With a person who is not sure about breastfeeding and amounts baby is taking, my weighing a baby on the medella scale works wonders in boosting a woman's confidence regarding how much a baby takes in at a feeding. I use it selectively, too. it has also validated my ability to assess how effectively a baby is breastfeeding. Usually i am right on. I don't see that many to form a routine yet on how I use it. You're right, it can lower woman's confidence if not handled correctly. I see a fair number of older babies who are not gaining adequately and it is useful to get a ball park figure. Mom can tell you if the feeding was typical or not. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of seeing moms for many return visits, because they are private pay, and unless the money is there or are covered by the HMO in town that covers LC visits, I may only have one shot. Assessing suck-swallow will do the same thing as far as telling you adequacy of intake so test weights are probably not necessary and if people who are not trained in lactation, get ahold of this, it will not be empowering to woman. [In my graduate level nursing theory class, I developed a nursing concept, breastfeeding empowerment. What fun and enlightenment, really!] Just some thoughts. Cindy