I think in most areas there's the "ideal or best" way to do things, and the
"okay" way to do things.  I will confess to giving many of my clients
"permission" to not wash their pumping equipment every time.  Let me add that
my hospital does not have a Level III nursery, so none of the women I give
this advice to are pumping for a baby in NICU.  This issue comes up primarily
for mothers who are pumping because their babies will not latch or are doing
extra pumping for inefficient nursers.

I usually don't start out with this advice, since it's not what is usually
found in texts.  But when I see a mom back who is overwhelmed and
sleep-deprived with the nurse-pump-supplement routine, or one who isn't
pumping an optimal number of times in a day because she doesn't have time, I
will suggest that she stop washing her pumping equipment every time.  I
generally suggest that she pour out her freshly pumped milk into a clean
bottle (easier to have lots of bottles than lots of pump parts), let that sit
at room temperature until the next feeding, put the bottles and pump flanges
into the refrigerator until the next pumping, and scrub everything up well
1-2 time/day.  I give this advice having read all the studies on length of
time human milk can remain at room temperature and be refrigerated with no
significant bacterial growth, and am comfortable with it.  The mothers are
usually relieved to hear that they can cut down on all the washing and have a
little more time between the time-consuming feeding bouts.

I have also given this suggestion to working mothers as not the best, but a
reasonable option, as long as she's keeping the parts in her own container
(not a communal refrigerator).  And even though I would suggest chilling the
parts, I don't really see a problem with what Alexis is doing--if human milk
can sit in a bottle at room temperature for up to 10 hours, why not on pump
parts (for probably significantly less time)?

Becky Krumwiede, RN, IBCLC
Appleton, Wisconsin

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