Thrush - Again

Oh, I can definitely relate to you. When my daughter was 4 weeks old, we found out she had thrush - the doctor treated her but that white stuff on her tongue never really would go away, then one day while I was feeding her - yeeouch!!!! I felt like my nipples were on fire...I too tried gentian violet, but it did not work. I finally had my doctor prescribe me the Diflucan, and at the same time, a lactation nurse told me to put yeast infection cream (yes the kind for down there) on my nipples. She assured me it was safe for the baby...but I would dab it off before nursing and then put some more back on. Both of these methods seemed to work and after a week, I was feeling better. I know it's hard, I was taking Vicodin just to numb the pain of nursing. I got through it because I was so intent on breastfeeding. Just a couple of other tips in case you haven't already heard them...
-try to pump milk instead of letting the baby latch on if your baby will drink it in a bottle - much less painful
-wash nipples with warm water and let air dry after nursing or pumping and try to keep them uncovered
-if you are taking an oral antibiotic, eat yoghurt - it helps replenish the good bacteria in your body that gets killed with the antibiotic - this is very important
Good luck and if you choose to discontinue breastfeeding, don't let others make you feel bad - do what is right for you and your baby! But trust me, I've been there and I promise you will get through it!!!
Take care, S. S - mom of 7 year old and 2 1/2 year old

Hi K.,
Has Jack's doctor check him for thrush too? If he hasn't been treated at the same time as you, he will continue to pass it back to you. I've also heard that excessive consumption of processed sugar makes it worst. I LOVED breastfeeding and while I never had thrush, I did have cracked/bleeding nipples as my daughter was quite the latcher and pain doesn't make breastfeeding pleasant. I hope you get some resolution and happy breastfeeding!
L.

I also have a thrush problem again. My daughter is being treated with Nyastin since she wasn't treated the first time and the pain came back. Let your pediatrician know what your problem is, since babies may not have any symptoms of thrush, but still have it. The lactation consultant recommended washing my nipple with a cotton ball soaked in a vinegar or baking soda mixture (2 teaspoons of vinegar or 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water) after every feeding or pump session. So far so good.

Good luck!

K.,

I feel for you. I had thrush for months and months. I also took Diflucan for months and months. I can't even remember how long, although I did eventually wean "early," at 7&1/2 months, because I couldn't entirely get rid of the problem, even with Diflucan. (My nipples were still red and sensitive for months after weaning, so unfortunately weaning isn't an instant cure-all--despite what your doctors may tell you, and despite how much they may pressure you to wean!) I too felt that I needed to do all I could before I gave up on BF because of the pain and discomfort.

Diflucan is safe to take for prolonged periods of time. It sounds like you have a "systemic" yeast infection like me, not just a localized infection. It will take some time to gete rid of it. Even if your yeast is Diflucan-resistant, you can keep taking the Diflucan to at least suppress further yeast production.

American doctors are woefully under-informed about thrush. I was warned by my lactation consultant to come armed with research before approaching my doctors for a Diflucan prescription. You need to take Diflucan for an additional two weeks after the thrush clears up, otherwise it will come back. Many doctors cite some old research that showed a few patients having liver dysfunction and are reluctant to either give you the prescription in the first place, or to give it to you as long as you need. However, liver dysfunction is in fact quite rare. There are thousands of immune-compromised AIDS patients who have been taking this drug for years with no problem. If your doctor is really concerned, you can take a simple blood test to check your liver function.

I wish you all the best.

Given that thrush is caused by excess candida, you may want to look into doing some form of candida cleanse. I've had problems with candida off and on for years caused by antibiotics, stress, and too much carbs (especially refined sugars.) There's lots of information on candida, but the best book I've found is called "The Yeast Connection Handbook."
I'm not sure what would be safe during breast feeding to take herbally or homeopathically, but just being aware what foods help and which foods make it worse combined with taking lots of water and some probiotics may do the trick for a long term cure.

I hope this helps!