Jan asks about evidence that the baby will be reinfected later by using
milk that was pumped during a episode of thrush.

It is only anecdotal, but I worked with a Mom with a very persistant
thrush problem.  She called me for the first time when the baby was six
weeks old.  She had always had sore nipples, and described classic
thrush pain in herself, as well as white patches in the baby's mouth.

Treatment with Diflucan made breastfeeding comfortable after 3-4 days.
She continued treatment for 2 weeks (as suggested by Hale), but found
the pain symptoms reappeared in her breast and nipples again within days
of finishing the Diflucan course.

During the second 2-week course of Diflucan, she included other control
measures very carefully (boiling, then disposing of nipples and
pacifiers; boiling bras in vinegar and water solution; using paper
towels for hands and faces; excellent hand washing; boiling pump parts;
limiting sweets, etc. in her diet; etc.  I suggested she consider
disposing of her supply of frozen breast milk.  She was a working mom,
and did not have a large stash, so I left the decision to her.

When she had another flare-up of thrush right after stopping the 2nd
course of Diflucan, she was very discouraged.  We went over everything
again.  I reassured her that, according to Hale, it can sometimes take
28 days of treatment to resolve the thrush.

As we reviewed the household things to do, she relayed that she was
using milk that had been pumped during the thrush infection.  She dumped
the milk, started a 3rd course of Diflucan, and finally got rid of it!


Maybe coincidence...maybe reinfected from the milk.

Barb Berges BS, RN, IBCLC
Rochester, New York