Using a Baby Scale from MilkWorks

There are two primary reasons to use a baby scale:  to determine your baby’s naked weight, or to determine how much milk your baby removes from your breasts at a feeding.

MilkWorks carries two different scales: the BabyWeigh I (BW I) and the BabyWeigh II (BW II).

To Obtain a Naked Weight:

1. Plug the scale into an electric outlet and make sure that the sael is level. The unit should not rock back and forth and the leveling” bubble should be inside the red circle.  Adjust the legs of the scale is the scale is not level. Turn the scale on.
2. Set the lbs/grams indicator to pounds. On BW I, this button is on the side. On BW II, it is on the front panel. The display should read 0.00.00
3. If desired, place a blanket on the scale and press Zero on BW I (on BW II, press the Tare/Zero button). Display should now read 0.00.00
4. Undress your baby and put baby on the scale. 
5. When you notice that the weight indicator locks, write down the weight. Example:  7.07.7 = 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 7/10 of an ounce.

To Determine how much Milk your Baby Removes (aka Pre and Post Feeding Weights):

1. Follow step 1 above.
2. Set the lbs./grams indicator to grams. On BW I, this button is on the side. On BW II, it is on the front panel. The display should read 0.
3. If desired, place a blanket on the scale tray and press Zero on BW I (Tare/Zero button on BW II) to zero out the weight indicator. Display should now read 0.
4. Place your baby on the scale tray fully clothed or in just a diaper (not naked).
5. When scale locks, push Pre-Feeding button on BW I (Before Feed button on BW II). You may also record this weight on a piece of paper.
6. Remove baby from scale and feed baby.
7. When finished feeding, do NOT change diaper or clothes. Put baby on scale and push       Re-Weigh on BW I (After Feed on BW II). You may also record this weight on a piece of paper.
8. Push Post Feeding button on BW I (Amount Fed on BW II). Hold down and the scale will register how much milk baby removed from your breast. If desired, you may manually subtract the pre-weight from the post-weight.

30 grams = 30 ml = 30 cc          30 cc = 1 fluid ounce          16 ounces = 1 pound

A normal newborn may lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first 4 days. By day 4, a baby should no longer lose weight and should start to gain weight and should be back to birth weight by day 14.  By one month of age, or around 10 lbs., a baby will consume 19-30 ounces a day. In the first 3 months, most babies will gain around 7-10 ounces a week.  A baby who is gaining well will consistently follow his or her growth curve on the WHO growth chart.