Clutching at straws here, but has anyone here breastfed an allergic baby then needed to treat nipple thrush?

[BucketOfFuckIts]

Such a specific question I doubt anyone could help but I thought id try.

Baby with multiple food allergies, he got oral thrush, I now have nipple thrush. Told to use canesten, read that its associated with allergies.

I realise I can wash it off, but anyone with anaphylactic child knows it only takes a minute amount for it to set them off. A baby that feeds very regularly, washing it off and putting it on a day Im bound to leave traces.
My breasts hurt and I dont know what to do.

i have no idea about allergies but i know about thrush. if the thrush isnt deep in your ducts i would try to use homeopathic remedies rather than drugs..
rebecca haworth has written some interesting stuff about the effects of drugs prescribed for thrush..worth a read.
it is pretty tedious what you have to do but after a few weeks (yes i know thrush can be really stubborn as you pass it back and forth between you and baby even if baby has no symptoms and it can return).

things to remember--thrush -is yeast-loves alcohol, sugar (sweet breast milk) and warm moist conditions. yeast is everywhere.

rinse your boobs with a vinegar solution and air dry after every single feed - try sleeping with nothing on them and just a towel underneath you to catch the drips! (i think air exposure is one of the best things i did to get rid of mine). if you have a private garden - get your boobs in the sunlight - good for killing yeast.

take probiotics and vitamin tablets daily and eat as little sugar in your diet as possible- making this change can keep thrush away for good.

use grapefruit seed extract )youll have to check re allergies). you need to dilute it and then swab nipples and babies mouth as often as you can remember.

i have bought some non milk based probiotics (natures sunshine ordered of tinternet - i think its carrot based) for my baby and i open a capsule, empty the contents and rub a bit in her mouth a few times a day before a sleep.

change your breast pads as often as you possibly can - if your boobs are away make sure they stay as dry as poss.

thrush can be on babys dummy/your clothes/breast pumps etc so anything that comes into contact with babys mouth or your milk, like your bra, needs cleaning in the wash at 60 or left in milton sterilising solution for 15 minutes (milton kills candida albicans).

it can be really painful so you have my sincere sympathy! as i say i dont know about allergies but if you look into some of these suggestions like the non mlik based probiotics (most cpasules contain lactose so you have to check carefully). hope this helps,

also dont get down if your symptoms get worse before they get better -you have to be consistent with the cleaning and drying routine if nothing else because it will take a while to get rid of and you have to carry on with the treatments 2 weeks after its gone. -

good luck xxx

Thank you. I have a homeopath, I'll call her. We use probiotics - Cullturell. Although Ive not been using them, they were for the baby. I actually wondered if they were to blame??

Where can I get grape food seed extract?

I had nipple thrush when feeding DD who is allergic to egg. She was prescribed nystan (?), to put in her mouth. I think I had tablets of some kind, can't remember, but I don't think I had to put canasten on my nipples.

I've never heard that Canesten is associated with allergies - where did you read that? I'd be interested to know.

Good hygiene is obviously important, but I'm afraid I disagree with most of the other advice above. In particular, air-drying your nipples is definitely not a good idea. Nipples are made of the same stuff as your lips; drying them out is likely to make them sore and cracked, which would be a Very Bad Thing.

How was the thrush in your baby's mouth treated? Did your baby have any adverse reaction to that medicine?

If your breasts are painful, it's probably best that you clear up the infection as quickly as possible, and that probably means using the medicine prescribed by your GP. Canesten is not the only choice - speak to your GP about alternatives.

i dont think they are to blame they are good bacteria that help to balance the yeast overgrowth from what i have read.
grapefruit seed extract - i got this from the internet, cant remember now i just googled it possibly amazon. health food shops must sell it i just live too far away from decent shops to have gone to look!!

Nystan / nystatin is the standard medicine for clearing up thrush in babies' mouths. I was wondering about maybe using this on your nipples if your baby has not had any adverse reaction to it... but best to speak to your GP.

Have you gone to your gp? They will surly be the best person to advice you? or refer you to a consultant?

About the Culturell - breastmilk has probiotics in it (perfectly designed for your baby), and this will be all your baby needs at the moment. I don't know if Culturell could cause thrush but, if you are in any doubt, perhaps best to lay off it for now.

GreenBananas I read it here what do you think?

Ive tried the babys oral stuff but Ive read that it'll have no chance of working. And for whoever asked me why I havent seen my GP its because doctors are closed saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday. I spoke to a GP (as stated in my OP) and he told me to just get on with it and use canesten.

Aargh - how embarrassing! I am a BfN trained breastfeeding supporter and have given that leaflet to many many breastfeeding mums without ever noticing the reference to allergic reactions The BfN leaflets are carefully researched and evidence based, so I do think that is a good source of information.

However... it says that the anecdotally reported evidence relates to using clotrimazole (the active ingredient of Canesten). Miconazole should be okay, so you can use Daktarin (and you can buy Daktarin over the counter in most pharmacies)

(It also says that nystatin is not designed to penetrate the skin so I take back what I said about putting it on your nipples!!! )

I said that to the GP and he said that the study was BS, I told him it looked relatively kosha, despite it saying anecdotal but he said if he was allergic to the active ingredient of canesten then he would be to Miconazole... Then told me that I could not live my life assuming he'd be allergic to everything. Which I bloody havent, we've very bloody sensible (and brave!) about the introduction of things to my son. But when you read something like that, no way can I then go "Nah sodd it we'll just totally ignore that allergy risk to my multiple allergic baby and use it anyway."

Sorry slight rant there.

Do rant away - I think many of us have had that kind of conversation with our GPs. Of course you are right to be cautious and to do your own research.

Having said that, the risk of your baby having an adverse reaction to miconazole is very, very small. Weighed against the risks of jeopardising your breastfeeding experience, it might be a risk worth taking - there are clear benefits to breastfeeding an allergic baby.

Thank you Greenbananas, I'll buy some Miconazole today you've really helped I really appreciate it.

Yes definitely miconazole, nystatin is rubbish.

greenbananas, sorry but if you read any book about breast feeding, even if you dont have thrush, advice is to let boobs air dry after a feed even if you are rubbing a bit of your own milk into them. if worried about drying nipples out, vitamin e oil is good or lansinoh but keeping nipples moist when you have thrush just gives thrush somewhere to thrive.
have a read of kate evans book the food of love.

Good luck with it Bucket

(Gem, I have read lots of books about breastfeeding, including The Food of Love, which s a great book. Keeping nipples exposed to air is a great idea to prevent warm, thrush-loving conditions developing in your bra, but the purpose of lansinoh, vitamin E oil etc. is to keep nipples moist and prevent from them drying out completely - vaseline works just as well and is a sight cheaper. Rinsing with vinegar can help to prevent general itchiness but is not a treatment for thrush.)