One of the (many) things I like about Lactnet is finding out more about how
things are done in other countries/cultures.  I was surprised to see test
weighing mentioned on Lactnet.  While this would not be something I would do
anyway as a lay counsellor,  I have supported women who have been through this.
In my experience it has always been very stressful for the mothers.

In fact I believe it is very much out of favour in the UK.  To quote from
'Successful Breastfeeding' (Royal College of Midwives, 1991, written by a
working group whose members included Chloe Fisher and Mike Woolridge)
        - 'Under normal circumstances test weighing is neither a necessary nor an
effective tool for assessing the adequacy of lactation.'
        - 'The measurement of only one feed may be unrepresentative of other
feeds taken throughout the day, particularly if the test weigh is carried out
under conditions which are perceived as threatening to the mother...'
        - 'Measuring only volume intake, without a knowledge of the calorie
content of the milk consumed, may give a misleading picture of the ntritional
adequacy of the baby's diet.'
        - 'If it is necessary to know how much milk a breastfed baby is
consuming, test weighing should be carried out over a complete 24 hour period,
using an electronic, averaging scale in order to establish the volume intake
accurately'

All of which makes complete sense to me.

'Successful Breastfeeding' is research-based, and 3 papers are given as
references :
 1. Culley , Milan, Roginski, Waterhouse, Wood 1979 Are Breastfed Babies Still
Getting a Raw Deal in Hospital? British Medical Journal 2: 891-893
 2. Whitfield, Kay, Stevens 1981 Validity of Routine Test Weighing as a Measure
of the Intake of Breastfed Infants. Archives of Diseases in Childhood 56:
919-921
 3. Drewett, Woolridge, Greasley et al 1984 Evaluating Breastmilk Intake by Test
Weighing: A Portable Electronic Balance Suitable for Community and Field
Studies. Early Human Development 10: 123-126

Is there some research I don't know about?

TIA

Mary Broadfoot, Paisley, Scotland