fussy eater due to thrush

[m00npie]

my dd is a month old and she developed thrush last week, she was eating fine, (no real issues aside from the clicking noise and occasionally pulling of the breast but she would go right back) untill yesterday when we began her medicine. now she has always been a snacker, nursing all day for 10 min here and there(falling asleep, or pulling away then acting like she sleep only to start whining and rooting 5-10min later) the only time she seems to eat to fullness is during the night. but yesterday and all day today she has been having a hard time staying on the breast. she is always pulling off, when i try to guide her back she'll fight it or not open wide enough for a good latch and getting frusterated while eating to the point of crying with boobie in the mouth. I know thrush makes feeding difficult and is sometimes painful for the babe. What can i do to make eating easier for her?
Its also making giving her the medicine difficult because she'll act like shes done and i go to give her the medicine and like 5 min later she's rooting and acting like she starving and she cant eat for 30 min after the dosage.... *sigh* any suggestions from mamas who've dealt with thrush?

[mikelmotorbykel]

somethings i have learned

my little guy and i have not yet been diagnosed as having thrush but your feeding issues sound similar to ours. he is 7 wks old and about a week and a half ago he started getting very fussy about feeding. i was trying to guide his head, like you mention you are doing. that worked for awhile, but before i knew it i was giving in to the screaming head on my boob and feeding him pumped milk after each failed feeding attempt. i was getting so frustrated, sad, anxious, etc. and finally called la leche league. what i took from their advice was
#1 to try different feeding positions- when my little guy is fussing too hard (crying so hard he can't breathe) i take him to the bed, lay down and let him latch on with the two of us facing each other. this is how i originally got him back on the nipple. we had to spend nearly a whole day in bed being available as soon as he was ready and offer only MY nipple- no soothies or bottle nipples. once he was eating from me again, i started holding him and walking slowly while he fed and soon could sit in a chair again. i still have to feed him in bed sometimes, but our situation has improved greatly.
#2 to stop guiding his head to my nipple. the woman who helped me on the phone said even the slightest touches on a baby's head while he is trying to feed can create an anxiety. while you are trying to get her re-acquainted to breast feeding, do not touch her head. she needs to feel the breast is a safe place to be and if she is being guided or pushed to it, she can simply get scared.
i think the point of these two tips is just to help the baby relax. in usuing these tips i was able to turn my boy's problem around in about 36 hours. his fussiness has been reduced to a minimum. i also believe that this contributed to his sleeping through the night for the first time last night. hope some of this helps.. even if only the part about other mothers going through the same thing. good luck!