Breast thrush advice please...

[Fran10]

For 8 weeks baby has had it on tongue and has been using daktarin gel and caneston cream on bottom. I have daktarin cream that I smear on four times a day on nipples. Also I'm taking acidophilus tablets. In spite of following advice, it persists and this weekend it is more painful than usual. Doctor says that it's best to avoid taking antifungal tablets. Has anyone got any ideas to resolve this please? It's definitely driving me nuts..

Breastfeeding network advises tablets, so might be worth taking battle to the docs.

here is their leaflet - you could print it out and take it with you

My DS had thrush for ages and the daktarin didn't work at all. A nutritionist suggested that I give him some of the friendly bacteria powder (can't remember how to spell it!) in a bottle of expressed milk every day and that sorted it out. He kept reinfect ing me up until trying this and it was absolutely miserable. And yes I also went on the tablets as it was so excruciatingly painful. Insist you need them. Thrush is horrendous...

Fluclonazole.. Tablets.. They are one if those .. Not safe in pregnancy and Brest feeding drugs.. But they are commonly used. I took it in two of my pregnancy and while bf at my obs. Request. Canesten once is the same thing. But you can just not tell them your bf. it may take two doses. Normally one after 48hrs is better. I did tell the pharmacist I had thrush but didn't say where! She presumed and told me a Tampon soaked in live yogurt was great... I did wonder if I should hang one if each nip??

Diagnosing thrush is fairly complicated - these days, I think you're meant to diagnose based on a swab.

Thanks to all of you. I may try hanging vinegar-soaked tampax on my nipples..lol... but first, I'll give it another vigorous week of daktarin. Regarding fluclonazole, does it interfere with bf in any way? I'm a little apprehensive about any meds as it was 3 bloody lots of antibiotics that got us here in the first place: mastitis, episiotomy infection... woe is me. I really would be open to giving baby some bacteria as suggested, but she is currently refusing bottles with dogged determination - anybody know of anything homeopathic that she could take. FYI, she's just started teething also. Thanks!

Fluconozole (or however you spell it!) was fine with breast feeding. There is a leaflet which you can print off and wave in front of the doctor stating that it is fine by the breast feeding network. This got the boob pain sorted for me quickly as it was reducing me to crying each time if end. I remember the feeling of glass shards being dragged from my nipples a little too well!!

Thanks again, Incapinka. I'll sort a gp appointment asap to get meds. My pain is more nettle stinging; it can be a toe-curling affairto feed and I defo don't want to get to the glass shard stage. Incidentally, the world and it's mother observed feeds so it can't be latch and baba is thriving. I only signed up for this mumsnet thingy the other night (first baby) and I must say I'm very impressed with your supportive and prompt responses - it's great!

Fluconazole is contraindicated in pregnancy but is perfectly safe in breastfeeding (there are some concerns with very tiny babies, which is why if your LO is newborn you need to be absolutely sure it's thrush) - the amount that gets into your milk is less than the dose they'd use to treat a baby directly. Doesn't interfere with BF in any way. I ended up having to take a long course of it with DS1 and the only thing it did was stop me having thrush (and made me a bit farty). Wave that leaflet! And hope you're better soon.

If you want to get some probiotics for baby, Udo's Choice Infants Blend is good - even if baby won't take a bottle you can dip a (clean) damp finger into some of the powder and let them suck it off.

In case your dr is tricky - thrush is a bit controversial - tell them to look up Breastfeeding problems on the NICE CKS cks.nice.org.uk/breastfeeding-problems

The flucanazole regime is given for persistent nipple thrush and ductal thrush. CKS is the resource GPs are meant to use to inform treatment and prescribing. I just showed them that rather than the (excellent) breastfeeding network leaflet... Which I had a suspicion they wouldn't want to take seriously as doctors can be funny so I didn't want to risk it.

Flucanazole is fine in breastfeeding. Dose received by baby is less than they would be given directly.

Keep up with the topical regime while you are taking the flucanazole.

Agree with the probiotics for baby. That was the only way we ended up resolving our ongoing thrush problem. I took them and so did he and within a couple of days everything was improving. And yes if they won't take a bottle then sucking a finger is good. Good luck

Fran, I feel your pain (literally). 13wks and we tried everything and I nearly gave up bf but we seemed to have turned a corner. All situs vary but I believe a combo of age & grapefruit seed extract for DS & yeast free diet & probiotics for me are finally giving thrush the v sign. Awaiting swab results. I did go on Fluconizole twice but had to request it quite firmly. It worked but then we cross contaminated - bloody hard not to!! A decent GP will prob offer you a liver function blood test if you go on a long course. If you have cracked nipples which can heighten contamination ask your GP for novogel pads.

I have been most frustrated and upset about the lack of diagnosis, advice & support but the best stuff has been from this site :)

this is what I followed for applying GSE. You can use purified water (boiled) which your chemist should stock to make the solution.

drjaygordon.com/breastfeeding/thrush.html

Good luck!