A comparison of colony counts of breast milk using two methods of breast cleansing

The purpose of this study was to identify if special breast cleansing before breast pumping would have an affect on lowering bacterial colony counts of cultured breast milk. Sixty-five women whose infants were being cared for in a NICU and who wished to pump their breasts for future breast milk feedings were randomly assigned to one of two groups: members of a control group were instructed to wash their hands thoroughly before breast pumping, and members of an experimental group were instructed to wash their hands thoroughly and were given special instructions on breast cleansing. All other breast pumping and milk collection instructions for both groups remained the same. A student's t-test revealed a significant difference between the two groups; women who performed special breast cleansing before breast pumping had significantly lower bacterial colony counts in their cultured breast milks.