Yes, I glove for DOMEs (Digital Oro-Motor Exams).  I only use latex free
gloves and wash my hands before and after gloving and after the exam.  Yes,
I am meticulous about washing my hands.  However, I also know of all the
things that I use my hands for, from cleaning out the puppy pen to attending
to the health needs of our cattle to digging in the dirt with my bare hands
to changing diapers.  I know I am exposed to a lot of germs on a daily basis
and just don't believe, in my case anyway, that all of those germs can be
killed by handwashing alone.  I think the baby needs that extra safety from
the physical barrier of the gloves.

The other thing that concerns me is I have had a few mothers in the past few
with a history of herpes not telling her care providers until after their
vaginal births.  They did not want to have a C-Section if they had an active
lesion and really didn't care about exposing their baby to active herpes
lesions in the vaginal and cervical areas either.  The point I am getting at
is that I don't want to potentially be exposing myself to unknown pathogens
just because the mom choose not to tell us.  I think I also need the extra
safety from the physical barrier of gloves.

Yes I believe we need to be wearing gloves!

Maurenne Griese, RNC, BSN, CCE, CBE
Manhattan, KS  USA
[log in to unmask]
http://www.networksplus.net/griese

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html