Test weighing

In the 1950s, during the era of the ‘scientification of motherhood’, it was common for babies in developed countries to be weighed before and after a feed, known as test weighing. This practice should not now routinely practiced for term infants because of its lack of precision as a measure of breast milk production.

Test weighing has been referred to at times as "objective measure of milk transfer" – but this is a false statement. No single indicator of milk transfer is objective. Assessment concerning milk transfer requires context.

The density of milk is 0.03g/ml, so in test weighing, grams are expressed in mls.

As health professionals, we can significantly worsen our own and the…