need inspiring overcoming thrush stories please...

[Yankunian]

...I am nursing my 3-week old daughter and am in desperate pain from thrush, with scabby blistery nipples and a baby who has become increasingly fussy and tough to cope with after what I though was a good start breastfeeding. She now wants to feed all the time, and I am crying in pain at each feed.

I have made huge efforts to improve my latch - switching to rugby hold, taking her off every time she doesn't latch well, etc., but the pain is still excruciating. Have started with the nipple cream my GP prescribed but I have been terrified by stories of thrush being impossible to shake etc. I am really ready to throw in the towel here - it's only my determination to breastfeed because it's best for her that's keeping me going (and I can't bear the idea of failing at it, of course...) If anyone has been through this, please tell me it gets better!

Re fluconazole. If you can't find a GP to do it (I had to travel to a different county!) then just go around different chemists buying one tablet at a time. Not the cheap option, but my midwife told me that if a GP wouldn't do it, this would be the other option. A friend did it - sent her DH around all the local chemists. Took him a couple of hours in total, but he got a full running dosage and it cleared up for her .

Aw, thanks lackaDAISYcal. I have already appealed to the health visitor but no go... I think it's just in my nipples though, not quite deep in the breast, so as you say these one-off doses may be enough to boot it out. I have sensitivity and a slight burning after a feed but it is concentrated in the nipple and seems more surface-y.

I have made modifications to diet - no sugar bread cheese or basically anything nice for past couple of days (except a tiny piece of chocolate that just leapt into my hand, honest!) Hopefully all this suffering will be worth it in the end. DD has been better today, thank god, I spent the afternoon in bed with her, feeding and resting, and it seems to have done us both good. The nursing isn't hurting as much as it was - I suspect these latch issues are at least half of the trouble, and I have high hopes for the breastfeeding clinic tomorrow. This whole breastfeeding lark isn't quite as easy as I was lead to expect in my NCT class, though!

Not sure about bamboozles, but ring Alison( who runs the www.nappymania.com site on 01296 435845. I have always found her most helpful.

Another thing that occurred to me is that - if you can bear the sensation of leaking boobs at night - if you can wear a loose t-shirt and just have a muslin to hand for when you leak - you could get more air round your boobs at night, which might help you kick the thrush.

The other thing that occurred to me was that if you are feeding your little one for an hour at a time, that does sound a little excessive. I know that people obsess about getting to the hind milk, but most people I have spoken to spend about 30-40mns top feeding younger babies. Perhaps you should talk to a BF counsellor about this. Also there are some websites (google Dr Jack Newman) which have video footage of babies latching on. Your HV or MW, or a BF counsellor should also be able to help you with this.

I do hope you are feeling more positive about it all today. Stick with it, it will get better

yankunian, I am in the same boat. My dd is 4 weeks and story very similar to yours. You are a star if this was my first baby I would have thrown in the towel but I bf my ds for a year so I know bf can be a nice experience.
So pleased to hear stories of coming through it, feeling really depressed.

Big hugs xxxx