I have been nursing since 1998 with a few short breaks in between pregnancies. And I have had my share of blocked ducts, mastitis and engorgement. But until this year (2010) with Baby #7, dealing with thrush was new territory for me. I have never had a full blown case. Looking back, I probably had mild attacks but it was never anything that hurt or itched too terribly.
Dealing with thrush – twice!
But with Baby #7, not only did we (it often affects mother and nursing baby) have thrush, but we had it TWICE – so far!
Yucks! The first time it happened, it started with some shooting pains on one side which I ignored 😛 However, while playing with the baby, she stuck out her tongue at me and I noticed some white stuff waaay back on her tongue. At first, I thought it was some food that she did not swallow properly. When I made her stick out her tongue again and my heart sank. It was thick and curdy looking. “Cottage cheese” was what came to mind.
Oh no!
I tried to wipe it off. Of course it wouldn’t come off. I started googling for help. I was hoping not to go the medication route and looked for alternative ways. Meanwhile, I still hoped that it wasn’t thrush or at least it was a very mild case. I started avoiding sugary stuff – just to be safe.
However, the next day, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to check the sides of her cheeks. Ahhh!!! It was thrush! She had white patches all over the insides of her cheeks as described by all the websites I had googled!
This was what I did
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor, This is was what I did for my baby and me. It is NOT medical advice.
Supplements and GSE
I immediately upped my intake of Vitamin C, garlic and acidophilus. I tried to get hold of some GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract). The only place that had it in stock here in Singapore was VitaKids.
Henson drove to the nearest branch at United Square and bought me a bottle. According to the Candida Protocol by Jack Newman, I needed to wash the breast with GSE diluted with water after each feed. I could also take it orally. Let me tell you it is the most awful and vile tasting stuff ever!!! So if you need to take it orally, I strongly suggest that you get it in the capsule form.
No sugar at all
Meanwhile, I put myself on a strict sugar free diet. Not a bad thing considering I would like to lose some weight! 🙂 But oh! So hard!!! It is much easier to do the MSG and Wheat Free Diet!
After about 5 days, it cleared up. Dr Jack Newman actually states that, “There is no need to treat just because the baby has thrush in his mouth. The reason to treat is the mother’s and/or the baby’s discomfort. Babies, however, only very occasionally seem to be bothered by thrush.” (See this article for more details).
But the pain and itch was awful and the baby was affected. She kept putting her fingers into her mouth -probably because it was itchy.
The second bout we had was painful but not itchy. It was painful enough to rouse me from my sleep when she nursed 🙁
Not even fruits
However, I have found that increasing my Vitamin C, garlic and acidophilus intake helps heaps. And for me, I have to stay off fruits. This time round, it seemed to have been triggered by my increased intake of fruits. I just don’t do well with too much sugar – even when it is the naturally occurring kind in fruits. The last time it happened was when I binged on pineapple tarts over the Chinese New Year period.
It is said that thrush is often the result of taking antibiotics since antibiotics will kill off the good as well as the bad bacteria. But I have not taken antibiotics for years. And neither has the baby. So in my humble opinion, overdosing on sugary stuff can also cause an imbalance in the system and allow the bad bacteria to flourish with a vengeance.
I had also bought Daktarin oral gel ,an over the counter product found at any pharmacy which does not require any doctor’s prescription, as a standby. Thankfully, I did not have to use it. But some friends highly recommend it.
I hope this information helps someone out there.
Related Posts:
*** Post has been updated 23 July 2017 ***
1 Comment on Dealing with Thrush
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Thanks for sharing this. My 2nd baby had thrush too… and it was indeed a very painful breastfeeding experience. On looking back, I think you are so right in that ‘sugary stuff … allows the bacteria to flourish with a vengeance’. I was loading myself with chocolates. Daktarin works wonders… baby’s thrush cleared within 3 days, after applying.