Dear Cathy,

1. about your question about CMV the answer is "it all depends" Term
babies fully breastfed receive the antibody and the virus and dont really
have problems.  Premies receiving EBM sporadically may present a
problem.  Ruth Lawrence, in her latest edition gives some very good
comments and references and I would suggest you read what she has to say
about that.

2.  Hepatitis B:  thats my area of expertise

        a. Mothers usually get screened for Hepatitis B prenatally
        b. About 30% of babies will be contaminated in the perinatal
period and will get Hep B if not prevented.
        c. If a mom tests positive, the baby should receive 2 things: the
Immunoglogulin against hepatitis B which will protect the baby
immediately against any transmission at the time of birth and initiate
the vaccine to provide protection for later exposure.
        d. If a baby is so protected, BF is perfectly safe

Good luck

MAryelle