Nipple thrush

[Babynamechangerr]

I believe I / my 4 week old baby have thrush.

Breastfeeding has just become searingly painful (both nipple and breast, more on one side than other with lingering pain after) and baby has white tongue.

Just been reading about how tricky it can be to get rid of and feeling quite despairing.

Has anyone got any tips, particularly if the baby is under 4 months (as I think that limits treatment)? Will go to the GP on Monday but want to start doing what I can now.

Did you express rather than feed to get through the pain?

I don't want to stop breastfeeding so want to find a way through this

[madeinnewport]

Hiya @Babynamechangerr, sorry for your situation. I had painful mastitis a couple of days ago, which I think is not as bad as thrush, but I feel for you. To be honest, I took a night off feeding and my partner gave her expressed milk, because I just wanted to give my breasts a break, plus I had shivery pains all over and couldn’t contemplate a night of feeding. I think it’s not ideally what you’re advised to do, as feeding helps treat mastitis. I don’t know if this is the same with thrush?

This has some good tips about thrush:

www.laleche.org.uk/thrush/

Either way, go to the doctor, and in the meantime, as with all illnesses - look after yourself, rest as much as possible, and drink lots of fluids. x

[Frangipane]

I had thrush with my 3rd child and, although it was nearly 20 years ago now, I still remember the agonising pain that came with feeding, and sitting there crying and crying as baby suckled. I only persisted with breastfeeding as I had breastfed my first two and wanted the same for my third.

The good news is, I remember it being treated very easily, I think it was a course of pills for me and something else for the baby but I can't remember what. It never came back. Do go to your GP, I am sure you will get very quick treatment.

[WhatTiggersDoBest]

I had thrush! Poor you! DS is 11 weeks old and I had it when he was 2 weeks, we got some daktarin on prescription (the GP said this was a medical emergency so saw us straight away when I rang for an appointment) and it went away. We both got treated at the same time and I kept feeding him, taking paracetamol for the pain.
They didn't give me enough for DS so it came back within 10 days, (and the second time a receptionist told me it wasn't an emergency, but I told her the doctor said last time that when a baby can't feed properly it actually is) so we had to do a second round of treatment. That time they gave me nystatin for him (spelling?) and I had daktarin cream again. We did it for 3 weeks that time, so about 14 days after all our symptoms were gone. I'd read nystatin wasn't very effective but it sorted him right out.
I combi fed him 1 formula per 24 hours to give my nipples a rest, as I found pumping and latching actually made the pain worse because they both made my nipples different shapes.
The daktarin made the nipple pain stop within about 48 hours, BTW, so well worth getting it. Also trying to give DS 1ml four times a day didn't work for us, (as instructed on the dispensing label), so I swished it around his mouth after every feed instead, which worked better.
He's 11 weeks now and it's been clear for about 6 or 7 weeks.

[WhatTiggersDoBest]

Oh also the nystatin seemed to give him diarrhea but the daktarin didn't. I think it's because nystatin isn't designed to be swallowed. It was the thing that got rid of the thrush though so swings and roundabouts.