Clinical Application of Measurement of Breastmilk

Abstract

We aimed to assess whether measurement of 24‐h milk production (MP) affects breastfeeding (BF) confidence, which may in turn affect BF exclusivity and duration.Mothers (n=105) reported their BF confidence and perception of milk supply before and after measuring MP by test‐weighing (BabyWeigh scales, Medela AG) and being advised of the normal range of MP (478–1298g). A second measurement of MP was done 3.7 ± 2.9 weeks later in a self‐selected sub‐group (n=19, MP 237–863g) after advice from a lactation consultant.Of 76 mothers initially confident in their BF, only 4 lost confidence, and these 4 had MP<700g. Of 29 mothers initially not confident in their BF, 18 gained confidence. Of the 11 still not confident, 6 had MP<700g. BF confidence was not related to actual MP either before (P=0.787) or after (P=0.236) measurement of MP.Mothers who initially perceived that their milk supply was normal gained confidence in their BF after measurement (P=0.009). Mothers who perceived that their milk supply was low had no change in BF confidence before and after measurement (P=0.658).Mothers who repeated measurement of MP showed an increase of 154±128g (P=0.013). The majority (n=11) remained confident throughout, and 7 gained confidence.We conclude that BF confidence is improved by measuring MP when MP is >700g. Moreover, measurement can quantitate improvement in MP.Research support was an unrestriced grant from Medela AG.