Dear all:

What is not being considered when you have a scale that is accurate to within a 2 gm difference is that this is a + or - variation.  So, this means that the range around the actual weight is 4 gm.  Similarly a scale that is accurate within a 5 gm difference would have a range of 10 gm around the actual weight.  Similarly a scale that is accurate to within a 10 gm difference would have a range of 20 gm around the actual weight.  10 gm is 1/3 of a an ounce.  

I think it highly depends on your clientele.  If I were working in Norway where everyone breastfeeds, I don't think you would have as many cases of iatrogenically induced low supply or nervous mothers who really need the reassurance that they are making enough milk.  In the case of a country like the United States where 95% of the hospitals are baby unfriendly, I think you are going to encounter many more cases where mothers do need education about normal infant feeding cues and who really respond to backing that up with objective data.  I actually see enough cases on a week to week basis of babies where I can reassure the mother that "your baby actually DID drink from your breast" even though it was 0.1 or 0.2 oz -- that it is definitely worth the cost for my practice.  Seeing even a tiny amount going into their babies can make the difference between mothers giving up or continuing down the long haul of compensating for our baby unfriendly environment that sabotaged the initial establishment of the breastfeeding relationship.  

When a stroller costs well over $1000, when mothers pay $250 per home visit, when mothers have had successful careers and read probably more on the internet than I have time to read, in the New York City environment, mothers really do seek out lactation consultants who have accurate scales.  This may differ in different environments.  

I have two scales.  An inherited Tanita scale (which I accepted in lieu of the $1,500 of salary that I was owed and never paid) and a purchased Medela scale.  I have no idea how old the Tanita scale is, but the Medela scale is 10 years old.  Both are very close to each other and highly reliable after years of use.  I only know one lactation consultant who finally bought a new scale after her old Tanita scale broke.  I'm pretty sure she had that scale for well over 10 years.  

So, really the way to look at a scale's cost is to parse it out over the number of years you plan to be in practice.  As near as I can tell, the real cost of a scale that is accurate to 2 gm is LESS THAN $100 per year.  Since I haven't yet worn out either scale -- it could be much less than that.  In the United States this can be written off as a business expense.  If you have any inclination that you might need to have a more accurate weight for those early babies or babies who are barely drinking, I would highly recommend forking over the money for the initial investment that will endure for a very long time after the purchase. 

Another way to look at this is to compare the price against the cost of another tool that some people can live without, but I cannot.  That tool is the computer.  I use it for preparing handouts, website design, email and I may even go to Skype.  I am currently testing out paperless use.  The costs of printing up care plans with the bifold, or trifold sheets is very expensive.  It can cost $500 or more for handouts and then you have to buy them every couple of years.  Since I like revising as I discover new information, it can be even more costly.  With paperless electronic handouts, I may spare myself long term costs by spending more money upfront for an iPad that I can easily transport with me.  Will this work out for me?  I don't know. But you have to look at more than the initial expenditure towards the life of the product.  

And as far as scales are concerned -- the expensive scale has lasted a lot longer than the so-called inexpensive Sotec laptop that I bought when I started my practice from Best Buy, which fizzled out within 2 years and became unusable.  I've found it much better to buy Apple products which cost more to start, but have better tech support -- and this is not a pitch for Apple -- but just an example of how to look at upfront business investments.

Best regards, 

Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

Best re 

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