Hello Mommies -- First of all I want to thank everyone who responded to my request. All of your suggestions were helpful and thank you for the support that I needed. Well, it turns out that it may not be constipation with my son, because when I took him to the doctor on Tues., she performed a rectal stimulation and he went right after and the BM was soft. He also went twice that evening, all being soft. The only thing is that he hasn't gone since and it is now Thurs. BUT, when I took him to the doctor, she noticed that he now has Thrush. His tongue, and the insides of his mouth and cheeks are covered with white patches. She prescribed Nystatin and said it could take up to 2 weeks to clear up. My poor son is still miserable, crying most of the day and not sleeping well at night. Last night was horrible. I wonder if the Thrush is bothering him. The doctor said it could be itchy and painful. While at the doctors, she also switched his formula again to Alimentum (he was previously on Similac Sensitive for the week). I wonder if he got the thrush from the formula, since it is lactose-free. The doctor thinks he may have a sensitivity to lactose since the regular Enfamil and Similac was not agreeing with him. But I think the lactose-free formula may have brought on the thrush. Has anyone heard of this before? Do you think it's OK to give him some tylenol to help alleviate any discomfort he may be having? I am so desperate to get him feeling better. He is miserable and crying most of the time and my husband and I are so sleep deprived, we are at the verge of tears ourselves!
Hi Mommies -- I want to thank all of you who responded to my problem with my son's thrush. Thankfully, it has cleared up (for now!) with the help of Nystatin and sterilizing EVERYTHING he touches and that goes in his mouth. He has also been a happier baby, sleeping better at night (although still not too much during the day) and his prior issues with gas and constipation have gotten better. He is on Nutramigen and it seems to be agreeing with him. He is "talking" now and smiling up a storm. Again, thanks to everyone for their help!
My daughter who is 10 weeks has thrush also,,,she does not seem uncomfortable though....although she was until I put her on Nutramigen. Enfamil makes it and it is a fortune but she is lessy fussy....try it who knows....good luck.
E.
My son had thrush at 8 weeks. We beat it using BabyDophilus (acidophilus for babies) and solutions of vinegar and water. I swabbed the inside of his mouth with a QTip soaked with vinegar/water solution (1/4 cup vinegar to 1 c. water). I used the vinegar solution on my own nipples - if you are bottle feeding you can swab the nipple in the solution as well. You can also add some vinegar when sterilizing bottles/binkies etc. I also added vinegar to my baby's laundry (esp if you are using cloth diapers). Good Luck! I know how rough this can be...
Thrush is actually a yeast infection of the mouth and intestine. My son had it several times while I was breastfeeding. Make sure that all your nipples are cleaned and sterilized after use. You want them to be cleaned really well.
Hi M..
My son also had thrush around the same age yours is now. It was so horrible, for BOTH of us because he then passed it to me and my breasts were KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!
As you heard in your other responses that thrush is a yeast infection. Yeast feeds on sugar and I think it's the wisest thing that you have him on a lactose free formula. The other thing that can help it clear up more (besides not double dipping that dropper) is using gauze to clean out his cheeks after feeding. My pediatrician said to take a piece of gauze and wrap it tightly around my finger and just "clean up" his cheeks and tongue, whatever I could get off (you know that white gunk that is all over). Also, I'm more apt to do things as naturally as possible...you can give your newborn some acidophilis, you can put it in his bottle of formula. They sell it at health food stores. There is one that's made specifically for little ones, but it's not harmful at all and I usually just use the adult capsuls...I break them open and put the acidophilis into their bottles. The acidophilis adds good bacteria to the body, and just as a side note, when there is an imbalance in the intestines, bowel movements are always effected. So if you start adding the good bacteria I'm sure it will help him with going to the bathroom as well.
I hope I helped. Poor little guy. I felt so bad when my son had it (bad for both of us. ha) But we got over it and after that everything was fine. The one thing that I thought was so dumb though is that I heard that Nyastatin actually has some sugar in it...and yeast feeds off sugar. We did use it as well, but it kind of seems counter productive.
There is another thing that we used but it was WAY MESSY. It was this purple stuff that you have to put on the inside of their cheeks and it was a natural thing that really helped. I'd have to do a search for it cause I forget the name. Maybe someone else out there has dealt with it that way. It was a pain in the butt cause it was messy, but I thought it helped a lot. Oh wait...found it. It's called "Genetian violet". I just did a search on yahoo for "thrush remedies" and loads of stuff comes up.
