Thrush!

[SeekerMage]

Well I dont know whether or not to be mad with my Pediatrician or not. We went to the LC yesterday and I finally asked her about whether or not the babys tongue should be white....forgot to ask the ped and since she looked in Lil'bits mouth and didnt say anything I thought it was normal! Well it turns out that she has thrush according to the LC...and this explains a good deal about why she isnt nursing, and why she occasionally has screaming fits when eating. She has nearly always had this....almost since birth and none of the docs noticed! Sooo she has had this all along and has had problems nursing all along...grrrr! Soo Im kinda upset because maybe we wouldnt be facing such a problem if someone noticed....bad me for not asking, but you think the doc would see!

She did say that a lot of dr's dont spot it because they are looking for it on the sides of the mouth but that the breast milk usually washes that way with the good bacteria. So Im not too upset but still upset enough. Now I feel really bad and am hoping it will go away soon and our problems will get better. One can hope atleast.

[starrynight]

Urgh how frustrating!! I'm glad you know what it is now and can get it cleared up but still.

No offense to any of the docs that post here but some doctors are totally blind! Daria has had eczema since she was about a month old or so. I pointed it out repeatedly and mentioned to the docs I thought she had it. No I was told, got a 3rd opinion and finally at 13 months they said "yup she has it" DUH!

[mik8]

I can't believe your ped. missed that! Anyways, I hope your baby's thrush will clear up soon.

[houseof3boys]

Same thing happened to us. For 8 weeks I was in excrutiating pain and my ob/gyn and Ryan's ped said that it wasn't thrush. I would cry everytime he nursed because I was in so much pain and he almost went to PT because he had such a poor suck (all due to the thrush). He had a bright white tongue but no other visible symptoms and I had no visible symptoms except slightly red nipples and areola.

The LC's are so much more knowledgeable and keep up with the current protocols versus the majority of peds.

I hope that you both get treated soon. There are tons of threads on thrush if you need to review anything here on the boards.

[deborah_r]

Kathryn,

That's terrible! Well, at least it's a little comforting to know what the problem is. Have you posted in the Feeding forum? Someone might have some good advice to help you get Lil'bit back on track. I hope it gets better soon!!!

[Melanie]

Poor little thing. Since you're BFing her, you might want to do a vinegar rinse of your breast after each feeding to keep from getting it. It feels like broken glass on your nipples when you get it. Excruciating is an understatement.

Also, if you don't use breastpads, you might want to (or a piece of cloth) so you can change them several times a day to keep the yeast from getting on your bra and transferring back to you again.

According to www.askdrsears.com the vinegar solution:
White vinegar – mix a solution of one tablespoon white vinegar in one cup of water. Keep the bottle next to your nursing chair. Dab a bit onto each nipple and let air dry after each nursing.

Good Luck Kathryn...I know it's hard, but it's worth it.