Skip to main content

PROTOCOL ON WEIGHING A BABY

Aims​

To facilitate accurate growth monitoring and nutritional assessment.

Responsibility​

Nursing staff

Indications​

  • Weight is to be measured everyday to monitor growth.
  • To monitor fluid therapy
  • For better assessment of breastfeeding, weigh the baby before and after feeding.
  • A weighing scale can also be used to measure the urine output of the babies.
  • All LBW babies at 2 week to check the regaining birth weight and then every month on follow up.

Equipment​

  • Clean weighing scale
  • Spirit swab for cleaning the weighing scale

Procedure​

  • Wash hands properly before and after touching each baby.
  • Put the weighing scale on a flat, stable surface. Use the same scale every day.
  • Weigh the baby at the same time daily, preferably before feeding.
  • Detach as many tubes/equipments as possible.
  • Undress the baby and put on a new diaper. Make sure to subtract diaper's weight (20 g) from the total weight.
  • If available – wrap the baby in cloth or towel to maintain temperature, comfort and support. Subtract wrap's weight from total weight.
  • Put the baby gently on the weight, and keep the baby in the midline. Make sure the baby is supported during the procedure.
  • After taking the weight, the weighing pan should be cleaned with spirit swab.
  • Document daily weight on growth chart for all babies.

References​

Deorari, Paul, Scotland etl. "Practical Procedures for the newborn nursery" Third edition,2010 .( page no 89-90), www.newbornwhocc.org/pdf, Merenstein and Gardner: Neonatal intensive care, 7th edition, s. 403.

Document Information​

Archived Version

Version: 1.0 (Archived)
Published: August 3, 2015
Contributors: Nurse Ajeeta George and Norwegian teaching nurses
View: Current Version