Stopped nursing because of breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth?
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Unfortunately, the breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth won't go away just because you stopped nursing your baby. That's a common misconception many mothers have -- that if they stop breastfeeding their baby, their breast/nipple pain and breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth will simply resolve itself and go away. No -- this nasty, stubborn yeast infection will not go away -- especially if (and most likely she will) your baby has thrush -- a yeast infection of the mouth.
I talked briefly in an earlier page about how and why your nipples and breasts could be hurting from nursing your baby and why some mothers get a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth. Here, I'll continue with more causes and treatments for this yeast infection of the breast.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again -- please go to your doctor for a proper diagnosis if you suspect you have a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth. You may have the tell tale signs of a yeast infection, but this is not something you want to treat on your own. If you do have a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth, you will need to treat both you and your baby or else the untreated party will end up re-infecting the "cured" one.
Again, if your'e experiencing continual breast/nipple pain, tenderness, burning or cracked nipples, this could indicate a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth. However, some common causes of nipple discomfort could be -- 1) improper "latch-on"/positioning of the baby at the breast, 2) improper use of the breast pump, and 3) eczema or excessively dry or irritated skin. If these are not the causes of your breast pain, and your doctor has diagnosed you with a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth, then you're most likely put on Nystatin and or Lotrimin (clotrimazole).
As I mentioned before, treatment with Nystatin will usually take anywhere from one to two weeks, depending on the severity and stubborness of your (and your baby's) yeast infections. Breastfeeding is the near perfect environment -- moist, warm, and sugary -- for yeast to thrive on. This is especially true of your baby's mouth during and immediately after breastfeeding. So, while on your breast feeding infection yeast treatment cycle, try to --
- avoid eating a high sugar diet
- avoid taking antibiotics if at all possible
- get enough rest (yes, I know this is hard with a baby)
- avoid (or lower) stress
A lowered or taxed immune system will only make your battle with this breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth harder and longer. These are also good guidelines in general for yeast infection prevention.
Some other things that will help in addition to your Nystatin treatment (or any yeast infection treatment) --
- Add acidophilus to your diet whether in yogurt or capsule form. If you chose to go the yogurt route, be sure to get the kind that's low in sugar. I've had good success with PB8 and Culturelle LGG. When looking for acidophilus, you want to make sure you get the ones without any dairy or yeast products. Not all acidophilus products are created equal. They all claim to have X number of live bacteria in each serving. Trust me -- that's not always true because of the manufacturing, delivery and storage conditions. All that plus the fact that the acidophilus organisms have to make it through your stomach acids alive for them to do their work in your intestines. Chances are, you're getting a much lower number of acidophilus per serving/capsule than what was stated in the manufacturer's label. Also, while the manufacturer has suggested serving directions, I typically take 2 to 3 times the amount when I have a particularly bad bout of yeast.
You can also give some of the acidophilus to your baby. At feeding time, break open the capsule, wet your finger, coat wet finger with acidophilus powder, and "coat" the inside of your baby's mouth (particularly the white patches) with the powder. Or, try wetting your nipple with some water and coat it with the acidophilus powder right before breastfeeding. You only need to do this three times a day.
- Try using some gentian violet. Use one with a 1% solution in water. You can usually find gentian violet at health food stores or your local pharmacy. First, if you've never used gentian violet, let me say that this stuff stains and it stains bright purple! So, before you use this, be sure to undress your baby down to her diapers. Likewise, for yourself, wear something old that you're not worried about getting stained, and strip down to the waist. Apply a bit of petroleum jelly on your baby's lips and around her mouth. This will help prevent staining the lips and the skin around her mouth. Drop a few drops of the gentian violet solution onto a new cotton swab and swab it around the inside of your baby's mouth. Then place your baby on her stomach (also, make sure you have a towel or sheet below baby -- something to catch your baby's drool) so that she doesn't swallow too much of the solution. If your baby drools purple, you've given her too much. Dip another clean cotton swab into the gentian violet solution and paint your nipples. When you nurse your baby, make sure you have an old burp cloth around to catch any purple drool. Also, wearing nursing pads or cut up square pieces of old t-shirts, etc. inside your bra will help you avoid staining it. Here's a nursing pad I like or if you prefer a disposable nursing pad. Repeat the gentian violet treatment each day for 3 to 4 days.
Also, for some people, gentian violet is very drying and irritates the skin. So if you're one of them and you're going to use this treatment for an extended period of time, you may want to dilute the 1% gentian violet solution in half.
Some say using gentian violet alone is enough to get rid of a breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth. I think there's still some debate on whether this is completely effective alone ... perhaps it is on the milder cases of yeast infection. Another thing is, some babies are more sensitive to gentian violet as it can irritate the oral mucus membranes in their mouths. In these babies, using too much gentian violet can cause sores in their mouths and they may refuse the nipple. If this happens to your baby, be sure to call your doctor and stop using the gentian violet. The sores should clear up in 24 hours. Also, a recent controversy on the use of gentian violet for thrush is regarding its safety as a recent study done in Australia linked its use to mouth cancer. Nonetheless, most doctors around the world still recommend gentian violet as the treatment for thrush. The decision is yours, naturally on whether to use this breast feeding infection yeast treatment on you and your baby. If you do use it, use caution and don't use this treatment for extended periods of time, and no more than 3-4 days at a time.
- Breast/nipple pain too much to bear while waiting for the Nystatin to work? You may want to take 400 - 600 mgs of ibuprofen every six hours to ease the deep breast pain. Do not take more than 1200 mgs in 24 hours.
- Wash your hands frequently -- preferrably NOT with anti-bacterial soap, particularly after nursing. Anti-bacterial soaps kill off the bacteria that helps keep the candida in check. Also to avoid re-infection, be sure to wash and boil the breast pump parts, pacifiers, bottles, and toys in HOT water after each use. If toys can't be boiled, run them through the dishwasher on HOT and if possible, rinse off when done with vinegar. If you also have a vaginal yeast infection, be sure to boil underwear in water for 5 minutes, or iron with a HOT iron to kill the candida organism.
- Wash all clothing that comes in contact with infected skin (nursing bras, underwear, etc.) with a hypoallergenic detergent in HOT water and add a cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse to kill the yeast. The hypoallergenic detergent will hopefully help in the area of no added perfumes that could irritate skin. If you can't add vinegar to your wash, try boiling the items for 5 minutes or ironing the items with a HOT iron for a few minutes. Some recommend microwaving the damp clothing articles for five minutes. I'm a little wary of that as I think the microwaving would probably turn the elastic into a big glob of rubber goo.
- If you have a vaginal yeast infection in addition to your breast feeding infection yeast, try wearing loose, all cotton underwear and nursing bras. I go as far as wearing purely white, all cotton underwear so I don't have to worry about throwing bleach into my wash. Here're some all cotton underwear and nursing bra (comes in white and "gentian-violet-safe" -- i.e. black) that I like that are available in different colors.
- Strengthen your immune system. A strong immune system will help you fight this breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth. Take 2-4 garlic capsules 3 times a day when you're fighting a yeast infection. Garlic is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-viral fighter. I've been doing this the past couple of years and I can't praise the power of garlic enough! I've tried a couple of brands (for oral intake) and have seen great results from this one.
- Apply a vinegar-water solution to your nipples several times a day to help fight the yeast. Vinegar raises the pH on your skin, making the environment inhospitable to the yeast organism. Mix 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar to 1 quart of water. If this solution is not strong enough for you, you can try a 1/2 vinegar 1/2 water solution. If your baby has a diaper rash due to yeast, you can also rinse her bottom with this vinegar-water solution and air dry. You can also use this same solution if you have a vaginal yeast infection.
- Air it -- after breastfeeding and rinsing with the vinegar-water solution, let your nipples aerate. Or you can speed up the process by blow drying with a hair dryer on the cool setting. At night, sleep without a bra on or go braless if at all possible during the day.
Generally, when you are on a breast feeding infection yeast Nystatin treatment, you should see rapid improvement within 24 to 72 hours. The candida organism has gotten more and more resistant to antifungal drugs in the past few years. I personally believe it's due to the general overuse of antibiotics and antifungal drugs. Studies have actually confirmed some of this, especially on drugs such as a clotrimazole and fluconazole (Diflucan). Nystatin seems to fall into this category of drugs that candida is becoming more resistant to because it only has a 46% cure rate on babies with thrush versus 86% cure rate using Diflucan (fluconazole). No wonder then, that more and more doctors are prescribing Diflucan for babies!
So just what am I saying? I'm saying, make sure you treat both you and your baby if either of you have a yeast infection and you're breastfeeding. Yes, make sure you treat your baby even if you don't see those white spots in her mouth that're indicative of thrush. Be sure to see your doctor if you've been on the Nystatin treatment for your breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth now for a few weeks and you're still not rid of your yeast. Maybe it's due time for other alternatives such as Diflucan, etc.
Click here to see more options for treating your breast feeding infection yeast overgrowth.
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