What have I done? Has thrush killed off bfing?

[monkeypuzzeltree]

So DS now 13 days old. I was having supply issues and so took to my bed for Thursday and Friday fed so much, sometimes only 45 mins between feeds, which really helped but then got in terrible pain. Literally could not feed him on sat morning and begged she to give him a bottle.

Still could not feed on Sunday, and only yesterday pm did midwife see me and say I had thrush. Trip to the docs and he tells me it is a duct infection, can literally not touch them.

So antibiotics are kicking in and while DS has been formula/ebm fed for last few days I can't decide if I should go back to bfing. I sound dreadful I know but the pain has been unbearable. At the same time, I've liked the freedom of FFing, I have a 2 year old, how on earth can I get her to sit while I feed all the time.
But, a big part of me is sad and I'm not sure I want bfing to slip away from me, anyone else had similar experience? Or just give me a kick! I'm torn between being practical so we can get our lives together or bfing but I just don't see how I can make it work.

Sorry for droning on!
Pumped on Saturday and

the pain was caused by whatever was worng, what would you want to do without the pain as a facctor?

Well, several different issues here!

Firstly, the choice is yours whether you continue with BF or not. There is no need to ask anyone's permission, no-one will judge you either way and only you can weigh up the pros and cons for your own family.

Secondly, if you want to continue BF, this does not have to mean struggling on in pain! If you'd like to explore solutions (of which there are many) then keep posting - some more information about the pain you've been experiencing would help. e.g. is it still painful now or only painful when you feed? Are your breasts engorged (swollen and red)? Is it on both sides or just one?

I have successfully mix-fed my DC2 from about day three, now 11mo. Perhaps that is the answer for you? We've mostly kept the bottle/ff for the evening feed to fill him up, but I have occasionally given a bottle after lunch as well. And it means you can hand them over and do something else from time to time!

(Whilst keeping the convenience of bf at night, which is brilliant.)

do you know if there is a breasstfeeding peer support program where you are? if you wanted some extra support you could ask the midwife or phone the childrens centre, they may send you someone to chat through things with you and see what you want o do. they are there to help and not to judge so will support you whatever you decide to do. :)

I had horrendous thrush with all three of my DC. I feel your pain, I remember latching on ds1 and bursting into tears as the pain was so awful. I dreaded every feed.

It is very brave of you to consider bf again after going through this. Why not give it a try to see if it works, in a place where you feel best, and when someone else can take your older child? Try in bed or in the bath, lots of skin to skin, and when the baby isn't too hungry as latching might be an issue as you and wee one haven't done it for a while.
Once you have a bf that doesn't hurt you might feel a lot better, even if you decide to ff anyway you deserve to have a bf without horrible thrush first. Good luck :-)

Thanks for your posts. I know I am in a muddle! I guess there are two things:

1. It is ductal thrush, apparently quite aggressive as have had it for 5 days before treatment - I thought it was just let down pain! Wish I had known as compared with DD was going well, latch was really quite good. So now I am in huge amounts of pain, have only pumped twice today and got very little, tried to feed DS but he wasn't interested in latching at all - probably because he's been enjoying easy bottle time for the last 4 days. So would I even be able to get it going again?

1. I'm really failing to see how I bf and keep my extremely and I mean really active 2 year old amused while I bf my very hungry son who feeds v frequently.

I just had no idea how hard this was going to be and this infection has blown it all out the water. I'm so fed up with being in pain. Fed up with moaning about it too! Sorry

Don't think just cos your ds has had 4 days of bottle and is finding it easier that it's too late to go ack to breast. My ds had tongue tie, literally couldn't latch on and was bottle fed breast and ff for the first 4 weeks untils his TT was sorted. He's 15 weeks tomorrow and we've been bf-ing ever since.

If you stein great pain have you tried nipple shields?

Good luck!

I don't understand why you are on anti-biotics as they will make the thrush worse. I had ductal thrush and so I sympathise, the pain was like being cut, it was horrible. I told myself "just one more feed " and kept going that way. I did use an anti-fungal cream and I ate lots of probiotics. It took six weeks to go completely but it never came back.

from your last post their are 2 issues that you are worried about, tell me if I am not right, not being able to feed again, latch and your milk supply, and breastfeeding a baby while you have a 2 year old. both very valid worries and things we can help you with if that is what you want to do.

you can reestablish your milk supply no problems, what you get when you pump is no way indicative of what is there, I stopped feeding dd1 for a week and a half and reestablished breast feeding due to allergies. The first few days were tought going but she was a bit older. you would be fine just go back to breastfeeding on demand. Nipple confusion is common in young babies, you could go back to basics with your feeding, lots of skin to skin as someone else suggested can help. Is t still painfl now? has baby been treated as well?
As for entertaining toddler, does she like to read, breastfeeding is a great time to share a cuddle and a book. I had a pack under the pram for if I had to feed out and about (dd2 was a very long feeder) had a white board and pens and some magnetic letter but any little things that they are only allowed then so it is a bit novel. If you are at home and the room you are in is safe toddler should be ok to play for a while, also there is nothing wrong with the tv when needed.

However if you dont wan to continue do not feel guilty. You have had a rough time, you hve a newborn and a toddler, go easy on yourself. :)

monkey If it is thrush that you are suffering from, I just can't understand why they have given you antibiotics. It's absolutely the wrong treatment and as others have said, may make things worse. See here for a very good leaflet on thrush, symptoms and recommended treatment - you can also give this to your GP.

Getting your DS back to the breast - yes this is possible, of course you have not ruined your chances of BF. But you will need a plan for reducing formula and helping him to latch - something you can stick to over a few weeks alongside sorting the thrush. Perhaps call one of the breastfeeding helplines to talk it through with a counsellor?

Re BF and entertaining a 2 year old - believe me I can understand the challenge, but am a bit confused - how would FF solve the problem?

Still trying to make up my mind! Basically whole breast is sore and while no cracks nipples feel like they are stabbed with hot pins! I've got flucozane not sure of spelling! Sorry I thought that was an antibiotic! Also got the gel for my nipples and nystatin for DS. His mouth looks worse than ever.

OK, so it's fluconazole for the ductal thrush. If you read the Bfn leaflet, you will see that the gel is not considered effective for use on the nipples- it's the cream you want ideally. Similarly, it's the daktarin gel you need to DS- smear a little around the inside of his mouth.

I'm certainly not dismissing your pain here monkey, but I'm just wanted to check that you are happy that the diagnosis of thrush is correct.

Did you have any pain free feeds before this pain?
Is the pain in both breasts?
Does the pain continue after the feed?

You will see from the BfN site that thrush is rare (although not unlikely) in such an early baby and is often over diagnosed when in fact the pain is coming from an attachment issue. That said, you mentioned that his mouth is bad, so I'm guessing he's got some white patches in there.

If you do want to go back to the breastfeeding, then you will need to protect your supply for now. Is it still to painful to express with the pump?

Hello. So I can use the gel on his mouth - def worth a try.

Feeding was near pain free, his suck is super strong and feeding every 90 mins, but latch was good. Pain was worst after feeding, like burning! I thought it must just be normal at the start of bfing so put up with it for 4 days! Then I noticed the white patch on his tongue. That is now pretty much all over his tongue now. Poor thing. I'm still in pain in both breasts, burning is dying down but nipples still very prickly.

On the leaflet, you'll see that the gel is not recommended by the manufacturers for use in babies under 4 months. I think it's because they are worried about choking, but if you smear a thin layer around, it shouldn't be a problem.

Glad to hear that the fluc. is starting to help, hopefully things will get better soon and you can see how you feel about what to do next.