Setting Up and Using The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale For The First Time
An expert, step-by-step, guide for setting up and using the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale. Learn how to track your baby's progress by weighing them before and after each feed.
What is the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale?
The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale is a hospital grade baby weighing scale that will allow you to measure your baby's exact milk intake. This is a simple, easy and VERY precise process of weighing your baby before and after each feed.
Rent The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale. You can rent the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale from our store. If you are in the Toronto & GTHA areas, we will pick it up and conveniently deliver it directly to your doorstep for free! If you are outside of the GTA we can deliver it to you for as little as $20 each way.
Why Would I Need To Use A Medela Baby Weigh II Scale?
During the Covid-19 global pandemic, many walk in clinics and health facilities were closed to help stop the spread. Although this was unavoidable, it did leave many new moms feeling isolated and unsure of their baby's progress. Using the BabyWeigh™ II scales, parents could feel confident and comfortable with their babies weight gain progress or know if they needed support from their health care provider.
The Medela Baby Weigh II scale can be used to weigh your baby for any reason at all. You may simply like to weigh your baby to know whether they are keeping up with the standard growth and development milestones for their age and gender. The scale is a great tool for tracking exactly how much your baby weighs just for your own peace of mind.
However, typically, most moms choose to use the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale if they are having issues with breastfeeding.
The amazing, sensitive scales can be used to measure your baby's weight before they breastfeed and then again immediately after they have breastfed. This will tell you exactly how much of your breast milk that they have consumed. Why would you need to know this? It may be that your baby is under weight, not gaining weight as quickly as they should, or never seem to be satisfied after breastfeeding. Knowing how much milk they are getting from the breast can help you to understand whether you need to pump milk, (because of a latching issue) or whether it would be best to supplement your babies feeds with formula.
One of the most common reasons for new moms to feel stressed and anxious around their babies growth and development is that they don't know how much milk their baby has consumed when they are breastfed. The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale takes away this uncertainty and allows mom to track their babies consumption through each and every feed. It offers knowledge, confidence, and peace of mind and a sense of control.
Babies who most benefit from the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale are typically:
- Born prematurely and need their progress checked
- Have issues with breastfeeding such as trouble latching on
- Are under weight
The Stand Out Features Of The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale:
- Displays weights in as little as 2 gram increments
- Measures breast milk intake for infants up to 44lbs
- It is lightweight and portable
- It has a stable and low profile design
- It has a simple and easy to use 1-2-3 weight measurement system
- An easy to read LCD screen
- It cleverly and automatically compensates for when the baby moves
- The zero button adjusts for the weight of a blanket
- It has a grams only version to avoid confusion
Follow along with our baby expert Maria as she uses her 20 years of experience to demonstrate, step-by-step, how to set up the BabyWeigh™ II scales.
Setting Up The Medela Baby Weigh II Scales
The scales being demonstrated are the ones that we rent from the New Mummy Company here is Canada. But no matter where you are in the world, they should operate in the same way.
Whether your scale is delivered or whether you pick it up, it will most likely come in a protective case. To take the baby-weighing machine out of the protective case you simply unzip it. The likelihood is that you will need to assemble the scale.
Putting The Scale Together
When you open the pack the contents will be in 2 parts: the base of the scale and the weighing tray. They are quite simple to put together.
The tray has a little lever at the front. Pull the lever out and forward. Line the protruding nodules on the tray up with the base. The nodules then can be slid sideways onto the base. It can take a few moments to line them up by feel to get them into the correct position. It can be a little tricky to get the alignment right. Push it in until it will go no further. You can tell that it is in place by lifting the tray table up and noting that it is caught underneath with the base. To ensure that it is engaged, lock it into position. Push the front lever (the one that you pulled out earlier) back into place until you hear it click.
Adjusting The Legs
The base of the scale has 4 legs underneath it. These legs are adjustable. This means that when you put it on a surface you can adjust each of the 4 legs independently of each other. The legs need to be adjusted until the spirit level is centred. If this is done then you know that the surface is flat and centred. It is important that the spirit level is centred so that you don't get an inaccurate measurement when you weigh the baby.
Connecting The Power
The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale is powered by electricity. So, you need to plug it into a power point. The plug point is located on the side of the scale. Ideally, you should plug the scale into a location where you can leave it in place. Although it is portable, it has been reported that when the scale is moved about in between feeds, it can record different, inaccurate measurements.
Using The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale
Step 1: The scale should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised before you receive it. But it is always a good idea to clean the scale with an antibacterial agent yourself. This way you know that there are no lingering germs that can cause the baby any issues.
Step 2: Check that the spirit level is in the centre of the display window. If it is not, adjust the legs until it is.
Step 3: Press the On Button. The display window will show 0 grams on the front of the screen.
Step 4: Place a towel or a blanket on the weighing table. It may be uncomfortable for the baby to be placed on the cold and hard surface of the weighing table. To make sure that the baby remains calm and content, you can place a towel or blanket down for them. However, you do need to make sure that the scale does not include the weight of the blanket when it measures your baby. Place the blanket or towel on the weighing table and push the 'tear' button: this will bring the weight back down to zero.
Step 5: Weigh the baby before the feed. There is no need to remove any clothes or the diaper. Place the baby on the blanket that is on the scale. Place one hand gently hovering over the top of the baby. This is just in case baby makes any sudden movements. The lock button will come on, which indicates that the scale has weighed the baby. With your free hand, press button 1. This will record the pre-feed weight of the baby.
Step 6: Take the baby for their breastfeeding session.
Step 7: Make sure that nothing has changed except for the fact that the baby has been fed. The same clothes, diaper, blanket, etc. that the baby had for the first weigh-in should still remain for the second. This is a very important element in making sure that you are getting an accurate measurement of how much milk the baby has had. Even if the baby poops while you are feeding them, do not change their diaper until after you have weighed them for a second time. The poop was already in them when you weighed them for the first time. If you weigh them without the poop you will think that they have not eaten. You can change the diaper immediately after the second weigh-in.
Place the baby on the scale to be weighed again. The scale will lock with their weight. Now press the number 2 button (this is the 'post-feed' weight button). Now remove the baby. Make sure that the baby is safe and comfortable where you put them. Go back to the Medela Weigh II scale and push button number 3. (This is the 'amount fed' button). The indicator widow will display the amount that baby has taken on board.
Voila! You now know exactly how much milk your baby has consumed!
You should be weighing your baby before and after every feed if you are trying to establish whether your baby is getting your breast milk and how much, each time. Or follow the guidance of your health care provider.
If you are using the Medela Baby Weigh II Scale simply to track baby's progress, you only need to use the button 1 feature, (before feed).
How To Dismantle The Medela Baby Weigh II Scale
When it is time to return the scale, you need to take it apart and put it back in its case. Taking the scale apart is as easy as putting it together.
- Disconnect the power supply.
- Pull out the little lever that is on the front of the weighing table.
- Put both hands on the table, push down slightly and slide the table forwards.
- Turn it over and place it on top of the base.
- Slide the weighing machine back into its hard case.