Thrush - Ridgefield, CT

Hey M. - my Pediatrician (who I adore) told me that I could get a prescription from him that would take several days to kick in for both me and the baby, or I could go to the pharmacy and get the cream that you use for athletes foot - which is a fungus (I think it was like tinactin - but it may have been another name brand - ask the pharmacist)and put a little on your nipples before you breastfeed. I KNOW that it sounds crazy - he assured me that it was 100% safe for the baby and he is one of the top rated dr.s in the big city where I live - and it worked within 24 hours. My newborn didn't mind a bit and I was finally able to nurse without crying (me!) or bleeding (to the point that I was sooo ready to give up on nursing). Again - I wouldn't put something "crackpot" out there for someone to try without believing it or recommending it to others successfully. You should probably ask your dr. as well - but I am completely sold on the practice.

I had the same problem when my now 14 and almost 13 yo boys breastfed. I hate yogurt, but it works. Eat yogurt at least 3x a day, more often if you like it (I barely made it through the 3x a day) It really does help. Also, make sure to keep breasts dry and clean. I used gauze pads sprinkled with a little bit of pure corn starch in my bra and changed them every hour and a half or so. This is an all natural solution.

If you want to use medications there are several out there that will help and are supposed to be perfectly safe for your baby, but they made me nervous and I did all natural.

Hope it helps.

Thrush will happen the dr says, but eating yogurt is what
my family MD told me to do. He said there are other things
he could have prescribed but then you have to deal with
the side effects from those. The yogurt kills the bad
bacteria internally...Gave it to the grandkids too
when they had it.
Couldn't hurt to apply to breast, cover and then it would
be easier to wash off before feeding time too.
I didn't care for yogurt back then but ate the McDonald's
fruit and yogurt parfait...it cleared it up quickly...also
helped to ease the pain...the more you eat/use, the faster
it will clear up. Plus you can feed it to the baby too.
After that I started eating flavored yogurts.
Even helped with yeast infection too.

I am dealing with it right now and think that I have it under control. What I did was to use a mixture of a vaginal yeast infection cream (generic will do fine), some first aid cream, and OTC hydrocortisone cream. My doctor suggested that I not use ointment since it will lock moisture in. Make sure you wipe and wash the cream off before b'feeding
I am also away from my son all day so that helped with the healing process. It has been 2.5 weeks since seeing the dr and I think it's not gone but the open cracks are gone and b'feeding isn't painful anymore.
My sons pediatrician said that I should put the nystatin that they use for babies on my nipples instead. That hurt like crazy so I stopped and continued using what my doctor had suggested.

good luck.

HI M. - we have a couple of things we recommend from our wellness company that are completely safe to use when breast feeding. If you would like specific information for this, please either email me at ____@____.com or you can call me at ###-###-####. I'll be happy to help.

~ Barb H.

M.,

I had thrush with my first born. It was extremely painful, so I know what you are going thru. OUCH!! Ok what worked for me was 2 things. You are going to need to keep your nipples dry (if you bra is a little wet with leakage that will cause it also). Thrush is YEAST! so you need to keep then out let them get some air. I don't know where you live but if you are in a warm climate and it's sunny bare those babies to the sun. The sun will help clear it up. (I know when my lactation consultant told me this I thought she was nuts too). OK the homemade concoction that was used by me and all my other nursing mommies that worked wonders was ... hydrocortisone, antifungal cream and bacitracin. Use equal parts. Mix it in the palms of your hand and apply to your nipples. I personally rinsed before each feeding and then re-apply after each feeding. I know its a bit tedious but it helps. You might want to check your baby to see if she/he has it as well. If there is a white coating/film on your babies tongue then the baby has it as well. You will have to get an oral suspension for the baby. If you do then put some of that oral suspension on your nipples as well. The baby MUST be treated cause if it isn't then your thrush will never clear up it will just be passes back and forth between you and the baby. I would also start taking some acidophilous as well that helps with yeast. It can't hurt you and will help the baby. These are just my thoughts and what I did when I was nusring my oldest daughter and acquired thrush. I wish you well and let me know if it works!! BEST WISHES! L. - NY

With my first son, I had plugged ducts, mastitis, and thrush and the thrush was THE WORST!! It felt like somebody was breaking glass inside my nipples. I had to use nystatin cream topically to get rid of it. My son didn't have any evidence in his mouth of it, but if your baby does, they need treatment as well or you will just keep passing it. It takes quite a while to get rid of. There is also another remedy that a friend used combining nystatin with gentian violet and some other ingredient so if you have persistent trouble, I will get the exact mixture. Good luck.

