I also use gloves any time I am putting a finger in baby's mouth.  I
also make a point to "wash" my hands (we have a foam surgical foam
dispenser in every room) in front of the mom before I touch her
breasts or handle baby.  On those occasions where I may be finger
feeding or showing mom how to encourage a "glued to the roof of the
mouth" tongue to come down, I point out to the mom that she doesn't
need gloves to do the same thing, just wash her hands well.  I tell
her I use them because I want to be sure to protect her baby.  Even
though I wash my hands, I can't guarantee I get even all the
"normal" skin flora.  And my "normal" germs won't necessarily be the
same as her family"s.
The latex question is a valid point.  It seems that any potential
allergy or sensitivity is "dose related", so I don't want to be the
one who starts or adds to a baby's exposure to latex which might
contribute to problems later.  Our hospital no longer uses latex
gloves as the standard boxes of gloves everywhere.

Winnie

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html