Candida (Yeast orThrush) Infection What is it? Candida (also called yeast, monilla or thrush) is a fungus that thrives in warm, dark, moist environments, such as the mucus membranes of the mouth and vagina, the perineal area, skin folds, bra pads, and on persistently wet nipples. The fungus Candida albicans causes thrush. Everyone has this fungus in his or her body -- it's a normal part of the digestive system and generally bacteria keep it in check. But occasionally it gets a chance to grow and spread and that can lead to an infection. Breastfeeding can create the perfect environment for thrush - it thrives in warm, moist, sugary environments, which is exactly what your baby's mouth is like during breastfeeding.
Eating sugary foods, taking antibiotics, getting inadequate rest, stress, allergies, and injury to the nipples from poor positioning can also set the stage for an infection. What can I do?
Thrush is one condition that you are better off not treating on your own. If you suspect thrush, contact your GP for diagnosis and treatment. She or he will probably prescribe an antifungal medication. Thrush can take up to a few weeks to cure, and you and your baby need to be treated simultaneously.
Suspect candida as the cause of your sore nipples if:
- Your nipples are extremely sore, burning, itching, red, or blistery.
- You experience shooting pains in your breasts during or just after feeding (especially during your milk ejection reflex).
- The usual remedies for sore nipples aren't working.
- Baby has oral thrush (white, cottage-cheese-like patches on the tongue and sides of the mouth) and/or a yeasty nappy rash.
- Your nipples suddenly become sore after a period of pain-free breastfeedinYou are taking, or have just finished taking, a course of antibiotics.
- Yeast infections are common following antibiotic treatment.
Suggestions - Expose your nipples to sunlight for several minutes several times a day. After washing them, dry your bras in the sunlight.
- Air-dry your nipples after each feeding
- Avoid plastic-lined breast pads that irritate skin and trap leaked milk.
- Change nursing pads after each feeding.
- Wear 100 percent cotton bras and wash them daily in very hot water. Iron your bras with a hot iron.
Thoroughly wash pump parts that come in contact with your breasts in a bleach solution and boil them in water for five minutes daily. Simple remedies that work! Gentian Violet is effective, but stains skin purple for several days. A report has allegedly associated this with oral cancer, but our researchers can find no evidence to support this, and the paper has not been published. See references at bottom of this section. Diflucan is very effective, but can cause intestinal distress in mom and/or baby. For these reasons, we recommend beginning with Grapefruit Seed Extract as the first line of defence. The use of Grapefruit Seed Extract as recommended can almost always brings rapid relief and an elimination of the yeast imbalance. Aloe Vera concentrate ahs also been used with reported success. About Grapefruit Seed Extract.Grapefruit Seed Extract is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound synthesised from the seeds and pulp of grapefruit. It is an extremely potent and effective broad-spectrum bactericide, fungicide, antiviral and antiparasitic compound. Tests have shown that GSE is dramatically more effective than Colloidal Silver, Iodine, Tea Tree Oil and Clorox bleach against five common microorganisms. In studies performed by Dr. John Mainarich of Bio-Research Laboratories in Redmond, WA, samples of each of the common antimicrobials or sanitizing agents were evaluated for effectiveness against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus faecium and E. coli. The other antimicrobials tested were considerably less effective than the GSE. GSE is extremely effective in the treatment of thrush. If used diligently, it typically will clear up thrush within a couple of days. Treatment of thrush with GSE Make a mixture of 10 drops of Citricidal Grapefruit Seed Extract to one ounce of water. The use of distilled water to make your solution is very important. The chemicals placed in your local tap water to kill bacteria can reduce the effectiveness of the active ingredients in GSE. If thrush is not markedly improved by the second day, increase the mixture to 15, or even 20 drops of GSE per one ounce of distilled water. If after reaching up to at least 20, and a full day of hourly treatment with it, you see no improvement, consider using Diflucan. If you are prescribed Diflucan, continue to treat topically with GSE during the course of treatment. Use this solution with an absorbent swab on mum's nipples and baby's mouth once every hour during all waking hours. Swab baby's mouth prior to nursing and mum's nipples after nursing. Applying it to baby's mouth prior to nursing will help them to avoid the possibility of baby associating the bitter taste with nursing. If nappy area is affected, put the same strength solution into a spray bottle or swab as above at every diaper change. If the infection is particularly rampant or you are having difficulty getting rid of it, mum may need to take acidophilus or GSE capsules to get rid of it systemically. GSE solution can also be used in laundry or as a surface cleaner to kill yeast hiding and waiting to multiply again. It may be necessary for mum to eliminate sugar from your diet until the yeast infection is gone. If treatment with GSE seems to leave your nipple area dry, apply a light coating of Vitamin E oil. It should only take a couple of days to show significant improvement. The Vitamin E oil should absorb into the skin thoroughly prior to the nursing following the application. Lansinoh is great, but do not use it when dealing with thrush, because it provides a moisture barrier that is counterproductive to getting rid of thrush. For more information on GSE: For prevention of thrush while taking antibiotics: - There are times over the course of breastfeeding when a nursing mother needs to take antibiotics. While taking antibiotics, good bacteria are destroyed along with the bad. The absence of the good bacteria, which usually keep yeast in reasonable balance within the body, is what can leave a nursing dyad with thrush. There are several options that may help to avoid this imbalance:
- Take acidophilus/bifidus capsules with doses being as far away from the dose of antibiotics as is possible. There is dairy free acidophilus available for those needing dairy free products. Check labels for ones requiring refrigeration.
