White spots on breastfed baby throat - Milk curds?

[Slawi]

My baby is 9 months old, breastfeeding and having some solid foods. He is teething and feeds a lot. Generally well and happy, no temperature or anything to make me think he’s unwell. Yesterday he cried as I put him in the car seat (wanted my keys) and I saw the back of his throat red with white spots all over, maybe about 10 patches, irregular but small and separated patches. Went doctors who said it was “milk curds”. I tried to Google what milk curds were to get a picture of them at the back of a baby throat but nothing comes up. I have found one article that says milk can curdle and implies you are not keeping good oral hygiene? He only has 2 teeth and they get brushed with a toothbrush with water only. He doesn’t have sugar and he drinks water and has a lot of fluids, wet nappies etc. No issues on tongue or my nipple so don’t think it’s thrush. Images of “herpangina” look very similar. But also want to rule out strep A. Been back to docs again for 2nd opinion this morning and another doctor said the same, and now I feel stupid for questioning but also I have never heard or seen this and can’t find an image. I breastfed my daughter for 2.5 years and never seen anything like it. I tried to get a picture (while he was crying for something else - I felt really mean) but you can only see a few of the spots. One of the pictures I have cranked up the exposure to try show them more. Can anyone confirm milk curds is a thing that can collect at the back of your baby throat? Thanks

Have BF for a total of around 5.5 years. Can honestly say I’ve never heard of milk curds in their mouth.

Never heard of this. Thrush is common. Could even be tonsillitis depending on the site. But milk curds is a new one.

@BunnyRuddington so weird because I just get the feeling/instinct telling me it’s so not that! Surely would be more common knowledge. Both male doctors and not sure if paediatric specifically and I would bet money they are not feeding specialists. I think it’s something else but he has no other symptoms so maybe just some viral infection or thrush in throat (and not tongue/gums/my nipples) 🤷‍♀️ surely his breath would start to smell if old milk was curdled and stuck on?! Which it doesn’t. The patches don’t appear to have moved or be “just on the surface” like after a feed. They are very clearly stuck on patches/raised spot areas. It sounds bad but I don’t really trust the doctors, my daughter had a bone infection at 11 months requiring intravenous antibiotics for 2 weeks and I got fobbed off that it was a bite! Had to sit in a&e for 2 full days until they figured out what it was. The only reason I went back after they said it was a bite is because I just knew it wasn’t!

Yes surely the next time he ate or drank the milk would disappear from his mouth if it was milk?

Could you ask a midwife?

Thrush? Assuming you are in the Uk and we have the same understanding of milk curds

I called the health visitor who hadn’t heard of it either and said just to keep an eye on any extra symptoms (which the doctor didn’t say). I mentioned thrush in front of the doctors and they didn’t say anything! I think it is more likely than “milk curds” ! Maybe I’ve seen it in its early stages before it spreads to the tongue etc but they didn’t mention a treatment for that. They kind of implied that you can get it off by scrubbing it off, when the first one asked about the toothbrush, but I’m not prodding or poking the back of the throat I can’t even see what I’m doing and I don’t think it’s something washable. He has plenty of water throughout the day so assuming that would wash the milk off if it was leaving any deposits on his throat. By milk curds I’m thinking like deposits of fat from the milk? I just don’t think it’s that. Will try and get another picture (have to wait for him to try eating a shoe or something and take it away for him to cry 😂)

There are some resources on BFing and thrush here @Slawi. Don’t know if that will be of any help?

@BunnyRuddington thank you. I will take a look. Funnily enough he is refusing a pouch I tried to give him today and just wants milk 🤷‍♀️ but drinking lots of water still. I managed to get a better photo (breaks my heart his little crying face)

My son had what looks like this. It was Epstein pearls. Theyr like tiny cysts that disappear by themselves. I thought thrush too but thrush would be on their tongue like a thick layer of like whitey yellow cream that doesn't wipe off. His went away naturally although took a few months! HTH.

@Twinklestarbaby thanks! did read about them but it said they were more newborns so I discounted it. How old was yours when it disappeared?

I read that too so I was worried as he had them around 10 months until after a year. Took a few months to go. I'm not sure if he has them before the 10 months as I didn't notice until around that time.

That puts my mind a bit at ease @Twinklestarbaby yes as I said I never would have noticed except being at the right angle and lighting when he was crying, now I’m peering inside at every cry 😅 still no symptoms so hoping it’s just this! Thanks

Same here I just was looking for teeth one day and saw it. My son sees a pedeatrician for other reasons but I asked him to check them as I originally thought it must be thrush. It's not common to have them past a few months so lots of people don't notice or haven't heard of them.