So this is Thrush???

[motherhendoula]

I am pretty sure that it is - i first had symptoms about X-mas time, but i dismissed it thinking my nipples were chapped from leaning over DS in his RF car seat and nursing him during a looooong car ride for our vacation.  I used a salve my family makes - primarily olive oil and beeswax.  the next time i noticed it was probably early February - i kept using the salve - no help, i stopped using the salve - no help.  My sons mouth seems fine, but we were having lots of sleep issues from out of the blue and he liked to pull off on my left side only.  So i started using miconazole  - i was kind of shocked that this was OK - i am using it right after baby eats - at least 5 times a day ...not really using it at night, only if i get up.  As soon as i started using the miconazole my DS became the sweet baby i remembered - so i assume he was feeling something and is now feeling better

So i have some questions:

when can i expect to see improvement?  (my nipples are pink/red scaly DRY and just a little itchy)

I keep looking for signs in my son - does he not have it?  he is 6 months old and chews on - well everything we own ...do i now need to boil all that stuff?  (including my cell phone...) 

How long can i use this miconazole?

Why did i get thrush?   - no antiobiotics in years, no yeast infection, no diaper rash....

Try as i might , i cannot locate a 100% cotton nursing bra -(42G)  all of mine are polyester - could that be a cause?  Should i start wearing cotton liners? 

This is my first experience with thrush - i really appreciate all the advice i can get!

[aricha]

I had thrush that took a bit to diagnose because my baby and I were actually apart (I was on a trip with an older child and he was home with dad and pumped breastmilk) when we developed symptoms. If he hadn't gotten symptoms I don't think I would have ever figured out what was wrong. I have no idea why I/we got it, as neither of us seemed to have any other conditions that usually lead to it.

I treated with gentian violet (I had to order it from the pharmacy, but it was fast and cheap) for a couple days (three maybe?) then used liquid lanolin. It cleared up pretty quickly once I got on a regular regimen. I liked the gentian violet because I was worried about systemic drugs for the baby. I also tried to limit my sugar intake, though I don't know if that made a difference at all. His thrush seemed to resolve itself fairly well on its own once I started treating myself. 

I didn't switch to a 100% cotton nursing bra, I just used breast pads-- also helped contain the mess of the gentian violet.

I'm actually reading this forum right now because I am dealing with suddenly painful nipples, and was wondering what might be going on. No signs of thrush in baby this time, but after reading I might treat with gentian violet again for a couple days since the lanolin seems to be doing no good on its own.

Good luck! 

[anarchamom]

I'm starting to suspect that I have thrush. Is it okay to treat for thrush if I'm not sure?

Edited by anarchamom - 3/23/11 at 9:27am

[Greenlea]

I'm thinking I might have it too, but what are the signs for mom, as my baby has none.

[motherhendoula]

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp

http://www.doctorfungus.org/mycoses/human/candida/Vulvovaginal.htm

i will see if i can find some more links...i was concerned too - because if it WAS thrush - i felt i wanted to treat it immediately - so it wouldnt get worse and my baby wouldnt get it.  I did try some remedies such as swabbing nipples with vinegar, and i did gentian violet once.  Things like that i suppose cant hurt - but if its not thrush....theres no point!  Its a tough one, even after i saw a dermatologist who told me it was NOT THRUSH - i wanted a second opinion - (i didnt trust the dermatologist)

I asked my midwife if she could diagnose it and she sent me the above links.   It was LLL that had me convinced it was thrush.  After several weeks of wondering my symptoms turned out to be some sort of weird reaction to my polyester bras.  I had gotten a new one right before X-mas and it is particularly abrasive in some way.....even if i wear it for an hour  - i see  a difference!  I made a few pads out of %100 cotton to wear inside my bra ...and that has totally cleared this up....once, i felt itchy and felt like the rash was coming back - nd i realized one of the pads had slipped - leaving the nipple against the polyester bra.....i have never had a reaction to a fabric like this AT ALL in my life!  But it really seems to be the problem.