Infant Baby Scales

By Dan Williams

Infant scales are utilized to measure out breast milk and the weight of infants.

When a baby is born prematurely or has other medical problems a baby weigh scale is used. Doctors use this scale to measure breast milk intake. The baby is weighed before breastfeeding and after breastfeeding. This lets doctors know exactly how much breast milk the baby is drinking. The scale is so sensitive that it can measure the difference of one-half teaspoon of breast milk.

Lack of weight gain in an infant should always be taken seriously. Be sure to check that your baby is being weighed properly. Weighing should always be done on the same scale because of the slight differences between scales. It is best to use a baby 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 remains accurate and you know that your baby is either gaining no weight or losing weight, baby should be seen and evaluated by a doctor immediately.

If your baby's weight increases by an amount that seems too small, check if you are feeding your baby correctly. You should be feeding your baby about six times a day. If you are feeding breast milk to your baby, does your baby seem like she is full enough after a feeding or is he still crying? If you are using formula are you mixing and preparing the formula according to the directions?

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 food down? If everything appears normal, you still might want to get your baby examined, just to be sure that baby's weight is okay. All doctors will use special baby scales to monitor the baby's weight.

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

Healthy babies generally double their birth weight between 4 and 5 months old. A baby with a congenital heart defect may grow more slowly during early childhood, although the development often changes according to the type and severity of the condition. An eight-ounce to one-pound gain in a month may be an acceptable weight gain for a baby with a heart defect. You will need to weigh your baby, and the pediatrician can do so for this or whatever other circumstance. The baby is usually weighed monthly, and the measurements will show how well your baby is developing. - 29955

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