Check out Kellymom.com there are remedies listed there. The all purpose nipple ointment might help with the pain.

You and the Baby have it? My baby and I had it and it was so very hard to get rid of. In fact my doctor said that it was the worst he had ever seen. Please be dilligent in using the Nystatin (Spelling might be wrong) Feel free to email me in private if you would like to. C.

I had thrush too, after I gave birth to my now 10 month old. It was extremely painful- the dr. described it perfectly- like broken glass inside your chest. Luckily the baby didn't get it, but we were both on medication for at least a month. He wasn't gaining weight either. The pediatrician said I probably was tensing up due to the pain, so wasn't making enough milk. I would "air out" whenever possible. I finally had to supplement, but the pain was becoming unbearable. And as soon as the pain seemed to pass, I would nurse him more, than was in more pain. I went to a breast feeding dr. who is in Manhasset, Long Island- I forgot her name, but she was great. I also went to a breast feeding support group, which helped as well. I tried for a little longer, but with the baby not gaining enough weight, and him having to be on meds for so long, I finally had to stop. It was very depressing. My pediatrician put it perfectly- he asked me what were my goals for my baby- and in the end I just wanted him to be healthy. If me nursing him wasn't the way, well, I felt I had to find what was.
I hope you find a better solution and can continue to nurse him. Having to stop nursing before you're ready is a horrible feeling.
Good luck.

HEy I had it twice,

they usually give an RX for Oral nystatin for the baby, and a cream for your breasts,

basically you treat the baby, and after each feeding you apply the cream to your breasts,

Becareful NOT to double dip the dropper or you re contaminate the medicine

And make sure to remember to WIPE off the cream before feeding the baby.

ITs a real pain, and if you wait too long to treat it ,it gets WORSE and more painful for you and the baby.

ANd it can make them sick,

My cousins baby was very ill, and would't even eat.

Hope this helps,

M

PS Thrush happens usually when you are treated with antibiotic

Believe me the sooner you fill your RX the better, its a yeast infection in the baby's mouth, you could also try eating yougurt it might help. and fruit juice.

HI M.: My daughter had thrush as a baby and I think the best thing to do is call your doctor. There is topical medicine to put on her mouth for it. I used it on my daughter Lilith and it cleared up in a matter of days.

Hi M.,

I am happy to report that while thrush SUCKS you can survive. I had a terrible case in my right breast and truly I was just about ready to switch to formula, but I made it through. My baby Deanna is 7 1/2 months, breast fed only until we started solids last month. The nystatin (for both you and the baby) will definitely help, and I have also heard about purple genetian (or something like that - I didn't use it, just the nystatin). I also used heat pads (moist heat from the microwave, mine had some lavender inside so it smelled nice!!) which hurt a bit at first, but really made the breast feel better. When you nurse, start with the breast that hurts for five minutes and then go to the one that doesn't. You can and will make it through!!

Take care,

R.

Is the thrush on your tongue or your nipples??? Does the baby have it too? The medication that the pediatrician gives to treat the baby can be used to treat your nipples too. I know it is unbearable just thinking back to it gives me the chills.

Hi,
My baby had it when he was first born. He was given meds to rub in his mouth and when that didn't work, he was given a stroonger kind to take orally. It never moved to me, however I made sure I wiped my nipples with a cotton gauze with warm water everytime before and after each feeding. Does your baby have the white patches in his/ her mouth? Maybe it would be better to have somebody take a look at your breasts - especially if it is so painful?
Good luck!

