-- [ From: Phyllis Kombol * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --

Look at HMBANA guidelines and references.  WE have recently eliminated
use of bags from our NICN based on this.  Bags intended for formula are
usually polyethylene and up to 60% of serum IgA (the one that coats resp
., GI & GU tracts) clings to the polyethylene so is unavailable to baby.
 While this may not be a big deal to an otherwise healthy full term baby
who gets stored milk once in awhile, it can be a major problem for
premie or sickie.  Polypropylene does not have this effect, so hard
plastic containers are best.  If I remember right, WBCs can temporarily
cling to glass but are also inactivated by freezing anyway so we use
glass some too, especially for freezing milk.  Storage bags intended for
breast milk storage are coated to eliminate the clinging sIgA but I find
we don't use them much because they cost more than the sterile specimen
containers we use and are easier to contaminate.  We got alot of support
for the change from MDs and RNs once we'd described the sIgA loss and
what that could mean to premies persistently enough.  It took well over
a year to make the change (spurred on by formula co. threats to "charge
$1 apiece for volufeeds") but now everyone seems to be in the habit of
using the specimen containers.  I'd rather not have to have mom pour
from pump bottle but haven't found containers with bottle threads.
Phyllis Kombol, RNC, MSN, IBCLC, swamped NC  hospital-based LC still
looking for help >8-D