Treating Thrush In Infants and Nursing Moms
Thrush (Candida Albicans) is a condition that often affects infants and nursing mothers caused by an overgrowth of yeast in the baby’s mouth resulting in the tell-tale white patches on the inside of the mouth, on the tongue and lips. Baby may also have a persistent diaper rash. Thrush is most common in infants who are less than 6 months old and can be passed back and forth between nursing mom and baby. Moms with thrush usually have sore, inflamed nipples that may be puffy, dry, and flaky.
Thrush may look unpleasant but the good news is that it isn’t dangerous and can be cleared up naturally.
From the Outside
- Sterilize all pacifiers and nipples by boiling them in hot water.
- Destroy yeast by swabbing the inside of the baby’s mouth with grapefruit seed extract, raw apple cider vinegar, gentian violet, or a borax solution. The same can be used on mom’s irritated nipples.
- Lansinoh Cream can soothe sore nipples. Be sure to choose a natural brand and apply between feeding.
From the Inside
- Probiotics - Give your child high quality probiotics specific to infants such as Jarro-BabyDophilus. Add to baby’s bottle or sprinkle on your nipple before a feeding. Mom should also take probiotics internally to insure the proper balance of disestive flora.
- Diet - While all babies are born with under-developed digestive systems, thrush may indicate a weakness of mom’s digestive system too, so be sure to address mom’s diet to get to the root of the issue. For babies eating solid food, these same recommendations apply.
- Cut out sugar. Yeast infections thrive on sugars and refined flour Artificial sweeteners and fruit juices should be avoided as well.
- Avoid dairy products. It’s best to resume eating these products two weeks after all the thrush symptoms have completely cleared up.
- Drink plenty of water and herbal teas to keep the body hydrated and speed recovery.
- Eat your veggies to insure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs to be healthy.