Baby and I have thrush.. please help!!

Wow.. the pain coming from my breasts off and on is amazing!! I went to my doc today due to some redness... stabbing pain.. and burning in my breasts.. mostly my left breast..  but in both breasts.  it hurts to feed  my baby.. letdown is like something clawing my chests and breasts.. and well.. i would really appreciate it if anyone who has had this before can tell me .. besides the meds the doc gives you .. what they have done to fix this.. my doc told me that the prescription is VERY strong.. for me and the baby...

being my seventh baby.. this is the first time this has happened..  I dont have any fever.. or anything like that...

I would really appreciate an advice on this.. thankyou in advance.. baby dust to everyone.. take care!!

[ajemmom]

I feel for you, I really do!  I know exactly what you are going through.  My DS and I battled thrush for 4 months!  It was one painful experience.  I don't know if your doctor gave you anything, but that would be the first step.  The most common medication is Nystatin, and that can be put in your baby's mouth and there is also a cream form that you can rub on your nipples.  I have to admit though, we went through that treatment four times (4 weeks of it to be exact) and it never cleared up.  You also have to be VERY CAREFUL to sterilize EVERYTHING that comes in contact with your baby's mouth....pacifiers, toys, teething rings, etc.... You can sterilize them in a certain sterilizer that you can buy at almost any store in the baby section, or you can boil the stuff!  Just make sure you boil everything every single day!  A more powerful drug that we had to end up taking was Diflucan.  I know that doctors don't immediatly prescribe this one, they try the Nystatin first, but I'm not sure why.  Another thing I tried was a "natural" remedy and it was called Gentian Violet.  You can look it up on the internet and it can be purchased at any store in the first aid section.  It was EXTREMELY messy and stained a number of things purple, and I can't really say that it worked either, but I know a number of people who would swear by it.  Like I said before, we battled thrush for four months and then I finally quit nursing because it was so painful and only after that did it go away. I AM NOT recommending that you quit nursing though.  My son was already a year old, and it just seemed more worth it to quit instead of being in pain any longer.  Start with whatever medicine the dr. gave you and just remember to sterilize everything, because if you don't, the thrush may seem like it is clearing up, and then it will reappear again!  Another tip I can give you is to not use any towel to dry off with after your bath/shower more than once.  If the towel stays damp, the thrush could thrive there and you could keep getting it.  I know I must sound crazy with all this, it is just that I know how you feel because I have been there!  I began bleaching all my towels to try to rid my house of thrush.  Eventually, all the medicine and time cleared it up for me.  Best wishes, and let me know if you find anything that really works great so I may know for next time!

[AndiJ78]

I am thanking my lucky stars I have made it through three babies without dealing with this! You poor thing, I know my battles with mastitis were tough, but that just bothered me, the baby was unscathed.

I sure hope you guys find relief soon! I agree with the others, be diligent on your meds and hygiene. Remember yeast thrives in hot and moist environments. Air yourself out as much as possible. Av.oid overly tight or restrictive clothing.

Good luck, I hope this passes soon.

[Mozartcowgirl]

wow thankyou you guys!!!!!!!!!  so much!!  this is just nuts though~~ I just got done breast feeding .. and man oh man...th epain!! it woke me up this am...

annie  brook.. the symptoms that I have been having are...

redness around the areola.... painful nipples...
shooting pains in the breast
burning sensations in the breast area..
EXTREMELY painful letdown reflex.

i think i have them all..

i am going to try the natural cures first.. and if those dont work.. then i will have to go with the prescription....  Zane is only 4 weeks old.. so.. i have to figure something  out..

THANKYOU you guys .. for all the support.. and the advice. you guys are always so supportive.... im so glad to be here...

[ma2isiah]

Also wash your bras in hot water. I used nursing pads once, then threw them away and washed my bras every night.  Also use both medicines for you and the baby exactly as directed, don't miss any doses or it will not go away. Luckily I felt better after one day on the medicine. I think mine was a cream and then nystatin drops for baby. But I kept using it until it was gone. Yeast so painful, I am sorry! All of my friends who have nursed for awhile got it so it is pretty common, good luck!

[AnnieBrooke]

Eeesh, it sounds awful.  I don't think I have it, but one side's nipple is often super sore from the baby nursing and he's 4 months old already (in other words, I would think I should have toughened up by now).  What are the symptoms of thrush besides whitish mouth in the baby?

[ts13]

wow! i feel your pain.
my daughter is 3 months old and i've been dealing with thrush for almost 2 1/2 months already.  i have seen my obgyn, primary, lactation consultant, etc.  have had the baby on nystatin & gentian violet. i've had 2 rounds of diflucan, used gentian violet on myself, nystatin cream, acidophilus supplements-threw all my nipples, pacifiers, breast pump accessories away and started new, etc. etc.  you name it, i tried it!! however, the ONLY thing that i found relief in was a mixture of 3 over the counter creams.  i used an antifungal (tinactin), an antibiotic (triple antibiotic cream) and cortizone 10.  within 24 hours my nipples started returning to "normal".  there is no more pain, itching, peeling etc.  but, i will continue to use the creams for another week to make sure it is gone for good.  i have also continued to treat my daughter with the nystatin liquid.
make sure that anything that touches their mouth is either thrown away or boiled to disinfect.  i made the mistake on the first round of nystatin to put the dropper directly into her mouth then back in the bottle (and in turn contaminated the whole bottle.) iknow use qtips and swab the insides of her mouth/tongue
anyway, i highly recommend using the creams on your breasts.......let me know how it works!

[twiceadopt]

i've got most of the same symptoms (in both breasts) but because the baby doesnt have any outward signs of thrush, it seems to be a tossup between yeast and engorgement/clogged ducts. how did your doctor diagnose the yeast?

[Mozartcowgirl]

I like the idea of the three meds .. but i do have a question..

you put this on your nipples right?? how often? what did you use to washit off with?  were you worried about the baby eating some?  

lol i know.. lots of questions...

[ts13]

hi :)
after every feeding i rinse my nipples with water & white vinegar(1 tbsp vinegar to 1 cup water), dry-then apply the cream all over the nipple.  before feeding, i  just rinse well with warm water and pat dry.

i just got a script for 1. clotrimazole and betamethasone and 2. mupirocin ointment.  
the doctor said it works just like the 3 creams, but is a little stronger.
there is also a "all purpose nipple ointment" that is supposed to work like the creams, but has to be called in by your dr. to a compounding pharmacy.
the website
***********************/newman/c-candida_protocol.html
was a great reference.
and i found the 3 cream concotion on the website below.
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/allaboutcreams.html
if you read it, it says you don't have to wash before feeding, but i still do! :)
i also try to supplement with a couple bottles a day to give my breasts a break while they are healing.
good luck and let me know if you need anything else!