Dealing with Thrush

I had it as well with my first son. We were both on the Nystatin but still couldn't break the cycle of giving it back and forth to each other. So I found an anti-fungal that I could use on myself that worked. Grapefruit Seed Extract comes in a liquid concentrate found at the health food stores. I use it for everthing, cleaning pesticides off fruits and veggies, mouth rinse, skin cleaner, ringworm and as a general house cleaner. I am not affiliated with the company, but here is the website for more info:

http://www.nutriteam.com/servlet/the-2/Grapefruit-Seed-Ex...

We just got over thrush. My baby is 6 weeks. I had some pains in my breast and tender bright pink nipples along with it. My pediatrician put us both on Diflucan, pills for me, liquid for her. Worked like a charm. I also made sure I sterilsed her bottles and got rid of the old pacifiers. (I breastfeed, but am returning to work so she gets bottles in teh day) Maybe you could try a different medication?

This is a greatwebsite with TONS of info on thrush and how to beat and prevent it!

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/thrush/thrush-resourc...

Good luck

My daughter and I got thrush when she was about 2 weeks old - not pleasant!! I did some research and a lot of sites recommend genetian violet- I decided that was WAY too messy. I dug into it furter and discovered that grapefruit seed extract is a great way to treat it and no mess!! Look here to find out some more info: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp A bottle of the stuff costs about $14 and you don't have to use distilled water - some websites say you do. It worked great and within days for us. I hope that helps!!

I too had a big issue with thrush when my daughter was younger. Nystatin did not seem to help us either. I started swabbing my nipples with straight white vinegar on a cotton ball after every feeding, letting them dry well before covering up. Swab the baby's mouth with 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar on a qtip after every feeding. It is a small amount so it should not disturb the baby too much. Soak all your bras, cloth nursing pads and anything that comes in contact with your skin or the baby's mouth (pacifiers, bottle nipples, etc) in vinegar and then wash in really hot water. Diligence with this routine should clear it up in less than a week.

Also do your best to eliminate sugar and white flour from your diet which feed yeast. Add a cup of plain yogurt (flavored with sugar free fruit or jam) to your diet daily as well. This helps restore the good bacteria to your system to get the yeast under control. You can also get a probiotic/acidophilus supplement (liquid is usually most effective) from your local health food store. Bio-K is a really good brand.
Good luck, I know this can be a pain to deal with. Hope this remedy works for you!

I had this problem 2 months ago. Basically you have to be very careful. Don't use breast pads. Wash your bras in hot water after each use. My Dr put me on diflucan for 10 days as well as the topical nystatin. Every time I fed my son, I washed my nipples with vinegar & water (i think 1 tsp of vinegar). And they put my son on oral nystatin too. Good luck.

You can also call St. Joe's Women's Hospital and ask to speak to a lactation nurse. This is a free service. The nurses have always been very kind and understanding when I have called. Great advice, DO NOT STOP NURSING!

I have made yogurt a daily ritual in my diet - I hate it, but it helps improve and prevent thrush. Whichever one you buy make sure it contains the L. Acidophilus culture.

The nystantin can take a month or more to fully take care of the problem (some say this is the normal life of thrush). If it doesn't get any better after that speak to your Ped. and OB about both of you taking Diflucan. It will nip it in the bud for both of you. They use this as a last resort.

Hi! I also had this problem once with my son. If I were you, I would eat yogurt and take an acidopholus (sp?) supplement. A good one is Jarro-Dophilus. It has a green label and has to be refridgerated. Look for it in a cooler at your local health food store. It is a basically tasteless powder you let disolve in your mouth or take with water. Both the yogurt and the acidopholus will help treat the yeast in your body, which will benefit both of you. She's a little young for the powder but you might ask at the health food store if they have anything appropriate for babies. Good luck!

Hi,
I just wanted to comment on the thrush problem you are having with your baby. I, myself had the same problem with my daughter at 1 month of age and my doctor did the same thing put us both on Nystatin and still we were passing it back and forth because of breastfeeding. Since I was a new mother at the time, with my first daughter and just recently delivered, I contacted the lactation consultants at the hospital I delivered at and they said the only way to get rid of it is for me to go on an oral yeast medicine. For the life of me, I can't think of the name of it, but I believe it was a one time dose or a 3 day pill pack...regardless...I expressed my concerns to the ob/gyn and they ended prescribing it to me. I hope this helps

I had thrush in my nipples and breasts along with my nursing son (his mouth) when he was about 2 months old. It was pure agony. It felt like I had shattered glass in my breasts. Nursing was hell. The most important thing I was told at the time was DO NOT STOP NURSING. It wouldn't make the thrush go away, and I knew I'd be resentful for having to give up nursing him before I was ready (turned out to be EXCELLENT advice as he had numerous respiratory and immune system problems that would have been SO MUCH worse if he hadn't been nursed). I HIGHLY recommend getting in touch with La Leche league on their website www.lalecheleague.org or calling them. They can help you through it. Also, do some google searching and see what you can come up with. I think I found some stuff on there during our ordeal. And remember you WILL make it through. Good luck and best wishes. Hope this link helps:

http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/thrush.html

Dear A.,

Thrush is when the beneficial bacteria in the system are wiped out by the antibiotics and then a fungus called candida takes over. The only thing I have found that works is Nutritional Brewers Yeast Flakes manufactured by a company called KAL. The containers are cheap approx 13.00 which is a large supply. The other thing is scidophilous which is the liquid that is on top of yogurt. These two things are crucial in correcting the bacterial (good bacteria) in the digestive tract. I do not know how you would get it into the baby unless you took large amounts and then she got it through your milk. The ascidophilous can be given to her right in her mouth by breaking open the capsule. I did both with my youngest who is prone to this stuff. She is now five and still takes it.

Keep in mind that to correct this natural takes about four months to fully break the cycle. I had this as an adult did special diets, the prescriptions that were expensive and nothing worked. Then I did the two things that I list above and it took fours months to fully and completely be gone. Just for safe measure I do take the yeast regularly but I no longer have any of the symtoms, ever! I had them all for years, bladder infections, yeast infections, drove me mad!

I promise you these things work!

Good Luck.

D.

Hi A., I have breastfed all my kids also and I have had that also. I can remember when my son had it, I ended up getting it on my nipples. I know that it hurts very painful. Does the doctor have you on oral antibotic? I was told to not only use it oral but also during the day, and especially before you feed your girl, put it on your nipple. Hope this works.