God bless you guys. Please let us know how he's doing.
L.
NO Thrush is a yeast infection, usually happens when they give you antibiotics in the delivery room.
You probably just didn't notice it
I have 3 kids and 2 of them have had thrush,
Tips on the thrush,
BE TIMELY, DO NOT FORGET.
DO NOT DOUBLE DIP the DROPPER you'll re contaminate the container making the medication USESLESS.
And increasing his probability of getting re infected.
SAME with the Tylenol, he has a mouth infection, and re using the dropper will just contaminate the bottle,
that goes for EVERY infection.and Double dipping the droppers.
it takes WEEKS to get rid of the thrush.
Make sure your cleaning ALL the nipples, remember that the dishwasher is GREAT but not all dishwashers have an antibacterial cycle, So BOIL the nipples and pacifiers every evening.
The upset stomache is from the thrush, its a bacteria, imagine that you drink the MILK which irritates and causes increased bile and irritation, NOW TOP that with an infection which little thin layers of skin are being destroyed.
its like rubbing lemon juice on chapped lips. it hurts and burns. that what its like for him.
M
Thrush is a yeast infection. In babies, the candida causes thrush because babies' immune systems are not yet strong enough to control the growth of the yeast. In babies, it is easy to mistake thrush for milk or formula. It looks like cottage cheese or milk curds. Some babies can be cranky and won't want to eat. Thrush in babies is usually not serious, and you can treat it with antifungal medicine such as the nystatin liquid your ped prescribed. In most cases, you will put the medicine directly on the white patches. When a baby has thrush, the yeast can cause a diaper rash at the same time. Your baby may need nystatin cream or ointment for his diaper area. With thrush, it may help to clean bottle nipples and pacifiers regularly using hot water, boil them. If not, it will continue to infect him. Good luck. PS Babies are most suseptable to thrush from birth to 6 months.
Hi M.,
I asked my Mom about this 'cuz I remember that my son also had and she knew just what to do. Generally, thrush is caused by somewhat unclean nipples in babies' mouths or by them picking up something that you may be unaware of and sticking it in their mouth--as babies often do. Sterilizing bottles and nipples can help. You can swab your son's mouth with full strenght hydrogen peroxide. Just use a couple of cotton swabs together and wipe around the inside of his cheeks and gums. There is also a product that you can buy over the counter. Just ask your pharmacist about it. I've copied the medical definition of that product below. It's call gentian violet. Hope this helps.
All the best,
K. M.
violet, gentian (vīlet, jen´shn),a rosaniline dye, useful as a protective covering and an antiseptic in the treatment of minor lesions of the oral mucosa. It is an effective fungicide and is therefore of value in the treatment of moniliasis.
I don't know where you live, but I would go to a naturopathic doctor.
hi, my daughter had thrush when she was somewhere between 4-6 months old. i was told that it was from me...if she dropped her pacifier, or bottle while we were out (instead of using my head and wiping it with a wipe) i would just use my shirt to wipe it off, then put it in my mouth to "clean/disinfect" it. all i could think was hearing most of my life "you came from me, my spit won't hurt you" and "just a lil bit of mommy spit will clean anything" i know now that those were all WRONG and just something from LONG AGO that can never work in these days. i also had to give her nystatin and i was told to take something like a Popsicle stick/tongue depressor to gently scrape the thrush away (usually i used her spoon while i was feeding her some rice or oatmeal cereal. her dr. also told me to give her some tylonol if she wouldn't go to sleep (being that i'm so paranoid of overdosing her i would give her a little bit less than a dose, then w/in the hrs that the dr. said, give her another (little bit less than) a dose and usually only needed it for bedtime, rarely nap time). i'm really not sure exactly what the cause is of the thrush, like i said, i was told it was from me putting her pacifier and bottle in my mouth then into hers, but my grandmother (who just got out of the hospital and is bedridden now) has thrush and NO BODY put anything in their mouths then into hers, nor did anyone share any drinks or utensils with her, and they never gave a reason for her having it, they just gave her nystatin to try and get rid of it (though for her, it's taking a bit longer then it took for my daughter). hope this helped. good luck, and don't worry, it does go away, just try to keep up on it gently scraping it away when you can (after bottles and NOT w/in 15 min after giving the medicine or it's pointless to give the meds). again, good luck, it will get better!
