Hi All,
  I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing, so I hope that all of
this typing is not in vain!  I think Kathleen forwarded my
message to all of you a couple of days ago--the message
about the mom who thought her baby had tonic bite.  Well, I
saw her today and wanted some input.  Here's the scoop...
  Baby is now 3 weeks old.  Mom says nipples feel much
better now than a week ago, and there are obvious signs of
healing scabs on the nipples.  Baby is usually latching-on
well, but does take a couple of tries, since he is still
closing his mouth quickly.  When I helped her to get the
baby latched-on properly she said that it was still not
comfortable, but did not hurt as bad as usual.  She had a
c-section with prophylactic antibiotics afterwards.  She
also was on antibiotics for 6 weeks due to an ear infection.
Baby and mom do not have overt signs of thrush, but her
description of nipple soreness does sound a bit like thrush,
so I suggested that she contact her doc about meds for
thrush.
  The other interesting thing is this...when we got the baby
latched-on properly, the nipple looked perfectly fine after
he came off the breast, but within a few minutes, she said
that the nipple was burning, and when we looked, it had
turned white.  Does this sound like vasospasm?  To confirm
this hunch, I had her pump.  During pumping, her nipple felt
fine, but a few minutes after she was done pumping, the
nipple turned white, and she was again complaining of a
burning sensation.
  She reported that usually her nipple is creased and white
after a nursing.  I suspect that this is because he was only
latched-on to the tip.  While I was at her house, the nipple
would be fine when it came out of his mouth (no crease, not
blanched), but then it would turn white within a few
minutes.
  Baby was not gaining weight until mom started
supplementing with pumped breast milk.  Then he gained 10
ounces in 5 days.  Baby has no physical anomolies which
would make nursing difficult, is not hypertonic.  In fact,
he is quite patient and mellow, what I would call an easy
baby.
  Mom is still taking prenatal vitamins and drinks one can
of Tab (diet soda) every day.  For the last 4 days she has
been drinking a beer every day, because a husband's friend
recommended it.
   Did I also mention that mom had gestational diabetes and
was on insulin during pregnancy?  The diabetes was another
thing that made me think of the thrush possibility...also
diabetics have trouble with circulation...hence, vasospasm?
   Well, I am looking forward to hearing from some of you
who might have suggestions for this mom.  She is currently
putting a heating pad on her breasts while the blood gets
back into them.  I suggested the possibility of calcium &
magnesium supplements for the vasospasm.  Any other ideas?
   Please write soon!          Debby in frozen Illinois