Thrush is a fungal infection caused by the organism Candida albicans which can occur in the nipples or breast tissue or both (as well as other places in the body). It may cause significant nipple and breast pain. This pain may be severe enough to lead to early stopping of breastfeeding if not appropriately treated.
Symptoms of thrush: pain in your nipples (burning, sharp, shooting pains) that can last up to an hour after feeds. sore, cracked nipples. shiny, red or pink nipples.
Thrush can be uncomfortable, but good news is it's totally treatable. Antifungal medications are often prescribed, particularly nystatin, and breastfeeding parents are usually instructed to use a topical cream, such as miconazole or clotrimazole.
There are usually no obvious signs of thrush on your nipples. However some signs may be present and include: your nipples may appear bright pink; the areola may be reddened, dry or flaky. Rarely a fine white rash may be seen.
Thrush is common during the early months of life. It's caused by a yeast infection in the mouth. Most often, it's due to prolonged sucking. Thrush causes only mild discomfort.
If breastfeeding is too painful while you or your baby has thrush, check in with your pediatrician to get treatment, fast. You may find it more comfortable to pump rather than breastfeed.
Thrush in breastfed babies is a common condition, affecting about one in twenty infants. But it isn't just for babies. Breastfeeding moms can develop it, as well. In fact, where there's smoke, there is usually fire.
Thrush is another name for a yeast infection. Yeast grows rapidly in warm moist areas. A yeast infection may be present on mother's nipples or breast or in your baby's mouth or diaper area. Sometimes both mother and baby have a yeast infection, or only one person has a yeast infection.
Oral thrush occurs when a yeast infection is present inside the mouth, and is a common cause of fussy infants.
Expressing milk
If you are worried about using expressed/stored milk during a yeast infection, you can either use it while you and your baby are being treated for thrush, or you can warm the milk to 63 °C for 30 minutes to kill bacteria and yeast, before cooling and offering.
Other symptoms may include a pearly look to baby's saliva, gassiness, fussiness, and a red diaper rash with small bloody patches that doesn't resolve with typical treatments. A baby with thrush may refuse to nurse, or pull off the breast throughout a feeding.
If thrush isn't treated it eventually goes away on its own. There's no need for your partner(s) to have treatment unless they have signs and symptoms of thrush.
white patches (plaques) in the mouth that can often be wiped off, leaving behind red areas that may bleed slightly. loss of taste or an unpleasant taste in the mouth. redness inside the mouth and throat.
If you have yeast on your nipples, or if your baby has it in his mouth, your milk supply will often decrease. Resulting pain inhibits the let-down reflex, and babies with yeast often do not nurse as efficiently as they do when their mouths are not sore. Yeast infections may also lead to plugged duct and mastitis.
Diluted baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) may also combat the symptoms of thrush. Dissolve a half teaspoon of baking soda in 1 cup of warm water, and apply to your child's thrush with a cotton swab. You can also apply the paste on your nipples before breastfeeding (just wipe off before your baby latches).
See your doctor if you think your baby may have thrush. Some cases go away without medical treatment within a week or two, but the doctor may prescribe an antifungal solution for your baby's mouth.
Treatment for your nipple yeast infection will typically include an antifungal medication. Your healthcare provider may recommend an antifungal cream, gel or ointment. You can apply the antifungal directly onto your nipples. You can buy many antifungal creams and other medications over-the-counter.
A yeast infection under your breasts looks like a bright red rash. The rash will appear under your breasts and at the top of your torso where your breast skin touches your chest. The breast rash may be: Raised, swollen or tender.
Breast Milk
While you and baby are being treated for yeast, your refrigerated, fresh, or milk frozen during thrush treatment can be used safely for baby. Freezing deactivates yeast, but does not kill it, so label all milk pumped and frozen during a thrush outbreak.
However, it can lead to bigger issues such as dehydration due to your little one not wanting to eat. In severe cases where worsening thrush has gone untreated, there is also a risk of the infection spreading to the esophagus or other parts of the body.
Thrush. An overgrowth of the yeast fungus called 'Candida Albicans' can cause a thrush infection in a baby's mouth. Sometimes a 'sore mouth' is blamed for a baby's inconsolable crying or feeding difficulties.