I have a 3 month old son and we have been fighting thrush off and on since he was 9 weeks old. (HE IS A SOLEY BREASTFEED BABY) - HATES A BOTTLE! I have been treated 2 x's myself with a diflucan pill and been using Gentian Violet in his mouth as well. Seems like when I take the pill I get cleared up and then a week or two later it's back again. He is a healthy and happy 20 lb baby other than this little obstical! It is so painfull, and annoying, and at this point I am up to try anything to help us out! ANY SUGGESTIONS??
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp
This is a VERY helpful article and gives the protocol for using grapefruit seed extract.
I am 46 years old and get thrush very easily whenever I used Advair for my asthma. I have lupus and being a redhead have always been susceptible to yeast infections. Finally my ENT did enough research to find out that for thrush, you need to take one diflucan pill every day for SEVEN days. My insurance company has a fit about it but it is the only thing that works for me.
Oh I remember how miserable this was! I am so sorry for you guys! I had this multiple times with my kids when I breastfed, so I have quite a few suggestions for you. First eat yogurt at least once a day, it naturally kills yeast. You can also rub some inside your sons mouth a few times a day. Acidophilus, it is a supplement that has what yogurt does, but in a more concentrated form. You can get it at most drugstores. Rub monistat on your nipples in between feedings and wash them well before he feeds. Thrush is a yeast infection and Yeast likes warm moist sugary places...so it naturally lives in all of our mouths but your nipples are now a warm moist place too. Keep them as dry as possible. Don't wear a bra when you can get away with it and start sleeping without anything on your top if you can. The more air they get the dryer they will stay. Sometimes the plastic lining on breast pads can make thrush worse, so avoid them when you can and change them often when you do wear them. I am very prone to yeast and have been taking a supplement called Oil of Oregeno, I have not had an infection since I started taking it. I believe you can get that one at health food stores. I hope a few of these help you out.
Breastfeeding expert Dr. Jack Newman has published the definitive yeast/thrush/Candida protocol - it involves all of the things people have mentioned and more. Some things he recommends are health food store items, some are prescription. I printed out his handouts on the 2-week diflucan course and the all-purpose nipple ointment and brought them in to my doctor so she could write them for me. Stay on the protocol, including boiling and sterilizing everything that touches your breasts or baby's mouth, for two whole weeks AFTER you are pain free. Additionally, I found it crucial to cut all sugar and alcohol out of my diet until I was two weeks completely pain free. If I didn't do this, any time I ate sugar I would get a yeast bloom again. The Newman protocol can be found here:
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/c-candida_protocol.html
Best of luck. Yeast sucks.
~J.
