Got to stop bfing my 19 day old dd3 and v. depressed. Can you help me do it painlessly?

[Wills]

I'm really really blue about this but I've got breast feeding thrush. Given how fast I've had it my gp thinks I've had it since my last child when I also had to give up breast feeding! She's only 19 days old for goodness sake yet already I'm taking painkillers 24 hrs a day and even then am in permanent pain. My gp was prepared to give me a fortnight of fluconazole as suggested by the breast feeding network, I've also been taking probiotics and trying like mad to cut out sugar. Yet although I've been doing this for a week now its still got loads worse. This morning when I changed dd3's nappy she had an appalling rash which turned out to be thrush.

So now I'm having to accept stopping. But I'm in permanent pain which of course gets really really bad when I'm "full". Any tips on how to stop?

Good luck Wills. I had horrible thrush so I really sympathise, but I managed to get rid of it with Daktarin. I'd suggest using the cream on your nipples instead, not the gel. Keep using the gel in your baby's mouth though.

I also found nipple shields a life saver with my first baby after thrush, but try not to be too reliant on them once the thrush is under control.

Fingers crossed it improves soon!

Wills, Over in Sheerness there is a Lactation Consultant run clinic at the seashells sure start clinic- it's on a thursday pm 1-3 iirc
Do you drive? I know it's a trek but the Rochester LLL meeting is a lovely one and the next one is this tuesday. If you go straight down the A2/M2 it's not that bad.

scroll down to BF hth

Oh and a friend tells me that you should use Biological washing powder, not Non Bio, as Non bio doesn't kill the organism even in a hot wash...

Oh Wills, I haven't spotted you on MN for ages - congratulations on your dd3.
I see that you've moved, so don't know the lll in your new area, but if you call them then they may be able to come out to you, or at least meet you half way.
Or try ABM or NCT if they are closer. Numbers are all on RHS on here.

Hi,

I got my grapefruit seed extract from here when I had thrush. I found it was the only thing that cleraed it up, although it took a little while.

I also used to put my washing on a final rinse with a few drops of it.

How annoying that he won't prescribe you the higher dose - I'm sure I had the highest dose while bfing (but I wouldn't swear to it), prescribed by my GP who had bf three children herself.

Not having a high enough dose could increase resistance.

I hope you can get this treated!

I also took ibuprofen while bfing,.

CSWS, Thanks. I wasn't sure who was who on mumsnet any longer and therefore didn't put up an announcement even, wasn't sure anyone would "recognise me".

CarmenSanDiego - did you use shields as a barrier to break the cycle of giving to each other?

Wills - I am in the same boat as you sadly...My (first) daughter is 11 days old and I also have thrush (everywhere!) as a result of having been on antibiotics just befoe and after the birth I think. Feeding going okay until about day 5 when it proressively got more and more painful, culminating on day 7 when I was screaming and sobbing in pain when she fed. Midwives had all said her latch was great and on day 7 another came and checked the latch again (with me sobbing) and also checked for tongue tie. She then realised I probably had thrush - (it was only that evening I noticed some "normal" thrush symptoms).

Anyway, went to my GP and have been prescribed only 50mg on fluconazole, for 6 days. Thrush still here although slowly getting better - have 2 more days of tablets. Anyway have been expressing and bottle feeding every feed and intend to try again with breastfeeding when I recover. My nipples have been peeling (gross) and deep cracks with yellowy stuff which are still not healed, after 4 days of expressing. Have ordered silverettes and they have arrived but are stuck at post office until tmrw!

Just wanted to say poor you - it's miserable isn't it?! So so painful, honestly, almost akin to labour I thought (and longer!). Am scared that she won't go back on the breast after I suppose a week or so off it. And also also afraid it will hurt so much again, but am going to give it a go as I want to have given it my best shot. She is so much happier since the bottle so if it doesn't work out it doesn't, which will be a shame but I felt like I lost three days of her life in a haze of pain and tears and do not want a repeat. Expressing doesn't seem to hurt me (much gentler I assume!) - are you doing that?

Hope it gets better and sorry for mini hijack but wanted to share my experience and let you know am feeling the same

Wills, I used the shields with my first baby because my nipples had just got so sore that I dreaded her latching on. They seemed to make it easier for her to latch on and made that first latch-on of each feed less terrifying.

I don't really know about cross-infection although I could imagine they'd help. In my experience (all my babies had thrush to some extent), I just found treating us both simultaneously with Daktarin seemed to clear us up at the same time but I guess I was lucky! I think if one of you has it, you both have it, sadly

How's it going Wills?