A Guide to Infant Scales

By Joann Breen

Baby scales are used to measure breast milk and the weight of infants.

When baby arrives early or has medical problems, health care providers turn to the Medela Baby Weigh Scale for measuring breast milk consumption. The baby is weighed before and after nursing, and with a touch of a button, the Baby Weight Scale counts the baby's intake. For infants, the Baby Weight Scale can evaluate the difference of one-half teaspoon of breast milk.

Deficiency of weight gain in an infant should always be taken severely. Be certain to check that your baby is being weighed properly. Weighing should perpetually be done on the same scale because of the slight differences between scales. It is advisable to use a infant scale to weigh an infant. You also should weigh your baby once a week, because of the daily weight variation due to feedings, urination, bowel movements, etc. If the weight continues to be and you know that your baby is either gaining no weight or losing weight, baby should be seen and evaluated by a doctor right away.

If baby's weight increases but does not seem adequate, check if your baby's feeding is proper. Are you providing food five or six times a day? Are you giving breast milk or infant formula to the infant? If you're giving breast milk, does your baby seem full after a nursing is complete? If you're using formula, are you mixing it right? At 6 months old, infants need supplementary calories from solid foods. Are you offering solid foods several times a day? Is your baby keeping all the solid food down? If everything appears normal, you still might want to get your baby analyzed, just to be certain that baby's weight is adequate. All physicians will use special baby scales to evaluate the baby's weight.

If a baby has a "congenital heart defect", it means the heart or blood vessels near the heart did not grow normally before birth. Often the term "innate heart disease" is used to mean the same thing.

Healthy babies usually multiply their birth weight between 4 and five months of age. A infant with a congenital heart defect may grow more tardily during infancy and childhood, although the development often varies according to the type and severity of the condition. An 8 to one-pound gain in a month may be a standard weight gain for a baby with a heart defect. You will require to weigh your infant, and the pediatrician can do so for this or any other condition. The baby is normally weighed every month, and the measurements will indicate how better your baby is growing. - 32531

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