Breastfeeding Thrush

Content:

Thrush is common in pregnancy. This has its own reasons, consisting in the fall of the immune status of women in this period. It often happens that a pregnant woman does not have time to completely get rid of her before childbirth and the struggle with this problem has to continue, already engaged in feeding the newborn baby.

Features of thrush during lactation

Thrush is one of the most serious complications of the postpartum period.

During breastfeeding candidiasis gives the woman an even greater number of unpleasant sensations. In addition to the traditional symptoms of vulvovaginitis in the form of itching and burning of the external genital organs, their swelling, redness, and characteristic abundant cheesy vaginal discharge, the patient also suffers from a severe burning pain in the mammary glands and on the nipple surface. These symptoms are often attributed to stagnant milk and try to “crush” the nursing mother, which causes her even greater suffering. After the end of breastfeeding, the pain from the nipple to the inside of the breast intensifies, which in some cases even makes women refuse breastfeeding.

Nipples in thrush become shiny, bright pink in color, sometimes with a white patina or rash. There is a burning sensation in them and pain arises due to contact with clothing. They often have cracks, which, even with the correct capture of the breast by the child, do not heal. In some cases, there is a decrease in the amount of breast milk.

Such a high sensitivity of the nipples can be observed due to other reasons. These include herpes, eczema and simply improper attachment to the chest. If these factors are excluded, then it seems that the patient has thrush.

Quite often, the disease affects the baby. It manifests itself white on the tongue, gums or inner surfaces of the cheeks. The bloom has the form of spots with a reddish rim. When feeding, the baby experiences pain, anxiety, releases the nipple and cries. Therefore, the disease must be treated in both mother and child.

In addition, children may experience skin manifestations in the inguinal areas. Usually it is bright pink or red in the form of small pimples rash. Typically, care products for young children, created on the basis of various oils or starch, only aggravate these phenomena, since they serve as a most favorable medium for fungus.

The reasons

Not only incomplete cure candidiasis before birth is the cause of its presence in the postpartum period. At this time there are many chances to get sick again. The reasons for this are:

early resumption of sexual activity;
severe stress from childbirth;
sharp hormonal changes in the body;
use of overly aggressive intimate hygiene products;
taking antibiotics;
sedentary lifestyle, causing stagnation of blood in the pelvis;
chronic diseases of the intestines and genitals.

The body's defenses as a result of the stress that the body undergoes during childbirth are significantly weakened. Immunity is fully restored a little later, when the amount of milk decreases and the child begins to receive complementary foods. In addition, hormones change dramatically after birth. As a result, pathogenic microflora, which previously did not show its presence, begins to flourish, causing disease.

Candidiasis, as such, may occur during childbirth. This is facilitated by various kinds of surgical interventions, as well as bleeding, taking place against the background of low immune status.

Breastfeeding Thrush Treatment

Treatment of thrush during lactation is performed in two directions:

the appointment of funds that destroy the fungus;
creating an alkaline environment in order to suppress the subsequent development of the fungus.

Features of treatment of thrush during lactation is a limited choice of drugs, which is associated with the toxic effects of antifungal drugs on the body of the newborn. After all, the active ingredients of medicines have the ability to penetrate into the milk. Therefore, in the period of lactation, the intake of drugs inside, as a rule, is appointed only in the most severe cases.

But even with topical administration, some antifungal drugs can harm a baby. Therefore, it is allowed to use only certain types of them.

Nursing mothers are at risk and according to the destination of local funds containing antibiotics. This is explained by the fact that suppositories and vaginal tablets with medicinal substances of this group significantly reduce the required level of lactic acid bacteria.

When treating thrush in nursing mothers, local administration of antifungal agents is necessary to destroy the fungus that parasitizes the vaginal walls. Usually, Pimafucin is prescribed for this group of patients according to the general scheme. It is the least toxic and effectively destroys Candida fungi, is available in the form of tablets and ointments. During lactation, it is better to use ointment.

Another drug that is allowed to use during breastfeeding is Terzhinan. It has antibacterial and antifungal effects and is prescribed, as a rule, at bedtime. At the same time, a tablet slightly moistened with water is placed in the vagina until completely dissolved.

Despite the fact that the symptoms of the disease disappear in the first days after the start of treatment, the process of completely getting rid of it is quite long. In order for the disease not to return, a full course of treatment is required, which lasts from 10 to 15 days.

To ensure its effectiveness, it is necessary to perform an analysis of vaginal smears two weeks after its completion and, if necessary, repeat the course of therapy after 20-30 days.

