My experience (both personal, and as a breastfeeding counsellor) is that what I see as the distinctive pain of thrush is often present before anything is obvious in the baby's mouth. By which I mean the tingly, stingy pain that doesn't go away between feeds, where even the thought of a t-shirt touching your nipples makes you cringe... Here 'Daktarin' is supposed to be best. As a self-help measure, I would suggest 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a pint of water (please note - all measurements are imperial) used to swab down the painful area. The relief has to be experienced.... I have also heard of vinegar used in the same proportions. I once had a woman call me simply for this remedy...she said that she had cured a previous bout with this alone, and wanted to check the quantities. I wonder if the pain women experience is like an early warning system? I believe it is unusual to see breastfed babies mouths in the state that bottle feeders can get into. Also the plaques if present tend to be in a different position - further back in a breastfed babies mouth. I find it useful to warn mothers that their health professional may not find evidence in the baby. Mary Broadfoot