I just read Jan's comments and questions regarding breastmilk storage and
many of her questions echo mine, as I mentioned in an earlier post.  I have
often been baffled by mothers who carry formula aroound all day without
concern about spoilage.  I do not know much about formula but do know that
as a milkbased product it should probably be treated as a perishable food
and not left out more than 2 hours.  Yet in my office where food safety
issues are often discussed, no one discusses formula being carried around in
diaper bags all day. As for breastmilk, i assume the studies were don in a
clean environment.  In my client's homes there are flies, dogs, cats,
children with dirty hands, and no air conditioning.  I'm not comfortable
recommending that bm can be left out on the table up to ten hours. It was
interesting though to read what Jan said about in one study there was more
bacterial growth in the refrigerated bm than the bm left out at room
temperature.  I am thinking about purchasing some educational
materials/handouts from Nancy Bryant(Simple Supplemental Aids to
Breastfeeding) but she also says colostrum can be left out up to 24 hours
and mature milk up to 10 hours.  Do I play it safe and take this section?
That is my inclination at this point. I look forward to reading more
comments from the professionals

Laura