I cannot stress enough the importance of Universal Precautions!  It was
only a few days AFTER seeing a baby that he came down with a horrid case of
thrush - one of the worst I have ever seen in my career - imagine potato
soup thick on the tongue and you can imagine what I saw.  I was SO glad
that I had worn gloves (though I had NOT done an oral assessment at the
time) when I had seen mom, helped her put the baby on, then used my  finger
to help get baby off when she cried that it hurt too much (he had worked
his way down to her nipple) and then helped her using my hand touching her
hands, to place the baby back on.  

Even with a glove I have been able to feel unusual protrusions in the
palate which, when I had LOOKED with a flashlight and a yawn, I had not
been able to see...but they certainly explained why this mom's nipples were
sore!

I use gloves ALL the time - I walk into a mom's home, wash my hands, put on
gloves, then do breast and breastfeeding observation.  I do not always (but
sometimes I do) check the suck if I think it is necessary to clarify what
the mom reports or what I see ( or don't see).  As I leave, I take off
gloves and wash again - and then wash in the car with a soapless liquid.  

This may seem overly cautious, but I have had my share of skin infections -
not, I don't think, from babies, but I want to make sure I neither "give
NOR recieve" more than I planned to!

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, IBCLC
Vacaville, CA

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