Well, I have to disagree.  Thrush does not *seem* to bother the baby
in many cases.  Indeed, there are bunches of babies around that seem
perfectly content and have thrush, full of it, all over their mouths.
And (old pediatric saying: babies are not small adults), just because
we are bothered by yeast infections, it does not follow that babies
are.

Mothers are also not always bothered by the fact that the baby has
thrush.

I did not suggest waiting to treat if the mother has painful nipples
or deep breast pain.  But if the baby is fine, and the mother is fine,
why treat it?  I, unlike Jay, have seen it go away on it's own.  But
just to prevent any problems, I will try one go with gentian violet,
which usually takes it away.  But if it does not work or comes back
and the mother and baby are still both asymptomatic, why treat?

I get calls from women who are now on their 3rd, 6th, 12th and more
weeks of nystatin for the baby and clotrimazole for the nipples.  I
ask, "What symptoms besides a white mouth does the baby have?  Are
your nipples or breasts sore?"  The answers are often none to the
first and no to the second.  In the meantime, they have spent hundreds
of dollars, for what?

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC