I wrote yesterday that I’m suspicious my daughter might have thrush. Experienced family members and her pediatrician all think it probably isn’t thrush, but I’m taking some precautions, just to be safe.
I emailed a midwife I greatly trust (she delivered both of my older sisters in home births 25+ years ago and is still delivering babies), and got some great advice. She suggested buying a probiotic in capsule form, breaking open the capsule, and dipping my daughter’s binky into the powder. She said that allowing her to suck on the powder would help restore the natural balance of fungi and bacteria in her mouth.
I tried this, and while it’s too early to see any results, my baby had no problem having the powder in her mouth.
Because I have no nipple pain, I’m pretty sure the thrush (if it’s even there at all) has not spread to me. I’d like to keep it that way, thankyouverymuch. After reading various articles online, I decided to give my nipples a vinegar bath several times a day. This involves mixing 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water, applying it to each nipple with a cotton ball, and letting it air dry. While vinegar doesn’t kill yeast, it creates an environment that yeast doesn’t like, thus inhibiting growth. Simple enough, and again, no negative side effects (unless you count the strange looks my husband has been giving me a negative effect).
One of the best ways to avoid contracting thrush in the breasts is to expose them to sunlight. That would be great if we lived in a house with a large, sunny, private, fenced-in yard. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment, and, as far as I know, there are no topless beaches anywhere near the city we live in. Some articles suggested lying underneath a window and exposing “the ladies” to sunlight that way. This worked quite well for me.
In addition to these somewhat unusual precautions, I’m doing something quite normal: eating a small bowl of plain, unsweetened yogurt at least once a day.
I might be exerting effort for no reason, but I’m fine with that. If my baby has thrush and my natural remedies cure it, I’ll count myself lucky not to have needed to give her medicine. If my daughter, indeed, does not have thrush, my preventative measures may help ensure that she never gets it.