In the 4 NICUs I have worked in the fridge and freezer have temp. monitors on them. The one unit that did not have separate units for fridge and freezer and had the freezer on the bottom receives the lowest of my reviews. The bending down to get the milk and then looking way back in the freezer for it is just annoying. 

For donor milk UCLA has the scanning system and as much as it seems like a nice way to track the milk and reorder it is kind of annoying. The paper list of donor milk numbers written with the patients name is much more nurse friendly from my perspective. 

All of the units I have worked in either use tupperware with lids that snap on or the uncovered containers for measuring body fluids (moms ebm already in its snappy or sterile collection bag goes in there) with the name on the holding container and on the milk very clearly. This helps to keep everyone's milk separate and organized and in a unit if >20 babies this is super important.

I would call 3 NICUs near you and see if you can go in and look at their system and ask a few nurses what they think of it. The milk room is like the water cooler in an office sometimes.. for those units that have separate rooms for babies it is sometimes the one time you get to talk with another nurse. 

Hope this helps!

Lisa Weinshenker, RN, IBCLC
Las Vegas, NV

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