I am a couple days behind, sorry, but hope you can use the following thoughts: Deb K you say "Our rooms are not clean, especially bathrooms. All too often the pumps are not cleaned between pumpings or may be rinsed and left wet in bathroom sinks. The information given to patients is inconsistent. The moms are usually pumping for babies in the ICN (preemies and ill babies). They are tired and stressed - I am worried this may become a major infection control issue." Deb you are right to worry. This is a major infection control issue. Read chapter in Riordan & Auerbach BF and Human Lactation on premies I believe. It tells of problems w/ infection. If you have a major outbreak or an infant death, this would be a tragedy. and the tragedy would continue becoz knee-jerk reactions can occur where breastpumping and brastmilk use are prohibited by the powers that be. So it is best to be proactive and correct this problem now. I believe the standard of care is 1. for well babies - start w/ sterile equipment, a clean pump is a given, and good maternal hygiene and handwashing always, esp. after bathroom use, baby diaper changing, peri pad changing etc. Then mom washes parts w/ hot soapy water after each use, rinses well and dries on clean surface. Sterilize once each 24 hr period. 2. For premies or sick babies - even more attention to hygiene [read the chapter I mentioned above re the debate whethre to express first milliliters of the milk], handwashing, clean pump etc. The equipmetn is sterilized after each use. Now how to accomplish this is the question. Some hospitals provide several kits to the mom and she can sterilzie them at home and rotate them or the hosp may do it. some nicu units have purchased a sterilizer or even dishwasher. Protocols must be wriotten and enforced re cleaning of the pump. If you took a swab and cultured the pump you would probably get all kinds of grungy organiasms. This is one of my pet peeves. Some of the pumps are pretty hard to really get clean and belive me I am a cleaning fanatic. If the LC cant' do it, [you're there 2x per week] someone needs to be assigned to do so and sign off on it. I have suggested to Medela several times [medela are you listening?] to make some kind of clear thin plastic sleeve that could go over the pump but that would have small holes for the kit tubing to go thru. Then this plastic bag [like a newspaper sleeve, umbrella bag, or dry cleaning bag ya know] could be changed and the spills etc discarded. A clean pump would be left underneath. Sorry so long, but this germ issue is very important, especially to compromised babies, and when bf is not done the 'regular'way but w/ lots of pump use nowadays and day care etc. risks. Laurie Wheeler, RN, MN, IBCLC Violet Louisiana, s.e. USA ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *********************************************** 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