Thrush think I am going to stop

[Iwillorderthefood]

Hi I have a 2 week old baby, and have had latch checked and rechecked, I have had thrush possibly since the beginning, as had antibiotics the week before birth. Pain excruciating since day 5, think continual stabbing and twisting pain deep down in my breast.

Have daktarin for me, flucanazole x2 @50mg and baby has Nystatin.

Pain still going on. This is DD3, I expressed for 6 months with DD1, bf for 9.5 months with DD2, but am currently feeding off one side and expressing the other (and bottle feeding etc, anything really). DH is going away for work 22 July, and my sister coming to help, but I don't think the current situation should continue at this time. I have missed so much of feeding and holding her due to expressing, I did not bond with DD1 due to feeding issues (I expressed and DH fed), I think I should just stop now, DH has a high flying job and is getting by on minimal sleep, and this will impact on performance soon. I need to be able to give the other DDs time too. It's all too much.

Am expressing right now, whilst DH feeds DD3.

Has someone knowledgable checked for tongue tie? They run in families so if your first baby had problems latching then it could have been an issue too.

Have you had the thrush confirmed with swabs?

If you want to stop now and switch to formula though, do it, and do it without any guilt.

I'm so sorry things are so tough. Of course if you want to stop you must. There are more important things than breastfeeding!

If you want to continue I would do what fledermaus suggests and get someone knowledgeable to look for tongue tie/for thrush/at latch- everything.

You should not be in this much pain or have to express.(massive faff for lots of us)

Hope it gets better for you soon.

Don't carry on doing something if it makes you unhappy and ill. You really have to think of your family as a whole and if ff is what's going to be best for you all then do that. BF, expressing, thrush, excruciating pain, three children, DH with demanding job... Your plate is FULL-do anything possible to make your life even a little bit easier and enjoy your new baby

Hi, I have been in your position . The pain is excruciating. Usually the treatment is a course of fluconazole though not just the 100mg u have been prescribed. Look up kellymom in Google and jack Newman treatment advice. Print it off and bring to gp. Otherwise just stop, and embrace ur decision for all the reasons in the previous post, each one more valid than the next. Be kind to yourself. Good luck x

Also remember to take regular paracetamol if you are breast feeding or pumping.

Hi she has been checked for tongue tie, yes definitely thrush and I printed out the bfn thrush treatment and gave to the doctor and she would not follow it, despite me questioning it. She said that was the maximum dose she was prepared to give.

My first DD was ventouse delivery and she just went crazy every time I tried to latch her. Retrospectively she was probably in loads of pain.

Yes I shall keep on with the paracetamol.

Very hard to think about stopping especially how to stop milk supply, as I am instinctively continuing to try upping it.

So frustrating she latched so quickly, fed well from birth and two weeks on am in this situation.

If you've been swabbed and definitely have thrush, then see another doctor. You need to be treated properly for it whether you continue breastfeeding or not.

No one has swabbed me, but baby has a white coated mouth, and nobody appears to see any need.

Are the spots all over the baby's mouth - inside cheeks, gums etc as well as tongue?

I would get some OTC daktarin gel for the baby - it will clear her mouth in a couple of days.

The last time they would not actually see me, just spoke to me over the phone. By this point I had seen them twice already, and was trying to see them again to get the correct flucanazole dose.

It's a white coating not actual spots. They will not give me the gel as she is under four weeks old and it is not licensed for her age apparently.

Can you see a different doctor if this one is refusing to diagnose/treat?

Is the white coating everywhere or just on her tongue? Did it start as spots/blisters?

The daktarin gel is only licensed from 4 months now due to the choking risk if you squeeze a lump into their mouth, however both mine had thrush as newborns and my doctor prescribed it and just told me to be careful - squeeze a smear onto my finger and rub it in their mouth rather than squeeze a lump of gel straight in (common sense basically!). If you go to a chemist you can buy the gel over the counter though and say it's for you if asked.

Will try again.

Thanks fledermaus, that's really helpful.

The coating is on her tongue and roof of her mouth. I did not notice spots or blisters.

This might sound like a stupid question, but is the white coating definitely thrush and not milk? Both mine have also had white tongues even after the thrush was cured, from milk. The thrush was quite different, starting as spots/blisters all over the mouth that joined up in patches rather than a coating all over the tongue.

I would wash all bras at 60. Though obviously the GP needs to sort out the antibiotics. My DS had the gel prescribed at around 2 weeks. I'd see another GP. Good
Luck!

Oh I see no the back of her mouth is coated, the tip if her tongue is pink.

I am washing at 60.

The only thing not done is a swab and getting the doctor to prescribe correctly.

I doubt a swab will be done as they are not routinely done. Can you go back to the maternity hospital? They will have more experience of this. My gp refused to prescribe and I had to go back to hospital lactation consultant and she organised prescription.

If you feel you wish to continue to bf while trying to sort this potential thrush issue, you could try using nipple shields. I know some bf professionals don't like them but I found them hugely helpful at times.

Also, I second getting tongue tie checked by someone who knows what to look for, posterior TT is hard to detect. I saw the local infant feeding coordinator who referred me to the local specialist clinic.

Good luck!

Did you have any pain free feeding at all. I think as others have said you'd be best asking to see the local infant feeding specialist for more help/support with thisproblem as it could be something else if they haven't swabed and tested for thrush. Ask your midwifeteam they should be able to put you in touch even if you've been discharged from them already.

Since being treated, I have had some pain free feeding, but then it kicks in part way through the feed.

The main issues are that my DH travels a lot for work, and I have two other children to look after too. So when he is away, it is going to be nigh on impossible to express, bottle feed, settle the baby and get the rest I will need to do everything else.

There is no trauma to my nipples at all, there are no cracks or anything however there is still burning pain that lasts for ages after the feed. Once the flucanazole course has run out I assume the pain will all come back again. At the height of my pain there were fissures in my nipples but these have gone. My nipples are not all misshapen when she comes off from a feed, I have had my latch checked by a midwife who solely visits women to provide them with breastfeeding support. She said the latch is good.

My supply is down as well now, I breast fed for a couple of feeds yesterday, and I have not got the stamina to deal with the pain to allow her to stimulate my breasts to produce more milk. Although I had a better go today and allowed her to carry on sucking, so perhaps my supply will have increased tomorrow.

I had a breast feeding specialist look at her in the hospital, and there is no tongue tie.

so you've had painful feeds since day one yes? I just think maybe something else is going on there are other things that can cause deep breast pain. Maybe seeing a board certified lactation consultant would be helpful.

I know it's hard with other children and a husband who works away but you put in. a lot of effort with your first two. How about one last try with a qualified professional first, it could be something everyone else has missed.