Brynna (This post is taken from my oooooold blog, {JOY}filled Reviews, dated October 10, 2012. While some of the information and my opinions may be outdated- I have left the content in it’s original state- much of the post is still valuable! However, what I didn’t know then and learned after baby #5 is that nursing pads soaked in ozonated water are the BEES KNEES for thrush! Immediately soothing and healing at the same time! I didn’t learn that until after nearly 14 cumulative years of breastfeeding!)
With a lot of hard work (and prayer!), we have managed to make it through many LONG battles with thrush. I deal with chronic systemic candida (one part of this lovely autoimmune disease), so I have to constantly be on my toes. But I have learned quite a bit over the last few years, while tandem and triandem nursing, about treating this nasty fungus (that I didn’t find to be the average “thrush knowledge”…at least not that I discovered)…
- Nystatin and Diflucan are decent options, acquired through prescription. However, anymore many cases of thrush are resistant to Nystatin. And Diflucan carries it’s own risks to the body! I did use them both several times throughout my years of candida battles, and sometimes I think they helped, but overall I believe it was the OTHER changes I made that contributed in the most noticeable ways.
- The “candida” diet is great…in theory. But as a nursing mom (especially of multiple children), it simply did not sustain me. I felt like I was dying of starvation. I did my best to cut out sugars, carbs, and just eat healthier overall, but I tried to balance it with eating what I felt my body needed. And sometimes, I NEEDED me some bread. 😉 (of course, the candida NEEDED some bread, too, but I tried to ignore their calling and go by my own instead)
- Not all probiotics are created the same! We have always been very diligent about probiotics in our home. They really are so important to gut health, ESPECIALLY for anyone who has ever (EVER) been on antibiotics or had a poor diet (who can raise their hand to not qualifying for either of those?). However, my “Multidophilus” wasn’t making the cut during my issues. After my son was born, I finally stumbled on to the recommendation for Threelac, and I am SO glad I did. I truly believe it made a HUGE difference for me. I also made a specific effort to get plenty of L. Reuteri, as it quite literally “rebuilds” the gut, which I needed at this point. And I took Saccharomyces Boulardii as well.
- Candidase is a powerful ally. It was SO important for me to find something enzymatic to actually BREAK DOWN the substances that were causing me so much trouble (especially since biofilms are such a stubborn roadblock). I had to literally plan around taking them, since they require no food for 2 hours before bedtime and upon waking (a nursing- and especially a nursing while pregnant- mom is generally, er….HUNGRY!). But along with the ThreeLac, I believe these made one of the biggest differences for me. (*I have since found that alternating these with Garden of Life’s Fungal Defense is quite effective)
- Supplements can be your best friend. Diet changes alone were not enough for me. I had to add a LOT of supplements into my daily routine. A LOT. I was taking Grapefruit Seed Extract, Olive Leaf, garlic (although I eventually switched to fresh, raw garlic…chopped in to quarters so I could easily swallow them without having to taste it, AND it helped SO much more!!), a B-complex vitamin, modified citrus pectin, coconut oil (and/or Lauricidin), dandelion root, pH Basic, Takuna, and I know there are more….but that’s all I can remember right now. And I really did need to take ALL of them. They all worked either together or on their own in a much needed way. I still take many of them as soon as I start feeling a little “off base,” and I know they help.
- You MUST be diligent with topical treatments. We tried a lot of different things here, too. Gentian violet worked a couple of times, but that stuff is SO messy, and carries potential risks with prolonged and/or repeated use. So I tried to keep it at a minimum. What we were able to do regularly were vinegar rinses after every feeding (ACV works better than white vinegar…and warning, if you have thrush pretty badly, it will STING and BURN like crazy the first few times…but I always took that as a good sign, and imagined it killing those little yeasties on the spot!), Grapefruit Seed Extract rinses to alternate with the vinegar, coconut oil to moisturize (because as thrush dies off, it can dry your nipples and cause cracking and eventually bleeding…which is excruciating! And coconut oil is antifungal. Do NOT use something like Lanolin, it can contribute to the problem rather than help it.) I would also put on a mix of something like generic Lotrimin and Monistat cream on at night (if there was to be no night nursing, that way I didn’t have to wipe it off), or if I got really itchy. But topical treatment really is half the battle while nursing, and diligence is a must. If you aren’t positive whether babe is dealing with it orally or not, treat them too, because otherwise you aren’t likely to rid yourself of it.
Yes, that’s a lot to deal with and a lot to remember. But it’s worth it to get on top of candida IMMEDIATELY. I still struggle with the icky stuff resurfacing now and then. Sometimes it seems cyclical, other times it just shows up out of no where. But now I know how important it is to look at it as systemic instead of just topical. Candida is a real health issue, not just something that happens while nursing, and it’s important to deal with it as a whole, not just treat the symptoms. A breastfeeding relationship can depend on a thorough, successful treatment!
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