- Eat yogurt with active live cultures. Make sure you get unsweetened yogurt as you don't want to feed the yeast with sugar.
- All of these probiotics help to reintroduce to the gut the good bacteria that will help to regain control of the yeast overgrowth in the system.
- If the infant or child is the one taking the antibiotics, they usually fare better at avoiding thrush while taking antibiotics because breastmilk has a bifidus factor. It promotes the growth of Lactobacillus, a harmless bacterium, within the gut. Growth of this bacteria helps to eliminate the overgrowth of yeast. A toddler or child can also take acidophilus. The powder itself has a pleasant creamy taste and most are happy to lick it off your finger, take it with spoon or you can mix it into a food.
If the simple home remedies listed above don't bring relief, consult your GP/ healthcare provider about the following treatments: - Apply an antifungal cream (mycostatin, clotrimazole, myconazole) to your nipples as suggested or prescribed by your doctor.
- If you have a candida infection in your nipples, baby should be treated for thrush even if you can't see any white patches in the mouth. Your GP will prescribe an oral antifungal suspension that should be painted on baby's tongue, roof, and sides of the mouth three or four times a day for a couple of weeks.
- If baby has a candida nappy rash, treat it with an over-the-counter antifungal cream.
- If the candida is resistant to the standard treatments described above, in consultation with your healthcare provider, try a 0.25 - 0.5 percent solution of gentian violet applied to your nipples twice a day for three days. Gentian violet is effective, but messy. Also, apply a small amount once a day to baby's mouth, but be aware that overuse of gentian violet may irritate the sensitive oral mucus membranes of baby's mouth. Apply Vaseline to baby's lips before using the gentian violet to avoid purple stains.
Warning - gentian violet has been used for many years to treat thrush. Apparently a recent study done in Australia has linked gentian violet to cancer of the mouth. We have found NO evidence of this research, and believe at the breastway that GV is safe to use in small doses. However, many other professionals around the world believe that it is safe, and continue to recommend it. For this reason, we suggest you use this remedy sparingly, and for as little time as possible. More info on GV: - http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T083100.asp
- http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/yeast.shtml
- http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,40w6,00.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentian_violet
If your baby has thrush but your nipples are not yet sore, apply the prescribed medicine to baby's mouth just before feeding so that your nipples get the preventive benefit of the medication as well. While nursing on a candida-infected nipple can be exquisitely painful, it is necessary to keep the affected breast empty to prevent mastitis, or even a candida infection deeper into the breast tissue. Pay particular attention to proper latch-on and easing your baby off your nipples at the end of the feeding, since infected nipples are more sensitive and prone to injury from improper sucking patterns. Yeast infections can be very persistent. Use the full course of medication suggested by your doctor, and continue using the home remedies for several weeks so that the infection will not reoccur. In the meantime: - Wash all toys, dummies, and breast pump parts in boiling water after each use, to avoid re-infecting yourself or your baby.
- For the same reason, wash your hands frequently, especially after feeds.
To ease any deep breast pain, you may want to take a mild painkiller like paracetamol (ok to take when breastfeeding) until the worst is over and your treatment begins working Will it affect my baby?
If you have Candida or a fungal infection on your nipples, the chances are that your baby has it, too, even if you can't see any white spots. She needs treatment just as much as you do - and at the same time, or you may pass the infection back and forth.
A baby with thrush may be more unsettled than usual during feeds, or reluctant to feed because of mouth tenderness. Other babies, however, may not be bothered at all Can I still breastfeed?
Yes. Thrush shouldn't affect your ability to breastfeed your baby, and you can continue throughout the course of your treatment. References www:
www.kellymom.com http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/yeast.shtml http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.as Dr Newman pdf handouts Pubmed research articles:
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