Thrush Game Plan

[Curlita]

(x-posting in Breastfeeding)

Okay, I'm trying to decide how hard it is going to be to eradicate the thrush. Here is the plan... I just picked up some Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) and will make a solution (10 drops to 1 oz water). I'm going to swab baby's mouth before feedings and my nipples after feedings. And change nursing pads after every feeding (something I wouldn't do otherwise... just stocked up on more pads also).

Conrad uses a binky/paci/whatever your term of preference is. He has three and I am planning on giving him a clean one after he eats and sterilizing them all in one of the Medela steam clean bags on a daily (or more) basis. Does that sound sufficient? The other thing I'd thought of doing was wiping them down with rubbing alcohol and rinsing well between uses. Any thoughts?

My other challenge is the Mylicon we've been using with him. The eyedropper doesn't usually touch more than his lips, but I'm wondering if I should treat the whole bottle as contaminated and pitch it and start with a new bottle. And if I do, how to clean the dropper that comes in that bottle. I looked for disposable pipettes at Walgreens and the pet store, but no one had any.

I'm going to call the lactation consultants tomorrow also, and see what they think. I've already been swabbing my nipples with a GSE/tea tree oil/vinegar and water solution just to get some relief, but ran out of GSE before I could make a solution to swab Conrad with.

ETA: I'm also taking probiotics.

[*Lindsey*]

I think the binky plan sounds good. No thoughts on the mylicon drops, though.

I hope you get some relief soon!

[Isaac'sMa]

Sounds like a good plan. Smart to change the pads every feeding and sterilize the binkies. I think I'd treat the mylicon as contaminated and get a new bottle. Could you order pipettes online ( http://www.wildco.com/vw_prdct_mdl.a...mdl_cd=7905P10 for example) and not use the new bottle until they come? Or...I've seen glass eardroppers in the pharmacy, so maybe you could use those? The bulb part just pops off so they would be easy to clean. Or sometimes you can find a small glass bottle and dropper (empty) in the essential oil display at WF, Wild Oats or other HFS. Just a few ideas for ya!

Have you noticed any relief yet?

[Curlita]

I've definitely noticed some relief just with swabbing my nipples and letting everything else go for the time being. My husband has been assigned the job of investigating C's mouth to see if any of the white patches come off. I have a feeling that he is okay and the thrush is limited to me... I've got our GSE solution mixed and ready to go.

I'll have to take a look at the mylicon dropper and see what it's made of, how it comes apart, etc. I would think I could just wipe the outside of it with alcohol, like the binky. It's not like the interior of it would be contaminated. I'm going to start with a new bottle... even if C doesn't have thrush, the fact that the mylicon is so sugary leads me to want to be safe rather than sorry.

[Kontessa]

Did I miss it? Are you changing your diet as well? If not it will just come back. You need to look up what kinds of things to not include, if I remember it was more then just suger. That was the hardest part for me, not the purple baby or nipples or stained clothing. :

[scheelimama]

Ah, I've battled thrush big time with my last two and know just about every trick in the book to get rid of it. You can buy GSE in capsule form and take 6 per day. You also need to be taking probiotics as they are vital in fighting thrush. Again, 6 capsules per day spread throughout the day if you can (though I usually took 2 three times per day instead of taking 1 every 3 hours.) And you need to eliminate sugar as much as possible. Gentian violet works quite well for most people, you would just swab it like you are doing with the GSE, but it's very messy, so you need to wear old clothes and put vaseline on baby's cheeks and nose to keep them from getting purple.

[Curlita]

I never had thrush issues with Dylan, so I'm going to treat this as an isolated incident. I'm trying to clean up my eating a bit anyway, but I'm not going to go whole hog on diet modification unless it recurs. I've done elimination diets before and it really stresses me out in a way that I do not need right now.