You’ve celebrated the miraculous arrival of your little one, finally sorted out the latching and let down of breastfeeding when the burning and deep shooting breast pain of a thrush infection settles in threatening to derail your efforts.
A thrush infection while breastfeeding is a complex matter and many mothers report this as their main reason for discontinuing breastfeeding. However, an aggressive holistic approach to the causes and symptoms can root out this nasty infection leaving you free to nourish your baby as nature intended.
What is Thrush?
Thrush is an infection caused by the fungus, Candida Albicans, which normally dwells in small amounts in the mouth, digestive tract and vagina.
It is usually kept in balance by the body’s good bacteria, but when antibiotics or hormone changes interfere with the good bacteria it can trigger an overgrowth of Candida and any area of the body that is warm and moist is likely to experience the painful, burning and itching that is thrush.
You can read more about the condition on WebMD or on Health24.
Colloidal Silver for Thrush
Successful thrush treatment in mom and baby while breastfeeding, you need to ensure that you are targeting all areas of overgrowth and put measures in place to prevent re-infection.
It is also important to treat mom and baby at the same time or the infection will simply be passed from one to the other.
Colloidal Silver is a potent antifungal [1] as thrush treatment and Silverlab has a number of formulations that can be used independently or together to assist you in eliminating thrush.
Symptoms in Baby
- White patches in the mouth that resemble cottage cheese, these may bleed if wiped with a soft cloth
- Bloating and passing winds
- A bum rash that takes on a symmetrical, butterfly pattern
Suggested Treatment for Baby
- After every feed rinse baby’s mouth with water to ensure there is no milk residue remaining then apply Silverlab Liqui-Gel to any visible patches of thrush in babies mouth.
- Treat the nappy rash by changing baby’s nappy frequently and leaving the nappy off as much as possible.
- At each nappy change ensure that all faecal residues are completely removed and use a hair dryer on a cool setting to gently dry the area completely (note only use the hairdryer on the outer folds of female babies as forcing air into their vaginas is extremely dangerous). Then apply a thick layer of Silverlab Healing Cream, this will serve to treat the fungal infection, moisturise the sensitive skin and act as a barrier to wetness.
Symptoms in Mom
- Bright red/itchy, painful nipples
- Shooting pains deep in the breasts
- Vaginal itching/burning
Suggested Treatment for Mom
- Take 100ml of Silverlab Liquid on an empty stomach and don’t eat or drink for 20 minutes, thereafter take 50ml-100ml 3 times a day until the thrush symptoms clear.
- Rinse nipples after every feed to remove all milk residue and apply Silverlab Liqui-Gel to nipples and aureola.
- Expose nipples to sunlight for 10 minutes a day and leave uncovered as much as possible.
- Use disposable breast pads and change them often, these can be treated with a thin layer of Silverlab Healing Gel to inhibit fungal growth while wearing.
- Insert 5mls of Silverlab Ionic Colloidal Silver Gel into the vaginal vault using a clean syringe, just before retiring for the night
- Ensure good vaginal hygiene is maintained and keep the area as dry as possible; a layer of Silverlab Healing Cream can be used to treat discomfort of the labia.
Additional Suggestions
- Take Caprilic Acid (Sodium Caprilate) capsules, 350 to 400 mg twice per day.
- Mom and baby need to take a good probiotic supplement to re-establish healthy gut bacteria during the course of treatment and for at least a week after symptoms clear.
- Mom should follow a low sugar, low carbohydrate diet while eliminating the infection, as Candida thrives on simple sugars.
- Add a tablespoon of salt and 1 drop of tea tree oil to baby’s bath water, this can be increased to a quarter cup of salt and 10 drops of tea tree oil for Mom’s bath.
- Any milk expressed during an active thrush infection should be discarded as it will contain fungal spores.
References
- [1] Panacek A, Kolar M, Vecerova R, et al. Antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles against Candida spp. Biomaterials. 2009;30(31):6333–6340