M.,

I have EXTENSIVE experience with this. With my first born, it was all it took to switch to formula. With my second I stuck it out. It was SOO painful (as you know). There is a nipple cream that can be mixed by the pharmacist but you need to get a prescription from your DR. and I don't remember what it's called. Something like Dr. (something's) all purpose nipple cream. It was a god send! I didn't find that nystatin worked for me or for my daughter. We used Difulcan once for her and it cleared it right up (on her end). If you are willing to hide out in your house for a few days you can try Gentian Violet. You can get it at the pharmacy too. It is a purple looking liquid that you apply to your nipples and the baby's mouth. You don't need much but it stains so you that's why you would want to stay at home for a few days. And that works great too.
VERY IMPORTANT for keeping the thrush away after you get rid of it:
1- Probiotics. These will keep the good bacteria in your intestines working and keep the candida (causing the thrush) at bay. I used Optiflora by Shaklee and still use it every day since it is good at keeping your immune system strong in general. It's pretty cheap and highly effective. You can buy it online because it's not available in stores. Here's a link: http://www.shaklee.net/clancy/product/80638. If you don't want that one you can try Culturelle which is available in some pharmacy's. But be careful to keep it refrigerated at all times and you need to take it more than once a day. I did not find that that one was as effective and it was more expensive. So that's why I switched to the Optiflora.
2- Wash ALL towels, bras, shirts, burp rags, sheets etc. (anything that comes into contact with your nipples, breastmilk and baby's mouth and spitup) in hot water DAILY. Preferably, once you use it, wash it.
3- Keep your nipples open to the air if at all possible. If there is any way they can get some sun (as crazy as it sounds) that's good too.
4- Change your nursing pads frequently. Be sure that your nipples are not wet.
5- If your baby uses a binky, pacifier or bottle, you need to sterilize the nipples after every use. I learned when dealing with my 2 month battle with thrush (ugh) that yeast can live for up to 20 minutes in boiling water. If just a bit stays alive you re-infect. I sterilized for 30 minutes just to be safe.
6- Keep your sugar intake in check. It is said that sugary diets can create an environment for yeast to thrive.

I worked with a lactation consultant to get rid of it. All this info came from her. She is amazing! If it werent for her I wouldn't have been able to get through.

Please feel free to contact me for more info about anything. I know how painful it is. ____@____.com

M.,

I had thrush once and it is so painful. I'm very sorry you have to go through it. The only thing that worked for me was called Melaleuca oil. It is a natural fungicide, so it kills the thrush. Dilute it in some olive oil and apply it to your breasts after every feeding. Feel free to contact me and I can tell you how I found it. Hope this helps.

D.

Hey there! You say you are trying home remedies to get rid of it, and that is great if you find it working. When my first was a few months old we had the same problem, but i went to the doctor and he prescribed two different creams to put on my nipples and a liquid (I used Q-tips) to put on the inside of her mouth. Thrush is really painful, but I found that the medicine he prescribed worked within a day or two. We didn't have that problem anymore after that.

I had thrush when my son was about 3 or 4 months old. I feel your pain! My son had it in his mouth. I took hiim to the pediatrician who prescribed an antibiotic for him to take. He said that the one that you have to rub in the babies mouth is a pain to use, so he just prescribed a normal liquid medicine. Then, I went to my ob/gyn and she prescribed a cream to rub on my nipples several times a day. You have to wash it off before you breastfeed, which is annoying, but it worked, so I didn't mind. Also, keep your nipples clean and dry. Do not use lanolin cream on them because they feel sore. The dr. said that this only helps the yeast grow because it provides moisture for it. Since I still leaked at this point, I used cotton disposable nursing pads and changed them very regularly to keep my nipples dry. The trick, though, is for both you and the baby to be treated for the thrush or you will both keep passing it back and forth and the baby could end up getting it in the genital area if it is left untreated for too long. Good luck!

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I would start taking a good probiotic
A good read is The Yeast Connection by Dr Willliam Crook.