Oral Thrush

If your baby has oral thrush then you have breast thrush too. This video doesn't show you what a nipple looks like with breast thrush, but it does show you what a baby's mouth and bottom look like.  It also goes through some of the treatment options available with some great ideas for usability with Gentian Violet which stains everything!

So what does breast thrush look like on your nipple? Not much necessarily, it may just be a little bit pinker than normal.

It feels like a burning, stabbing type of pain and may be itchy as well. It can happen when your baby is nursing but also between feeds.  Some mothers have such sore breasts that they don't want to wear anything so their breasts aren't being rubbed.

How do you know you might have this:

• You have sore breasts even between breastfeeds
• Your nipple might be a little pink but otherwise not much different
• You may have had antibiotics for some reason (mastitis, infection in a c-section scar etc) which has disturbed your balance of bacteria that naturally occur, allowing the thrush to start
• You've had vaginal thrush before, particularly more than 4 times
• You don't find heat comforting, and potentially are avoiding a shower
• Your baby's mouth is full of white spots (oral thrush can sometimes look similar to a tongue that is a bit coated with milk in the early part of the infection, but if it's on the inside of the cheeks or on the gums too it's not just a coating)
• Your baby has a really red bottom (again this isn't always the case in the early part of the infection)

What you can do about it:

• Gentian Violet is a natural remedy (you must treat both mother and baby - the video above gives great tips on how to use it in the least messy way)
• Prescription drugs from your doctor - there are several.  If you have a really stubborn case or a lot of recurrence this is a good option
• Avoid sugar in your diet - try for a bit more protein as this will help you avoid low blood sugar which leads to sugar cravings, check out the breastfeeding diets page for ideas
• Avoid wet breast pads at all costs! 
• Try to get a bit of sunshine onto the breast each day if possible
• Wear breathable, natural fibres like cotton to avoid getting too sweaty - this includes your bra

Back to Sore Breasts from Oral Thrush

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