Treatment of thrush folk remedies

Since the choice of drugs that nursing mothers can use for candidiasis is limited, they can come to the aid of folk remedies. You can use them only after consulting a doctor. In the first place among them is baking soda. At 1 \ 2 liter of warm boiled water put 2 teaspoons of soda. This solution is rinsed the affected places several times a day. It reduces itching, relieves redness and inflammation. It is also possible to carry out douching with this solution, which helps to create an alkaline environment inside the vagina and suppress the development of a fungal infection.

Similarly, you can apply the infusion of camomile flowers. For 1 \ 2 liter of boiling water take 2 teaspoons of dried flowers, insist at least half an hour, then filter. Infusion is used in the form of heat several times a day to rinse the affected areas of the genitals, douches, lotions or baths.

In addition to local lactating agents, tea tree oil can also be used. 1-2 drops added to the water bath help to relieve the symptoms of raging thrush. Some women have an increased sensitivity to it, so such sessile baths should be carried out carefully, and the amount of oil should not exceed 1-2 drops.

During the treatment period, it is recommended to drink plenty of green tea, which helps rid the body of excess yeast.

Treatment for thrush on the nipples

To get rid of the manifestations of thrush on the nipples, you should take a number of additional measures. To do this, it is enough to follow the following simple rules:

Before each feeding should be replaced disposable pads for the chest.
Before feeding, painful nipples should preferably be cooled with lotions.
After each feeding do air nipple baths for 10-15 minutes.
Wash nipples affected by thrush with a soda solution prepared at the rate of 1 teaspoon of soda per cup of boiled water, then the nipples are air-dried and smeared with nourishing cream.
In addition to the soda solution for washing the nipples, you can use the Hexoral solution for gargling for children, it is recommended to repeat such procedures every 2 hours, after which the nipples should be smeared with Rescue or Purelan creams. You can also wipe the baby’s mouth with a gauze cloth moistened with Hexoral solution.
With a strong inflammation of the nipples, you can apply synthomycin emulsion or Clotrimazole or Nizoral antifungal creams 2-3 times a day, thoroughly washing them out before feeding.

If breastfeeding causes severe discomfort, you can reduce their duration, but increase the frequency.

With unbearable pains delivered by feeding, you can treat the nipples with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, decant the milk into a sterile bottle, from which you can feed the baby. This should be done before the full recovery of the mother. Treatment of thrush during lactation does not tolerate delay and delay, since blockage of milk ducts can cause mastitis.

But the treatment of manifestations on the nipples of a nursing woman will not be effective if in parallel the treatment of the child is not carried out. To this end, it is necessary to turn to a pediatrician. In addition, all the means that the nursing mother herself applies should also be coordinated with the pediatrician, because in the treatment of thrush localized on the nipples it is important not to harm the baby by using too active substances.

Prevention

Of course, it is not always possible to avoid the disease, but it is necessary to strive for this. Sometimes it is easier to take preventive measures than to treat a recurrent thrush. These measures include:

wearing linen from natural fabrics;
the use of special means for intimate hygiene;
rejection of the use of ordinary soap for external washing;
rejection of bathing in reservoirs of questionable purity;
restriction of the use of sweets;
more frequent change of pads in the period of postpartum discharge and menstruation;
avoiding the use of deodorized tampons, pads and scented toilet paper.

The probability of getting thrush is increased in people with diabetes and anemia, as well as in women who have to take antibiotics, corticosteroids, and hormonal contraceptives for a long time.

It is characteristic that the growth of fungal flora can be facilitated not only by insufficiently frequent washing of the genital organs, but also by excessively frequent washing. The elution of beneficial bacteria, which occurs as a result of this, disrupts the vaginal microflora and alters the imbalance in favor of fungi. Frequent use of foam for the bathroom, flavored soaps, spermicides acts in the same way.

The strong development of the fungus contributes to the intake of dietary supplements.

Prevention of thrush in a child

With the development of painful phenomena in a child, a pediatrician observing him will prescribe treatment for him. Usually those ointments that a woman uses for the treatment of nipples are suitable for treating the affected inguinal areas in a child. If the mother already has thrush, and the child does not have any signs of it yet, in order to save it in the future, it is necessary to observe preventive measures very carefully. They consist in enhanced compliance with the rules of hygiene:

remove milk residues from the baby’s mouth after feeding;
boil all items that can get in the mouth to the baby;
abandon the use of baby wipes.

To remove milk residues from the baby’s mouth, you should wrap a gauze cloth moistened with soda or nystatin drops on your finger. This should be done until the mother recovers. The same procedure is usually prescribed for the treatment of a child. It takes about 10 days.

Boil things that can get into the child's mouth should be at least 20 minutes daily. Baby wipes, which are often used by some mothers, can contribute to the development of fungus, because after their use moisture remains on the skin.

| 7 January 2015 | | 9 523 | Diseases in women