Hi Kim, I was wondering when the cultures are taken? Not to oversimplify your situation, but it is my understanding that breast milk cultured closest to the time of expression will have a higher count than after a few hours. This article published this year in the Journal of Perinatology indicates that culturing is not an effective way of preventing infection in premature infants: Journal of Perinatology (2011) 31, 335–338; doi:10.1038/jp.2011.13; published online 24 February 2011 Breastmilk cultures and infection in extremely premature infants R J Schanler1,2, J K Fraley3, C Lau3, N M Hurst3, L Horvath4 and S N Rossmann5 http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v31/n5/full/jp201113a.html Good luck in your challenge. Martha Martha Hackney, RN, BScN, IBCLC Public Health Nurse, Maternal and Infant Health Toronto Public Health 850 Coxwell Ave, Toronto, ON M4C 5R1 *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome