By Rebecca M.
I recently saw an IBCLC because I was encouraged to do so by the pediatric dentist before having my baby’s tongue-tie revised. I was inexplicably nervous. This was my second baby, and things were going really well overall, despite a tongue tie. But I was nervous for the appointment nonetheless.
Part of my nervousness was because this time around I had decided not to track anything. Not with apps. Not with paper charts. Not mentally. I had decided to only look at my baby and pay attention to what he was telling me, instead of what the clock or the baby-feeding app said.
I could already imagine the questions that I didn’t have answers to.
“How often does he eat?”
“How long does he go between feeding?”
“How many wet diapers does he have per day?”
I didn’t have answers. All I had was the baby in front of me who I nursed whenever he seemed hungry. Or fussy. Or tired. I saw his big belly and his chubby thighs and how he was busting out of his already-too-small 3-6 month outfit at 7 weeks old.
When the IBCLC appointment came, I braced myself and gave the best answers that I could.
“I feed on demand, day and night.”
“I watch for feeding cues that tell me when he is hungry.”
“I don’t keep track of how often I nurse.”
“I go through a stack of 10 diapers in a day.”
But I wasn’t ready for the question about whether or not I wanted a weighted feed. I hesitated. Do I? What information would I gain? I thought at first that it might be fun just to see. A cool experiment.
But then I thought about how easy it was for me to get fixated on numbers. What if the number was low?
A weighted feed is the process of weighing your baby before and after you nurse them to see how much they’ve eaten, based on how much weight they gained. Weighted feeds have become ubiquitous. I see them often in online discussions about breastfeeding. If someone isn’t sure that they are producing enough, someone always mentions doing a weighted feed. They are used in hospitals and by some lactation consultants to indicate that a baby may not be transferring enough milk while nursing.
I considered what I had read about weighted feeds. Experts have studied the practice and found that test weighing is too imprecise to be of use in clinical practice, generally because scales are not precise enough.
In addition, weighted feeds only give a snapshot into one feeding session, not how much a baby gets throughout a 24-hour period. Even then, the amount that baby eats is only part of the equation; milk changes in composition from one nursing session to the next and from day-to-day.
But did I want one? No, I decided against it. I have worked so hard to listen to my instincts and listen to my baby. I worried that a weighted feed would make me second guess myself, no matter the results.
So I continue to look at my baby. I watch for his “full” cues, like his relaxed hands and his awake and happy times between feedings. I keep an eye on his diapers in a casual way. Mostly, I watch as his clothes get snug and his body continues to grow.
And that’s good enough for us.
New Beginnings would love to hear your human milk feeding and parenting stories. Send them to Kylie at [email protected]
More resources on weighted feeds and ensuring your baby is getting enough milk:
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Posted: April 22, 2025 by Yael Breimer
Feeding with Intuition: Weighted Feed… or Not?
By Rebecca M.
I recently saw an IBCLC because I was encouraged to do so by the pediatric dentist before having my baby’s tongue-tie revised. I was inexplicably nervous. This was my second baby, and things were going really well overall, despite a tongue tie. But I was nervous for the appointment nonetheless.
I could already imagine the questions that I didn’t have answers to.
“How often does he eat?”
“How long does he go between feeding?”
“How many wet diapers does he have per day?”
I didn’t have answers. All I had was the baby in front of me who I nursed whenever he seemed hungry. Or fussy. Or tired. I saw his big belly and his chubby thighs and how he was busting out of his already-too-small 3-6 month outfit at 7 weeks old.
When the IBCLC appointment came, I braced myself and gave the best answers that I could.
“I feed on demand, day and night.”
“I watch for feeding cues that tell me when he is hungry.”
“I don’t keep track of how often I nurse.”
“I go through a stack of 10 diapers in a day.”
But I wasn’t ready for the question about whether or not I wanted a weighted feed. I hesitated. Do I? What information would I gain? I thought at first that it might be fun just to see. A cool experiment.
But then I thought about how easy it was for me to get fixated on numbers. What if the number was low?
A weighted feed is the process of weighing your baby before and after you nurse them to see how much they’ve eaten, based on how much weight they gained. Weighted feeds have become ubiquitous. I see them often in online discussions about breastfeeding. If someone isn’t sure that they are producing enough, someone always mentions doing a weighted feed. They are used in hospitals and by some lactation consultants to indicate that a baby may not be transferring enough milk while nursing.
I considered what I had read about weighted feeds. Experts have studied the practice and found that test weighing is too imprecise to be of use in clinical practice, generally because scales are not precise enough.
In addition, weighted feeds only give a snapshot into one feeding session, not how much a baby gets throughout a 24-hour period. Even then, the amount that baby eats is only part of the equation; milk changes in composition from one nursing session to the next and from day-to-day.
But did I want one? No, I decided against it. I have worked so hard to listen to my instincts and listen to my baby. I worried that a weighted feed would make me second guess myself, no matter the results.
So I continue to look at my baby. I watch for his “full” cues, like his relaxed hands and his awake and happy times between feedings. I keep an eye on his diapers in a casual way. Mostly, I watch as his clothes get snug and his body continues to grow.
And that’s good enough for us.
New Beginnings would love to hear your human milk feeding and parenting stories. Send them to Kylie at [email protected]
More resources on weighted feeds and ensuring your baby is getting enough milk:
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
Follow us on:
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Category: #BadBFAdvice, Breastfeeding Frequency, Criticism
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