Breast Thrush

D

Dink

Registered User
I think I have breast thrush (feeding 4 week old baby). Red, sore nipples (though not so bad now) and midwife suggested may be thrush. Now shooting pains in breast after feeding (sometimes worse than others). Have been given daktarin cream by docs but pain is getting worse not better. Have read about alternative remedies (e.g. grapefruit seed extract), where in HK could I get my hands on this? Has anyone had this condition and got rid of it, any advice? Any experts out there think this is the correct diagnosis, I also have white blisters on nipple (permenantly, they never disappear) could these be causing the pain and not thrush at all? Or all linked? Any help welcome as don't know where else to turn, docs not that much help.

Thanks
 
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Ask your doc for Diflucan (one capsule) or can get from pharmacy. This is much more effective than topical cream. I had the same symptoms as you and one dose cleared it (and was ok'd for continuing breastfeeding) when my baby was 5 w/o).
 
I had a a terrible time breastfeeding at first, even now it`s hit or miss sometimes(9 weeks now). I also had the little white dot - it was a stubborn milk blister that would not go away. I pumped and pumped and pumped and that with my then devilish little sucking monster finally got rid of it. I think some of them turn into skin, not like a real milk blister. So it needs to kind of peel off it seems. But careful, it could mean that your milk ducts are blocked and that could get worse. Maybe that`s causing your pain also.
I thought I had thrush too, we both had some symptoms, but the Ped. checked us out and ruled it out. I would go to a lactation consultant if I were you though, I think they`re pretty apt at diagnosing thrush and giving you other advice on your early breastfeeding. How`s the inside of your baby`s mouth, other than normal milk tongue? Diaper rash? Itchy nipples, rash on nipples?
Hang in there - you`re going a great job! - you`ll get everything sorted out soon. the main thing is that you`re nourishing your little baby.
 
Dear Dink,

Although thrush and blebs (milk blisters) can sometimes be related they are not the same thing and need different treatment.

Thrush (may have no symptoms other than pain)

A useful article which lists the sympotoms of thrush is,
Is thrush causing my sore nipples?
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/thrush.html
Please read through the symptoms and see if this sounds like what you have. If so, then medication is usually required for both you and the baby.

Because it is difficult to diagnose thrush another way to see if you have it is to wash your nipples in a solution of 1 cup water with 1 Tablespoon of vinegar added. If the solution helps you feel better then the pain is likely to be from thrush and a visit to the doctor is advised. If the solution makes not difference the problem is unlikely to be thrush. (The solution changes the acidity of the nipple's environment and the thrush is temporarily no longer able to survive and so the pain is reduced.)

I have known mothers manage to get rid of thrush without medications from the doctor but you have to be very diligent with the treatment and keep it up for at least two (if not three) weeks.

The other very important thing to remember about thrush is that both you and the baby need to be treated simultaneously.

Milk Bleb (a whit spot on your nipple)

There is a good article called How do you treat a milk blister?
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/nipplebleb.html

I've found that a cotton wool ball soaked in olive oil and then placed inside your bra helps to soften the bleb. Then it is often possible to remove it while taking a bath, if the baby doesn't do the job while breastfeeding.

I hope you are feeling better soon,
SARAH
 
Hi, I think I have thrush infection on one breast. My little one is almost 4 weeks old. Breastfeeding became really painful this week. My GP gave me a mixture of Fucidin (antibiotics) and Daktacort (used normally to treat athlete's foot). My GP also advised me not to wash my nipple before feeding. Also, no treatment was provided to my little boy. My midwife then told me that this treatment is not good as antibiotics is what may have caused the infection in the first place (I have an emergency C-setion and took a lot of antibiotics at the hospital). She then advised me to take Nilstat cream for myself and Nilstat drop for the baby. I am really lost and don't know who I should listen to.

Dink & Slamdunk, were your babies treated? Dink, are you okay now? If so, what treatment did you end up getting?

Thanks!!!
 
Many times when nipples are infected it is difficult to tell exactly what is causing the problem. Yeast (thrush), bacterial and fungal infections all have the same symptoms. For this reason it is advisable to consult a health professional with prescribing powers, such as a qualified doctor, who understands exactly what the medicines prescribed will do and if they aren't effective the likely reasons why.

It is true that Fucidin is an antibiotic and as such is effective against bacteria infections. The Daktacort is effective against fungal and yeast infections. If you have questions about the medicines the doctor gave you it would be best to ask him but I believe he wants to cover all the bases and give you medicines to attack all three kinds of infection rather than just the yeast one.

It is really quite difficult to tell which kind of infection you may have from just the symptoms - the usual way to tell is by elimination. Give the yeast medicine first and if after two weeks you are no better give the fungal medicine and again if after two weeks you are no better give the bacterial medicine. By giving both types of medicine now the doctor may be trying to get you pain free a quickly as possible.

Although most mothers have heard of thrush and assume that the pain is caused by thrush the most common type of infection on the nipples is a bacterial one.

If the medicine isn't helping within five days return to the doctor and let him know.

I hope you are feeling better soon,
SARAH
 
Hi there - no I didn't get better, still suffering, its not too bad though, I can put up with it. No my doctor never treated the baby. We had diflucan tabs, did improve for a while but now just as bad. Back to docs next week. I plan to stick it out til 12 weeks then move baby onto formula if nothing changes as I'm not prepared to be like this for longer than that. I hope you have more luck in clearing up your issues.
 
One suggestion when you are having difficulty getting your doctor to treat the baby for thrush is to visit a GP rather than a specialist. Often the obstetrician is reluctant to treat the baby when the mother has thrush and the paediatrician is equally reluctant because the baby has no symptoms. A GP, however, can treat both mother and baby.
SARAH
 
Dink, I just had a visit by a midwife, we are going to try gentian violet as the next step before trying diflucan. I'll let you know if that works. Using gentian violet basically treats both me and the baby. Good luck!
 
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