When my first daughter had a problem with yeast, she was given gentien violet. This is a great natural alternative. I know sometimes, when it's worse, like thrush, you also apply some on your nipples if breastfeeding. It's bright purple and stains, so be sure the baby is wearing a bib that you don't want to keep when it's applied in his mouth. Ask your pediatrician about it.
My son had thrush as a newborn. I tried nystain, without success. I finally, with alot of trepidation used diflucin. It worked immediately and had no side effects. In hindsight I would have used it much sooner. In terms of tylenol, as long as your pediatrician says it is okay, why not make your baby feel more comfortable.
Good Luck
I've definately heard of thrush and I know it can make the kids miserable. Poor baby!! Nystatin is a great anti-fungal that will clear it up in no time. There's no harm in giving him Tylenol or Motrin for temporaty pain relief. Personally, I don't like to medicate my boys unless they absoloutely need it. I would say give him Motrin 8hour at night so he (and you) can sleep better. During the day just keep him comfy and give cool fluids (popscicle) to help numb it a little. Anything can cause thrush even breast milk. See how the alimentum works and throw out all bottle nipples and/or pacifiers to avoid cross- contamination. Best of luck!
Thrush is an overgrowth of naturally occuring bacteria, kinda like a yeast infection.
The non-lactose formulas are often made with soy, which can constipate a baby, and make them gassy as well
My son had thrush when we adopted him from Korea.. he was about 4 months old.. and they think he was born with it. Alot of children are born with it.. but you don't notice it until they get a little older. We used so much medicine and it kept coming back.. so they recommended Gentian Violet.. it's over the counter.. purple medicine... and the dr. and pharmacist showed me how to use just a small bit 2 times a day... and after about a week.. it was gone... !!! My son got it back a few times after that - when he was sick.. it seemed like its easier to get it more since he already had it.. he is now 9 and hasn't gotten it again since he was 1. Ask your pharmacist about gential violet.. or your doctor.. it really does the trick!!! it's also great for canker sores.
He may be allergic to cow's milk altogether. Try soy.
Regarding the thrush my son had it as an infant as well. I was reast feeding and of course ended up with it too . My advice is be dilligent about the medication, but THROW OUT bottles, nookies and anythng that can carry the germs. Its so easy to pas back and forth and really hard no matter how you try to get the germs to go away. As well Im not sure what a doctor woould say but I froze some milk (formula) and let him suck on it to cool and calm the burning.
thrush is a yeast infection, it is believed when the baby is born vaginally,they are exposed to the yeast naturally there. then some babies immune system doesnt fight it off or antibiotocs can trigger it. my daughter had it diagnosed around 2-3 weeks old and took medication and it went away in about 2 weeks. i sterilized her nipples EVERY cleaning till she was 1 just to be safe. i also never gave the baby the bottle or a pacifier if it touches the floor even our carpet even for a second. alimentum is a formula for babies who have a hard time with formula that is milk based. we had to give it to our first for severe diahrea starting at 2 weeks while on similac. we used ready to feed ($8 a day!) as the diahrea came back with the powder. at 6 months we changed to good start no prob. good start seems gentler on the stomach. if he is eating, pooping ok, why are you putting him on alimentum? when you say not agreeing, like how? no reflux right?
i would ask the doctor about tylenol, since you arent positive he is in pain from the thrush. its better to use less meds if possible and you dont want to mask any pain hemay be in from something more severe. thrush isnt always painful, but if so, its usually when the baby is so hungry and wants to eat, but it hurts to much, so the baby is upset.
some babies are more difficult than others, some dont sleep and cry all the time. just rule out any medical possibilities and then stop looking for answers and just figure out what can help you cope. you are in a bad spot as if you keep asking the doctor, she will, as dr do, prescribed more tests that may be invasive and unneeded. at the same time, you dont want any serious medical problem to go undetected. new moms lose anaverage of 360ish hours of sleep the first year. but thats an average so some are losing much more than others. dont worry about thrush, its no big deal, and most ;likely, if the meds are working, not painful.
for what ts worth, my first was bottle fed, had the diahrea for 2 weeks, thrush, and a called all in the first month. my 2nd is breastfed now 3 months old, no problems whatsoever even after being near sick people. i truly believe all those problems wouldnt have happened if she was bf. and i didnt know at the time, but up until a few months you may be able to restart breastfeeding with the help of a lactation specialist and pump. much cheaper too. if i had only known i would have. good luck
