Hello all.  Have to agree with Judy D.'s well articulated comments on test
weighing.  I've been converted, but use this tool sparingly.  I've been told
that the electronic digital scales used in our hospital's nursery actually
average the weight and do not give adequate accuracy for test weighing.
 Therefore, we use only the scale that we obtained specifically for this
purpose and which is said by its manufacturer to be accurate to within 2 g.

I heard Paula Meier speak in 1994 and she explained the adjustment for
evaporative water loss in this way:  1 ml of milk does not weigh exactly 1
gram.  Actually it would weigh a little bit more.  So when we use the gram
difference and state that the infant has taken that number of ml's of milk we
are slightly over-estimating the volume of intake.  At the same time, the
infant has had a small amount of evaporative weight loss.  Dr. Meier stated
that she felt that these two effects cancelled each other out.  So that for
the purposes of estimating milk intake while at the breast, the 1 gram of
weight gain=1 ml of milk taken.

I've appreciated hearing everyone's stories about how they do their test
weights so as to place the least amount of pressure on the mom as possible.
 Because a weight for the purpose of assessing growth must be done naked and
a test weight done with the infant clothed as he will nurse, I've never been
able to appear this smooth.  However, I do stress to the parents that one
test weight is of only limited value (I probably make this point a little
less strongly when the baby has nursed well!).  Just like in so many other
instances, this test weight data is only one piece of the puzzle.

Toni Pestro, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Cincinnati, Ohio