older boy was born in the hospital, with all attached (epidural, episiothomy, 
baby taken away from me (awful experience!)), he was at my breast as soon 
as i was out of the delivery room- i insisted with the nurse, but he was taken 
away at night and given dextrose solution or formula, i'm not sure. i didn't 
want him to be taken away but i was somewhat "numb", i was afraid of this 
little thing, i was unsure if i knew how to take care of him, so i let them chose 
for me. my worst 2 nights since he was born! and he was a really lousy 
sleeper until he was 2.
so, he didn't grow enough (really?), probably because he didn't stimulate my 
breast enough... the pediatrician started talking about introducing formula at 1 
week. and she hinted i may not have enough milk. at home i cried a lot, i felt 
so bad, and then i got really angry and started looking for breastfeeding 
information in internet. my husband was a great support. i breastfed this boy 
until he was 2 years and 3 month, he weaned himself when i was 6 months 
pregnant.
so, the scale was like a sword pointed at my breast. i reacted kicking it but 
not every woman has the support i had and my type of "bad-temper".
i also think that weighing the baby every week is a real stress, that gives 
strenght to this widespread idea that women have that they don't have 
enough milk, or that their milk is not "strong" enough. it should be possible to 
use the crying, the restlessness or the excessive sleepiness to show the 
mother that the baby is unwell. like we say in medicine, use clinical signs and 
symptoms instead or complementary exams like lab or image tests (or, in this 
case, the scale). and inform about the best way to breastfeed and assure 
good milk supply. after all, if you can convince an unwilling mother to give 
formula, you can convince her to breastfeed on request and abandon 
pacifiers, no?
sorry, just my thoughts on breastfeeding and scales.
m. pina, MD

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