Advice, friends, please.

Yesterday I recieved a call to the hospital lactation office from one of =
the nurse practitioners in the NICU and it has shaken some of my =
assumptions about advise to give moms of premies, etc.  After 10+ years =
in that same NICU before my lactation training, that is a humbling =
experience. =20
  The baby is a 12 day old now 28 week premie who is stable  and =
transitioning to bolus feedings.  The baby has recieved only his =
mother's milk since birth.  Mom was just readmitted to another local =
hospital with overwhelming sepsis which was found to be caused by =
methcillin resistant staph.  According to the PNP who called me, this =
was presumed to be the organism which had caused premature rupture of =
membranes and was "cooking" for the 12 days since the baby's birth.  The =
baby has now been taken off mom's milk and put on formula due to mom's =
illness and the inability to "sterilize her skin sufficiently to obtain =
clean milk."  I was told this is similar to what is done with a mom who =
has mastitis until she is on antibiotics 24 hours.  There is not a =
written policy related to this and there are no routines for culturing =
mother's milk in our hospital. =20
  My first impression was that  one protection this baby had been =
getting from this organism was the immunities present in mom's milk.  My =
second thought is how will we know when mom is well enough and that her =
milk will be clean enough if it is dangerous for the baby at this point. =
 The PNP I spoke with said that her advise was based on what is done in =
Denver by Mariane Neifert.  Is there anyone who can comment from that =
hospital, or anywhere else who has a (preferably) written policy or =
documentation.
  Thanks in advance.       tracy throckmorton, rn ibclc