Lisa said, << "I find using a scale for feedings very helpful,
especially with my Hispanic population. Culturally, I have some mothers
who don't believe me when I say that the baby is not transferring much
milk; the numbers help them deal with reality. The same for the moms who
don't have confidence in their breasts and that their baby is getting
enough to eat; the numbers help them let go of the supplements.
Otherwise it's my word against what they want to believe..." >>

Succinct and exactly my experience as well. Most of my clients are
Hispanic, with very entrenched perceived milk insufficiency and nothing
quite resolves that as well as just one instance of knowing how much the
baby ate. Even though they realize that we only measured one feeding,
once they see that the baby ate well at the breast and transferred more
milk than they thought possible, they know that he *can* eat enough at
the breast, and that they *can* produce enough milk.  They never doubt
their milk supplies again, in my experience.

That said, like any tool the scale can be used or misused; it isn't
supposed to do our thinking for us. It is simply supposed to give us
information that we otherwise would not have access to. Interpreting
that information and putting it into the proper context is OUR job, not
the scale's. One of my colleagues here at WIC in Miami has used the
scale to weigh the baby's wet diaper (as against a dry one). And
personally I don't always weigh the baby post-feed. I do always weigh my
client's babies pre-feed; I start every consultation with a pre-feed
weight, just to have the baby's weight on record. During the
consultation I'll decide if taking a post-feed weight would be useful
information to have, and either weigh or not weigh the baby again
accordingly....




Regina Roig-Romero BS, IBCLC
Sr Lactation Consultant - WIC Breastfeeding Program
Phone: (786) 336-1333 x 16219
Fax: (786) 336-1302
Email: [log in to unmask]
Visit us online at http://www.dadehealth.org 
________________________________

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-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Marasco IBCLC [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 12:11 AM
Subject: Re: LC and scales

I find using a scale for feedings very helpful, especially with my
Hispanic population. Culturally, I have some mothers who don't believe
me when I say that the baby is not transferring much milk; the numbers
help them deal with reality. The same for the moms who don't have
confidence in their breasts and that their baby is getting enough to
eat; the numbers help them let go of the supplements.  Otherwise it's my
word against what they want to believe...

~Lisa Marasco

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