Thrush...

[Willo]

Hi, my Gp has said my lo has oral thrush and has given me a prescription to treat him but am I right in thinking I should be treated too as it can pass from mouth to breast and breast to mouth?
One of my breasts has been sensitive particularly around the nipple when baby is latching on and when he has stopped suckling for a while and starts again but any time I have gotten this pain it lasts a few days but goes away for a while but then will come back. Now I am wondering if it could be thrush.
I've never had this with my previous babies so thrush is a new one on me.

 

[Maxy1]

yes, if your LO has oral thrush you should be treated for it too. Otherwise you will just keep passing it on to your LO.

Does LO have symptoms of oral thrush?

 

[Willo]

He has a white tongue but I just put that down to milk deposits. Also he spits up a lot and sometimes it is projectile (maybe once a day) and he cries after feeding and seems in discomfort and wants to feed again iykwim so think he may have reflux. That was why I took him to the dr but he was not overly concerned as ds is putting on weight. I thought the milky tongue might have been linked with the reflux. He has had it for quite a while. Maybe I was wrong and it is thrush upsetting him.
I have to add that it was not my gp I saw but another dr at the practice as mine is away. I trust my own gp but I know nothing about this dr as he is new to the practice.
So confused
He did say it sounds like ds has reflux but that there has been no proof that treatment with thibgs like gaviscon are effective. He mentioned people thicken feeds but that would be a bit hard to do with breastmilk and then asked if I express. Which I don't.
I'm taking it he probably does not have a lot of experience or knowledge of breastfeeding (like most drs in my experience).
I was fairly certain that if ds does have thrush, just treating him would be a bit pointless alright. Will talk to the pharmasist and see if I can get something without prescription for me.

 

[redlemonade]

Hey Willo!

I thought I had thrush last week but thankfully that was ruled out. I was told that you can get daktarin over the counter to treat thrush on the nipple though so try get some of that. Because yes, the baby can definitely pass it on to you. Silly doctor, can't believe he didn't prescribe something for you!

My LO has reflux and we find Zantac helpful. Hopefully it's only temporary as I hate giving her medicine My DD was and is putting on weight with reflux though; it doesn't always mean weight loss. But the pain they can go through with reflux is horrendous. We've had our DD crying for 3 hours straight in obvious pain - hence our taking her to the doctor and getting her on Zantac! I hope your LO feels better soon (and you too!)

 

[Willo]

Yep that is what we have been experiencing here too redlemonade. He had a bout of crying this morning and last night too. The dr said we can keep an eye on him as he will be weighed again in 2 weeks but that is easy for him to say. He is not watching a baby in obvious distress and discomfort day after day.
As for the thrush I asked the pharmacist and she said to use babys drops on my breasts. I double checked with the dr (same one I saw as my dr is still away) and he said I can do that if I like but if I don't have any visible signs,for example a rash or itchy breasts, then there is no need to treat. I don't think that is great advice. I have breast/nipple pain when baby is feeding but apparently that doesn't matter.
I wish my own gp was not on her holidays.
Anyway for now I am going to do what the pharmacist recommended. I also got grapefruit seed extract which is supposed to kill off yeast too. My head is wrecked with it all though. I cannot ask my public health nurse for advice because she is on maternity leave and the woman covering for her is just shocking.

 

[HeatherLTBee]

My son just got treated for thrush last week. I was told to just wash after every feeding...

But I don't understand that because... thrush is fungus.. not bacteria.. So antibacterials dont kill it.... bacteria kills fungus!

So I did not wash... and I did not get it.
I also was not treated...

Good luck momma

 

[redlemonade]

Yep that is what we have been experiencing here too redlemonade. He had a bout of crying this morning and last night too. The dr said we can keep an eye on him as he will be weighed again in 2 weeks but that is easy for him to say. He is not watching a baby in obvious distress and discomfort day after day.
As for the thrush I asked the pharmacist and she said to use babys drops on my breasts. I double checked with the dr (same one I saw as my dr is still away) and he said I can do that if I like but if I don't have any visible signs,for example a rash or itchy breasts, then there is no need to treat. I don't think that is great advice. I have breast/nipple pain when baby is feeding but apparently that doesn't matter.
I wish my own gp was not on her holidays.
Anyway for now I am going to do what the pharmacist recommended. I also got grapefruit seed extract which is supposed to kill off yeast too. My head is wrecked with it all though. I cannot ask my public health nurse for advice because she is on maternity leave and the woman covering for her is just shocking.

Two weeks is a long time to wait to see how your LO goes with his reflux/weight! Is there another doctor you can see? It's awful for the babies to be in pain, never mind extending the time they'll be in pain.

Try keep him upright during and after feeds (at least 30 mins). Our daughter hates being laid down after feeds. Can you raise top of the cot/basket/wherever baby sleeps? We co-sleep so we got our DD a 'cleva mama' wedge in mothercare and it REALLY helps too. Reflux babies can't be flat for too long.

 

[Willo]

Hey redlemonade. We have been keeping him upright after feeds. He spends mist of his time in our arms or a sling. I have propped up his crib (not that he is in it that much) and his changer too and there has been an improvement. I have thought about propping up our bed too caus he likes having a feed or two or three in bed with us. My dr is not back till the week I am due to go for his 6 week check and the dr I saw is the only other one in the practice.
If things do get worse though I'll go back to him armed with lots of info. I think I did not explain it well when I was there. I might even record ds so they can see what happens. I don't really know what else I can do.

 

[redlemonade]

Good idea to record DS during one of his bouts of reflux! I wish I had more advice - reflux is hard. Sending positive vibes your way

 

[Maxy1]

The reason I asked about the symptoms of thrush is because if you don't have any and LO doesn't have any - white tongue isn't really one without other white deposits in the mouth IMO - then you may need to consider vasospasm of the nipple for your pain. Both thrush and vasospasm can present the same but LO doesn't have any symptoms.


I agree it sounds much more like reflux. My LO has identical symptoms (white tongue, fussy after feeds, spill-ups). I agree with everyone else that keeping LO upright can help and also ensuring that LO is getting to the fattier hind milk to help settle the tum and make sure that the reflux is not caused by too much fore milk.

 

[pinkpolkadot]

LO has a spot of thrush and we were only given treatment for her and told to keep an eye on myself. The same happened when DD1 got it when she was BF (prescribed by a different healthcare professional too).

We also suspect LO has a bit of reflux, I mentioned it to HV but she brushed it off, good idea to record it, I did have trouble explaining what was happening. We have raised head of her mattress and given a dummy which has helped a bit

Good idea about the hind milk maxy1