Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Thrush update

Thrush update: I saw the Physician's Assistant at my OB yesterday and she prescribed fluco.nazole. So I'm cleansing my breasts after (almost) every nursing with diluted vinegar (1 tbs / cup water) and use lanolin cream after nursing. After 2 weeks of suffering with painful breasts/nipples, the relief was almost instantaneous, or at least over night. After 1 day on the drug I'm not 100% better,  but 80%. So much easier (and more pleasurable) to actually breastfeed now that my nipples and areolae aren't bright red, chapped and painful.

Essential purchase recommendation: One thing they don't tell you is that you have to write down the time and length of every feeding (which side did I nurse on first?), wet and/or dirty diaper. I have been using printouts from the internet up until now, which worked great since I was home. The pages lived in a three-ring binder, in blue, which we affectionately called "The Blue Book" and then "The Blue Book." 

Now that we are going out on the town, I need something more portable. I recently found this wonderful book that allows you to mark down all those details, plus sleeping patterns, and other notes. My friend uses it and I just ordered one for myself. Cute and useful.

Okay, baby is sleeping, so I better do the same.

~Jem

7 comments:

N said...

I am not sure how long you have been prescribed the flu.conazole but make sure you are symptom free for a few days. My experience was that it came back worse when I did not get it under control and pain free for at least a week. Also you can google him and find his candida protocol. Good luck. I feel your pain.

Poppet said...

Bet you $50 there is an app for that...

Glad you are feeling better. xo

Allison said...

So glad you're doing better and that you're loving motherhood!! :)

I went through lanolin like water. Before and after each feed, after showering, and just cuz if I felt raw.

I tried writing down feeds and diaper changes, but only lasted a day or so. Oops. Kudos to you for sticking with it!

Take care, Jem - I hope you get that other 20% back asap!

La Generalissimo said...

If you have an iPhone the Total Baby app is wonderful. Tracked feedings, sleep, diapers. As little or as much as I wanted.

It had a timer so when I'd start a feed i'd press a button to indicate which side then press start. Once done, press end and it adds it to the info. You can chart the info, chart growth against CDC and WHO growth charts.

Jessica White said...

Glad you're doing well!

Another thing, which we used, was Gentian Violet. The babies still get thrush on occasion and 1 or 2 days of that and it's gone.

Sooz said...

I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better. I was just wondering...you had mentioned that there were no visible symptoms on baby, but you had pain. I'm sort of having the same thing. Very intermittat stabbing pains in the breasts and nipples. It doesn't hurt when I nurse and Jason doesn't have any physical symptoms so I'm wondering if I have thrush. Was it very painful? Intermittant or constant? Sorry for so many Qs!

WannabeMommy said...

I have a question ((hand up, waving in the air)). How does one know when one needs to do this vinegar cleanse? I get pain in my breasts from time to time, but no noticeable thrush in babies mouth. Wondering if I should do this? What kind of vinegar do you use? Oh, and BTW... a million congratulations to you! :-)