Baby and mom having super awful experience with thrush

[twins+1]

This is a question from a friend and I'm seeking ideas here to pass on to her:

"Last week I was diagnosed with mastitis. A few days later baby and I came down with a really bad case of thrush. Last night we were in the ER with baby because the meds that they put her on dehydrated her and she kept vomiting everything back up. The problem with the thrush is that they can not seem to find any medicine that will take the burning away from me. Have you had any other friends have very difficult to treat cases of thrush and if so how did they treat the yeast on their nipples?"


Any ideas??? She sounds miserable!

[tireesix]

What meds has she tried?

[twins+1]

Originally Posted by tireesix

What meds has she tried?

I don't know? I really don't know her well, but I'm the only woman she knows that breastfeeds so she emailed me. I told her to look into Gentian Violet and take some probiotic supplements.

[Heba]

The BfN updated leaflet on Thrush gives some useful information and discusses treatment options (you will see they are quite clear in their recommendations), but options for treating vary according to where in the world she is (the BfN is UK based). http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org....t_Feb_2009.pdf

I don't know how long they have been treated for - the pain should begin to subside after 2-3 days of treatment though possibly not clear up completely for another few days after that. She may want to consider painkillers (if that has not been suggested to her by her hcp) to help her through the next few days.

Best of luck to her!

[moobiegirl]

I had great success with gentian violet and dr. newman's nipple ointment. Just google dr. newman's nipple ointment for the recipe. My doctor okay'ed it and called it in to the pharmacy for me. It made me feel so much better. Good luck!

[jecombs]

I'm so sorry that your friend is in pain! I dealt with a 3 mo. thrush battle and I wouldn't wish it on anyone! The problem with thrush (and the traditional Nystatin treatment) is that much of it is becoming treatment resistent.

Your friend should definitely get some Gentian Violet, ASAP. You have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. It's not prescription, but they do keep it behind the counter. I've gotten it at CVS and Walmart. Apply to Mom's nips and baby's mouth once a day for a maximum of 5 days in a row.

PP mentioned probiotics. Make sure your friend gets a good-quality probiotic from a reputable health food store. Anything that has not been kept refriegerated is next-to-useless. Mom can take the maximum dose on bottle and she can break open a capsule and apply to her nips. Get baby to nurse right after application, so LO will get some too.

Mom must, must, must sterilize EVERYTHING that comes in contact with her nips, breastmilk, and/or baby's mouth. This includes bottles, pacis, toys, bras, and pump parts. My continued probs with thrush resulted from a paci storage container they were using at daycare. They washed it every day, but did not sterilize it! These items should be boiled for 20 min daily or you can use the Medela Micro-steam bags. Bras should be hand-washed after 1 wearing in hot water, detergent, and white vinegar. If possible, place them outside in direct sun to dry. This will help kill the yeast.

PPs also mentioned Dr. Newman's All-Purpose Nipple Ointment. I used it and found it to be very soothing. Here is the link to the recipe.

If this treatment does not work, or if the thrush recurs, your friend can ask her doc for an Rx for Diflucan. She needs to get it for herself and the baby. The course should last at least 10 days or until Mom has been symtom-free for a week. The problem I ran into was my doc only giving me 2 doses, which was not enough. Taking a 2-week course (me and baby) is what finally got rid of our thrush. If your friend is having any deep, stabbing pain in her breasts, it is likely that her thrush is in the milk ducts and she will have to have the Diflucan.

Below are some links on thrush treatment from kellymom.com:

Candida Protocol

Diflucan

Good luck! Thrush can be so painful!

[twins+1]

Originally Posted by jecombs

I'm so sorry that your friend is in pain! I dealt with a 3 mo. thrush battle and I wouldn't wish it on anyone! The problem with thrush (and the traditional Nystatin treatment) is that much of it is becoming treatment resistent.

Your friend should definitely get some Gentian Violet, ASAP. You have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. It's not prescription, but they do keep it behind the counter. I've gotten it at CVS and Walmart. Apply to Mom's nips and baby's mouth once a day for a maximum of 5 days in a row.

PP mentioned probiotics. Make sure your friend gets a good-quality probiotic from a reputable health food store. Anything that has not been kept refriegerated is next-to-useless. Mom can take the maximum dose on bottle and she can break open a capsule and apply to her nips. Get baby to nurse right after application, so LO will get some too.

Mom must, must, must sterilize EVERYTHING that comes in contact with her nips, breastmilk, and/or baby's mouth. This includes bottles, pacis, toys, bras, and pump parts. My continued probs with thrush resulted from a paci storage container they were using at daycare. They washed it every day, but did not sterilize it! These items should be boiled for 20 min daily or you can use the Medela Micro-steam bags. Bras should be hand-washed after 1 wearing in hot water, detergent, and white vinegar. If possible, place them outside in direct sun to dry. This will help kill the yeast.

PPs also mentioned Dr. Newman's All-Purpose Nipple Ointment. I used it and found it to be very soothing. Here is the link to the recipe.

If this treatment does not work, or if the thrush recurs, your friend can ask her doc for an Rx for Diflucan. She needs to get it for herself and the baby. The course should last at least 10 days or until Mom has been symtom-free for a week. The problem I ran into was my doc only giving me 2 doses, which was not enough. Taking a 2-week course (me and baby) is what finally got rid of our thrush. If your friend is having any deep, stabbing pain in her breasts, it is likely that her thrush is in the milk ducts and she will have to have the Diflucan.

Below are some links on thrush treatment from kellymom.com:

Candida Protocol

Diflucan

Good luck! Thrush can be so painful!

Thank you so much. I sent her this info and she was sooo happy to have some place to start. She was off to the store to look for the GV asap. Thanks!

[marge234]

Gentian Violet 1 percent

Make sure the gentian violet is the 1 percent solution, it's apparently sometimes sold as a 2 percent solution and that's too strong, will burn.

[mamadelbosque]

A question about the nipple ointment... Can I just call the pharmacy and ask if they can mix it up, or do I need a prescription???