Thrush!! - Lubbock,TX

I had thrush with my first baby (for months), and it made breastfeeding a living, excruciating hell. Treat it ASAP before it gets that far.

You could put a little of your baby's medicine on your nipples and let them air dry. Gentian Violet can help too. Also put on your nipples and let dry. But beware: it stains, BIG time! But it is safe for baby and available at most natural food/drug stores.

Of course, the best thing would be to go to the doctor for treatment, but try the above first if you can't go right now.

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

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/natural-treatments.html

http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=...

All great resources for anything breastfeeding!!

It is painful but can be treated. I was given Lanolin to put on mine, and used glycerin in baby's mouth and gave yogurt and those really helped. You can still continue to breastfeed if you are able to bear it. Change padding often.

My little guy had thrush right after he was born and the doctor treated him, but told me that I could use his medicine on my nipples to treat them. If you don't treat yourself you are just going to pass it back and forth and not win the battle to get it gone. I would air out my nipples and put some of his medicine on it and let that dry before putting my nursing pads back on. If you can, go without closing your bra (just let your shirt rub on the nipples) for a while. I usually do that at night and just let my breasts go without covering. Good luck.

Thrush is a form of yeast infection, so yes it could be, air is the best thing for healing also eating yogurt helps a yeast infection.
The doctor put the Gentian Violet on my grandsons mouth, you can't find it to buy anywhere that we looked. A side note- it stains the babies mouth for a while, we took him with us to a restaurant right after we saw the doctor and the waitress came to take our order and couldn't take her eyes off him or seem to take our order, so my daughter finally told her about the medicine, she took a big breath and said that she thought he was dead (he was asleep) because of the purplish blue lips and didn't know how to point that out to us.
Be careful what you do use as the baby will ingest it, you might call and ask your OB/GYN or even your pediatrician, they could probably help.

I actually thought I might have had a yeast infection a few weeks ago and my son's pedi recommended Monistat 3 times/day on my nipples, but I would ask your OB/child's pedi/or lactation consultant. You may be able to treat it with an OTC product like Monistat, but I think a prescription would probably be better. What you are describing sounds like you have yeast as well. Do you have pain after nursing that radiates from the nipple into your chest? I talked to a lactation consultant and we decided I had a latch problem, which worked itself out but the bright pink nipples and pain radiating after nursing is more likely yeast. You definitely need to treat yourself, too or you will continue passing it back and forth. Yeast infections can be very difficult to treat so you need to be vigorous. Wash your bras and towels daily, change nursing pads after every feeding. Wash your hands really well. Sterilize any pumping equipment etc. etc.
Hope you both get better soon!

Treat it ASAP.

I had it with my first baby, starting at around 7 months. it started out like what you described, but eventually progressed to an unbearable, excruciating burning inside the entire breast that lasted for an hour or more after nursing. It seriously felt like someone had rubbed icy hot on the tissue inside - I've also heard it described like shards of glass. It is the most painful thing I have ever experienced (including childbirth) and happened after EVERY time I nursed.

By the time I tried gentian violet (which you can get at Whole Foods) I think it was too far along to do any good. My doctor prescribed Nistatin (sp) cream which helped at first. Eventually, diflucin was prescribed and that helped but I was never able to totally get rid of it. I alternated between thrush and mastitis and I think the antibiotics for the mastitis aggravated the thrush. I eventually had to stop breastfeeding because I couldnt take the pain any more. It was terrible/

Try the gential violet first - you can get it without going to the doctor. Also try cutting out sweets from your diet and eating yogurt with those little bacteria in it (?). if that doesnt take care of it within a week, go to a doctor. If you flinch at the cost, think about how much you have saved by not buying formula... :)

Good luck and take care of yourself.