Once again, I am happy to be at a smaller hospital where no one closely
scrutinizes most of what we do, and cabbage doesn't require policies.  :D  If
we have a severely engorged mother, we call the kitchen and if they have a
head of cabbage, it goes into the crisper drawer of the patient's food
refrigerator.  We rinse the leaves off before giving them to the mother, but
that's it.

If I were at a level III hospital where there were concerns about
transferring pathogens to sick infants, it might be a reasonable precaution
to use a bra pad over the nipple and areola before placing cabbage over the
rest of the breast.  This would keep the skin area that contacts the pump
flange from contacting the cabbage.  And how about washing the cabbage with
soap and water first, instead of just rinsing like most of us do.  Just
musing . . .

Becky Krumwiede, RN, IBCLC
Appleton, Wisconsin

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