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Infant feeding

Thrush - PLEASE HELP!

18 replies

Farino · 14/01/2007 15:59

Have deep-seated thrush in the milk ducts with DD2. Also had it with DD1 but gave up BFing after six weeks. Am in agony with it again. Have read the other thread on thrush and all the excellent advice, but I'm now panicking as I've been expressing because my nipples are so severely cracked and painful - I cannot bear DD2 to latch on and spend each feed crying. Having very detrimental effect on my supply... Reading the previous advice makes me think I've messed up in my approach to dealing with the situation. Am treating the thrush with daktarin (cream for me, oral gel for baby) but to no avail. GP won't give required dose of fluconazole. Have been seeing BFing counsellor (NCT) who is excellent but HV advised expressing to give my nipples a rest. Followed her advice and now panicking that won't be able to feed baby. Has anybody got through this? Will my supply begin to build up again. I sit for two hours at a time trying to feed - very difficult with DD1 wanting my attention to... and getting very little sleep.

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Farino · 14/01/2007 16:00

Forgot to say that I've been topping up with small formula feeds when at my wits end. Have also used lansinoh cream to treat the cracked nipples. DD2 is five weeks old.

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CakeandFineWine · 14/01/2007 16:03

Hi there
I went thro similar experience from week 4-6 with DD now 7months!
Don't worry you are doing what you think best at the mo, If latching on is REALLY that painful surely it's best to express and give EBM than give up!
My DD went back to the boob fine once I could bear it a little better! And fed for 6months!

I couldn't get Fluconazole prescribed either and used dakatrin cream! It cleared up eventually just think flconazole would have done it a whole lot quicker!

Hope this helps Good luck

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CakeandFineWine · 14/01/2007 16:04

DONT USE LANSINOH CREAM

It keeps the nipples warm & moist perfect breading ground for thrush!!!

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ellasmum1 · 14/01/2007 16:12

Are you taking probiotics(eg capsules) to help fight thrush naturally too? Eg multidophilus (just a mix of good bacteria to war against the bad!).You can buy them online. I need to take these every day to keep thrush away. And you can also help yourself by staying of anything v sweet/sugary, cheeses, and yeast containing foods. Thrush is caused by candida and it thrives on the above! You poor thing it must be agony!

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Farino · 14/01/2007 16:12

Thank you CakeandFineWine. Did you use daktarin oral gel on DD as well as the cream for you? Have been using both for two weeks now and no improvement. Will stop using the lansinoh - only used it to ease the pain of the cracks. Feel as though I'm in a bit of a vicious circle. Will my milk supply keep up with hungry DD2, who is becoming fretful and unsatisfied at each feed.

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Farino · 14/01/2007 16:14

Thanks ellasmum - am taking acidophillus, but haven't really altered my diet. Good advice - thank you.

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CakeandFineWine · 14/01/2007 16:15

I used Dakatrin cream on me and gel on DD! Then used Nystain? cream for me!
Your supply will be dependant on ho much you express but can always be increased will just take a couple more days!

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CakeandFineWine · 14/01/2007 16:16

Oh and try to keep nipples as dry as possible and get some air to them if you can, easier said than done I know! Also try not to use and soap on them just use plain water!

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ellasmum1 · 14/01/2007 16:20

I remember i thread on this a year or so ago when my sis had same problem and someone posted a link to a breast feeding website with facts about required dose of fluconazole that was recommended to print off and show to gp in order to get the correct prescription. you cd search for it!

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ellasmum1 · 14/01/2007 16:33

\link{http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/information/thrush.php\here is the link

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ellasmum1 · 14/01/2007 16:34

here sorry!

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Farino · 14/01/2007 17:26

Thank you for all this - brilliant to know that I can build up my supply. Have printed off the leaflet to take to my doctor - sorry for delay in replying - had to go and feed!! To add even more to my tale of woe, did you find that DD fussed and fretted when going on to the breast when you had thrush?

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mamaladybug · 14/01/2007 17:31

Hi Farino

I am also suffering from nipple thrush.I feel your pain

Mine flares up then calms down. Tried same stuff as you from Dr......did not work. For me canasten cream in between feeds, keeping nipples as dry as possible, no bra and air to nipples during night, dry tissue in bra changed regularly (no damp breast pads!), keeping feeds regular and short helps to calm a flare up and makes things more tolerable. Mine also gets worse if i have lots of sugar in diet. Dont give up feeding it does settle

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mamaladybug · 14/01/2007 17:39

My DD also fusses on breast after short time into feed, But also salvating and biting down loads.....she is 18 weeks so ???? teething as settles after some calpol. Have read that thrush can make their mouth sore, causing them to fuss during feeding. Its hard to tell.
DD did have thrush in mouth really bad from birth but it is settling now.

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Farino · 14/01/2007 20:54

Thanks mamaladybug - again, sorry to take so long to reply, but have been dealing with fretful DD since I last posted... Sorry to hear you're suffering too. I feel so up and down about it - have good days and bad days, or rather good feeds and bad ones. The last one was bad. Has taken since 5.30 today til now to fully satisfy and settle DD2 - and, again I resorted to some EBM to finish the feed. Would have gone mad otherwise. Feel very down about it all. Wondering whether I'll get to the stage where I have any kind of 'routine'. Know it's early days, but the feeds are completely random - could last 20 minutes or two hours - and impossible to predict.

Like your DD, mine also bites down when feeding. At the last feed she screamed every time my nipple went in her mouth.

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BFmum · 15/01/2007 15:37

Try eating a portion of plain yoghurt a day. Thrush (wherever it may occur on the body) is caused by an imbalance of 'friendly' bacteria in the gut so rebalancing it with the good bacteria present in plain yoghurt should help.

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mamaladybug · 16/01/2007 02:12

yeh mean to keep trying that BF!!!

Sorry for late reply Farino......been busy too with DD.

Poor you.....It is really hard. Dont worry about having a routine too much when BF. My DD has fallen into a kinda routine. Other things that helped me were......from 6 weeks i tried to keep at least 2 hours between feeds (if i could) and just stop ....(remove my nipple) if she falls asleep or uses me for a dummy!!!
One sided feeding helped my thrush (gave nipples a little rest!!!!), whereby, i use one breast for each time i feed for a 6 hourly period then swap to other breast for that amount of time. I also found this really settled my DD down through a period of colic at 6 weeks.

Dont be too hard on yourself either you need to look after yourself and get by the best you can.
I remember having a bad time BF around 4 to 8 weeks...... then once i did one sided feeding and things mentioned previously for my thrush, things settled a bit......still have bad days but they are getting better

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kazbeth · 18/01/2007 18:19

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