Thrush (Candida Albicans) is a fungal infection and can occur during breastfeeding, affecting mother, baby or both. It often happens after either one of you has been given antibiotics for an infection, or if the nipple becomes cracked and sore.
SIGNS OF THRUSH IN MUM
- Sudden pain in the nipple or breast
- the nipple may become itchy and become sensitive to touch
- A feeling of a deep shooting pain deep within the breast; this occurs AFTER feeding, not during. If you have pain during a feed, your baby may not be attached properly.
- The nipple or areola (the dark skin) may change colour
- The nipple may look very cracked and does not seem to heal
- Pain may be in both breasts as the baby can pass on the infection from one breast to the other
- Occasionally there are no major signs of infection and no pain is felt whilst feeding your baby
There are other reasons for nipple pain though
- Baby may not be attached properly, causing sore and cracked nipples
- Eczema or rash on breast
- The baby may have a Tongue Tie
(cick here for more information on Tongue Tie)
SIGNS OF THRUSH IN BABY
- Creamy white patches can be seen on the baby’s tongue or inside the mouth which do not rub off
- You might see a white shiny patch on his/her tongue that does not come off
- Baby does not fed well at the breast, this is because his/her mouth is sore
- Baby may become irritable and be more windy than normal
- If the infection is passed through his/her body, there may be a nappy rash that seems hard to get rid of.
SELF HELP INFORMATION
- Thrush can be easily passed between you, your baby, your partner and other children.
- Make sure you wash the breast area regularly if you have thrush, and do not share towels with anyone else.
- Make sure you wash your hands after changing your baby’s nappy.
- If your baby has a dummy, or is also having a bottle as well as breastfeeding, make sure these are sterilised properly by boiling for at least 20 minutes.
- Make sure you continue to breastfeed, and take painkillers if necessary. By stopping feeding, you could encounter more problems such as Mastitis
(click here for more information on Mastitis) - If you have expressed any milk during the time of the infection, throw it away as it could cause your baby to get another bout of thrush.
MEDICAL HELP
- Both mums and babies should be treated even though only one of you may show signs of infection
- The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) recommends that GP’s should prescribe an antifungal to treat thrush for at least 10 days, as well as a cream such as Daktarin that is applied to the nipples following a feed for 2-3 weeks.
- Babies can be prescribed Daktarin as long as they are over 4 months. The gel is rubbed around the cheeks and tongue using a clean finger. This should be applied for 2 weeks, even though signs of Thrush may have disappeared.
- Health visitors and Doctors can prescribe Nystatin drops to babies from birth
6 responses so far ↓
Adriana // Mar 23, 2011 at 3:47 am
It’s amazing … We are in 2011… Even in Internet or with children’s centers you can find great support and understand why you are in pain when you are breastfeeding. I had so many problems, wrong medicines, and today was the worst… After keep trying to have the correct medicine and make a proper investigation in “breast hospital” the final diagnostic was… “you don’t have any signs of thrush, so we cannot prescribe any medication, pls back to your GP!” to be honest I’ve tried to discuss… But the final answer was… “breastfeed bring pain!” … I’m sure this is one of causes that explain why UK has the lowest rate in breastfeed. In the other hand I had GREAT support from help line… She recommend also what kind of food I should have (yogurt acidofilus and cheer vinegar). I do recommend call them 0300 100 0210. Hope this can help another mum don’t give up to breastfeed your little angels.
Holly // Feb 13, 2010 at 12:51 pm
i believe i have had thrush since birth and this has not been recognised by midwives, doctors or health visitors. I have no visible symptoms but following advice from a friend i demanded oral treatment and am using gentian violet (widely used in states and canada) and although i am on day 7 of a 10 day treatment and it is not yet gone, i had relief after 24 hours. The pain i had was similar to a breast full of crushed glass - i desperately want to continue… WHY IS THERE SUCH A LACK OF TRAINED SUPPORT IN THIS AREA???
michelle // Sep 28, 2009 at 11:33 am
After reading this I felt so much better and have booked for someone to come and see me. I was having shooting pains in my breast and my nipples were really sore, I was also told it was mastitis and it got progressively worse to the point my nipple is now really torn. Desperate to continue to feed naturally, the pain is terrible but hopefully now I know why it hurts I can get the appropriate treatment
Sophie // Oct 20, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Cant believe how many GPs do not recognise this. I saw 3 GPs who were convinced I had Mastitis. I persisted that it was trush and managed to convince an out of hours Dr to pesctibe me anti fungal tablets and drops for my twins. Please can someone advise how long it takes for the shooting pains to go away. Thanks
kristy // Apr 25, 2008 at 8:51 pm
just wanted to say that this often goes mistaken for something else. i had thrush in my milk ducts and boy was it painfull! you need to get the tablets to combat it asap as soon as it gets in to your milk duct.
took about 5 days for it to go out of my milk ducts after i started the tablets.
Lauren Ferrari // Mar 16, 2008 at 1:43 am
Just wanted to say I love the site, and offer some additional information about thrush. I fought it with poor medications from stupid doctors for 3 months, and finally found out about Grapefruit Seed Extract! It’s amazing. Here’s a link to the page from Dr. Jay Gordon’s website; he’s a doctor and a lactation consultant! GSE is a miracle worker.
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp
**Still nursing my 17 month old!
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