Does thrush hurt/irritate baby?

[babygirlsmama]

I'm 99% sure we've got thrush. I'm not experiencing any real pain, but my little one has it in her diaper rash area and the tell-tale white spots in her mouth.

I also suspect this is why she hasn't been nursing as well....could that be true? I thought she was just teething or distracted, then I realized....thrush! Does it hurt babies or irritate them? Sometimes when we nurse, she fusses a little like she does when she is teething and I suspect it bothers her mouth. Does anyone know?

Thanks,
Babygirlsmama

[saimeiyu]

It's just like any yeast infection you get, so yes, it could itch and burn and be uncomfortable for baby-- especially if it's also in the diaper area.

[fruitfulmomma]

I don't know for sure but I would suspect it itches. Mine does anyway. We've got a bad case here and I can hardly stand to nurse her at the moment.

[smeep]

It certainly can, though it doesn't always. I say break out the gentian violet and start treating it ASAP! I had severe thrush that I didn't even diagnose until it was pretty bad and then I went with the nystatin the ped (who told me I didn't have thrush when I explained our symptoms and then 5 minutes later looked in his mouth and said, as if I had not said a word, "Oh, he has thrush!") gave us...which only relieved part of the pain until 2 weeks later when it was done and then it got worse because it was in a glucose base which is totally counterproductive. Once I used the gentian violet it took a whole week to clear up but after that everything was fine! I kept it around and used it any time I suspected thrush and the symptoms would disappear almost immediately. Even if I wasn't totally sure I still used it because I didn't want to wait until it got bad to find out for sure.