For many years, my priv. pract offered what I called Pump Trials.  I had a
table covered with all sorts of pumps.  I autoclaved the parts that would
contact the mother's body, and they signed a form stating they understood
that their pumped milk would be discarded to prevent risks to the baby from
pump sharing.  Whenever anyone questioned the necessity of that I would take
one of the small, hand held electric pumps like the Gerber, Mag-Mag, etc.
and open up the motor casing with a tiny screwdriver.  Inside they would see
what I used to call "dried milk dandruff".

 I learned about how to open up the motor casing after a mom brought me a
broken Mag-Mag and we called their customer serv. #.  They suggested we open
up the motor casing and clean it out because they knew it could get "gunked
up" with aspirated milk.  In a study that Blenkhorn did, this was the
phenomenon that they discovered.  As milk hits the bottom of the bottom, the
splash back (a milk aresol) gets breathed back up inside the motor.  As the
pump goes through the suck-release, suck-release, it is possible to suck up
material from one mother and blow it back down onto freshly pumped milk from
another woman.  This is true even if the second mom is using a freshly
sterilized flange and bottle.   Some viruses (hepatitis esp) can live a long
time on dry surfaces or in gunky, dried up secretions.

I am powerless to control other people's behavior, and I don't even try.
However, when I observe people using used equip. or they ask me about it, I
tell them the story above and let them decide what they want to do.  I
preface my comments by saying:  I have an ethical obligation to provide you
with the following information.  How you apply it is up to you.



Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
http://www.lactnews.com

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