Breastfeeding // Thrush

When many people hear the word “thrush” they either think I’m referring to a bird or they have no idea what I’m talking about at all.  The term thrush is commonly used to refer to a yeast infection in the mouth.  It is fairly common in breastfed babies but it can also occur in the nipples and breasts of breastfeeding women and can be passed back and forth between the mother and child.  It is caused by an overgrowth of the candida fungus.  Candida is present in our bodies all the time, but it is normally kept in check by good bacteria that feed on it, however when this bacteria is compromised, say by taking antibiotics for example, it can lead to an overgrowth of yeast.  Yeast in the breast is much harder to get rid of than a vaginal yeast infections because the yeast thrive in sugar rich, dark, moist environments. Which brings me to my story.

Remember when I tore while pushing Asher out?  Well, as luck would have it, I developed a lovely infection.  At my two week postpartum checkup I was told that I had an infection, which meant two things.  First, some of my stitches didn’t take and second that I would need to go on antibiotics for 2 weeks.  Honestly, I was relieved because it meant that the excruciating pain I had been experiencing was in fact NOT par for the course and that with the use of the antibiotics relief was at last in sight.

HA!

I started to notice that breastfeeding was becoming INCREDIBLY painful and that Asher had developed a fuzzy white patch on his tongue.  So, I took him to the pediatrician and I went and saw a lactation consultant and we were told in both cases that we had thrush.  This seriously bummed me out, because I knew that thrush could be really difficult to get rid of.

I was put on a two week course of fluconazole and Asher was put on a nystatin rinse.  Well, after the two weeks were up, we still had thrush and our treatments had done little to improve the symptoms.  So, we were put on a second round of our respective treatments, along with strict instructions to sterilize everything that touched my breasts or his mouth. In addition, I was told that I should stop using a breast pump until the thrush was cleared up.  Luckily at this point my milk supply was established and stable so I was able to take a break from pumping.  I also rinsed my nipples with a solution of vinegar and water, cut out all sweets, exposed my bare breasts to sunlight (in doors) every day I could and we both went on probiotics all in an attempt to get rid of the nasty thrush.

Well, after all that and completing round two of our treatments, we still had thrush!  Luckily, Asher didn’t seem to mind at all, in fact I don’t think he even noticed.  I on the other hand was not a happy camper, seeing as that I was saddled with stinging nipples and shooting pains in my breasts.  Finally, our lactation consultant recommended that we try gentian violet.

After going on a wild goose chase searching for the stuff, I was finally able to find some at a small independent pharmacy.  I applied it once a day to my nipples before nursing and that way we both got treated where we needed it most.  We used it for one week and once the purple wore off I noticed that Asher’s white patch was gone and my pain had subsided. Success!

Except within two weeks both symptoms had returned.  So, we did another week of gentian violet.  This time I applied it to my nipples before and after every feeding as well as directly to Asher’s tongue.  This no nonsense approach paid off.  After a long fought battle we had conquered our thrush, albeit, after staining many articles of clothing with bright purple splotches.

This and this are is a great resources for anyone considering using gentian violet to treat thrush.  I’ll warn you, it is incredibly messy, but it is well worth the relief.  I put olive oil around Asher’s mouth to try and cut down on the mess and this helped a lot.

*UPDATE* You can find gentian violet here but I was also told that you can find it at some Targets, although I didn’t see it on their online store.  Just make sure you look for a 1% solution, if you can only find a 2% solution that’s fine too but you will need to dilute it yourself.