FF baby, Feeding problems and Oral Thrush - Advice needed!!

[DawnAS]

My baby is now 15 weeks old and has been FF since birth due to breast surgery damaging milk ducts.

From about a week old, we noticed a white coating on her tongue. HV and MW said it was residue milk. They continued to say this until we had our 8 week check with the GP who confirmed that it was oral thrush!!

So, was prescribed some medicine which started to work, but after two weeks the GP said to stop it as it should have cleared up. At 11 weeks I wasn't happy so had a telephone conversation with the GP who said to keep an eye on it for the next two weeks. At 12 weeks I took her for her jabs and asked to see the GP (a different one) who said that it was one of the worst cases of oral thrush that she'd seen!! She's now been having Daktarin gel for 3 weeks and her tongue has started to look MUCH better, thankfully.

However, because she was used to feeding with a tongue caked in horrible stuff, last week her feeding changed dramatically and she would only take an oz of milk and then would just roll the teat round and round on her tongue.

She'd dropped from 25th to 9th Centile on her weight chart (although height and head circumference is still the same) and I started to panic with every bottle, because she just wasn't feeding.

So, in desperation, I bought some MAM bottles that I'd heard recommended for fussy feeders. Well, they are a dream.

She used to take two hours over a bottle (and last week wasn't finishing them at all!!) but now she will take 4ozs straight away and then finish the bottle after another 10 minutes.

So I thought I'd change the routine and decided that for those that she didn't finish within 30 minutes, I would leave her until she was hungry for her next bottle instead of trying to force the final oz or 2 down.

Does anyone have any other advice or do you think I'm doing the right thing?

xxx

[8oreighty]

I am yeast obsessed. There is a really good probiotic aimed at fighting yeast called Threelac. They say it is safe for babies, but I don't know how old from, so would look into it. It's a powder... You can buy it online or www.candidafree.co.uk is a really good source and the woman there is so helpful if you phone.

[Chaotica]

I'd second mixing some probiotics in the milk (I just used normal adult ones from the health food shop with DS when he was about 16w - put the powder from the capsule into milk.)

[8oreighty]

if you happy to use probiotics I can't recommend Threelac highly enough. It is amazing stuff...

[DawnAS]

Gosh, I hadn't realised there was something like that available, thank you! Do I need to tell my GP or is it something that they wouldn't recommend so best not to say...

[8oreighty]

GPs think it's all rubbish. But it isn't as aids patients and cancer patients get it really bad. It hits you when you are run down and so common with babies. I really recommend calling that woman who runs the website for a chat, she is an expert on the subject! And def. not in it for the money. I would of course be careful giving anything to a baby, but you can look up Threelac and see what they say about children. It's just a probiotic, but it is formulated to actively get rid of yeast.