Babies are so sweet and vulnerable - they are truly a parent's greatest joy. At the same time, when your baby has ANY kind of health problem, it can be extremely stressful and draining. Babies' bodies are so sensitive, and as a parent you just want to solve the problem - ASAP! In this article I'm going to share with you what I learned from my own experiences with baby oral thrush.
As you're probably already aware, baby oral thrush can be difficult and frustrating to treat - if you don't have the right approach. When your new baby arrives all you want to do is have time to bond with your little sweetie and recover from the rigors of child birth. Thrush can really make things hard on both mom AND baby.
So, how do you know if your baby has thrush? You can always take him or her to the pediatrician, but some of the most common symptoms include:
*creamy, white patches of yeast overgrowth on the tongue, gums or inside the cheeks
*fussiness/irritability
*loss of appetite
*reluctance to nurse or feed
*baby's mouth seems painful or sore.
Sometimes your baby will have a white film on his or her tongue that may appear to be thrush but is actually just milk residue. Milk residue you can just wipe away - if you try to wipe away baby oral thrush, then usually there will be a little bleeding. If it's thrush, it won't wipe away.
Babies are vulnerable to oral thrush for a few reasons. First their immune systems are still developing, so really they're more vulnerable to ANY kind of opportunistic infection. Also, both breastmilk and formula have sugars in them (lactose in breastmilk), and yeast just love sugar. This is what can make thrush tricky to treat - because you can't stop feeding your baby! So there's sugar present in your baby's mouth.
Yet all babies nurse or feed, yet some get thrush and some don't. Why is that? Well, one of the biggest factors contributing to thrush these days is the extremely common use of antibiotics during childbirth. Between c-sections and the use of antibiotics for strep-B, millions of women and babies receive antibiotics every year.
Antibiotics wipe on your baby's natural yeast defenses, leaving him or her must more vulnerable to baby oral thrush. Other contributing factors are:
*Mom has vaginal yeast and baby is exposed to yeast during delivery
*Prematurity
*Steroids
Personally, I'm not a fan of using prescription anti-fungals for oral baby thrush for a few reasons. The first and most important is that they carry the risk of serious side effects. Second, they do nothing to keep the yeast from growing back. And third, I've found that you can actually get BETTER results with natural treatments that are also completely safe.
However, when you go the natural route for baby oral thrush, it's important to realize you can't just follow whatever you read on the internet. I've seen too many well-meaning but misinformed recommendations for baby oral thrush on the internet.
For example, gentian violet is commonly recommended for baby thrush - but gentian violet is a known carcinogen! The FDA recently blocked China seafood imports because they were contaminated with gentian violet. So you definitely don't want to be putting this stuff in your baby's mouth.
Restoring the natural balance in the body really is essential for your baby's long term health. I've met moms who've followed my recommendations and of course there are those who haven't - and I've seen too many babies who've ended up with chronic ear infections, sinus infections, etc. Really, it all boils down to the same thing - it's crucial to rebuild your child's natural immunity to protect him or her from ALL kinds of infection, including baby oral thrush.
I've also seen other "natural" products recommended for baby oral thrush that I personally would not use on my baby. For example, colloidal silver, tea tree oil and oregano oil - each of these has significant safety concerns - especially for an infant.
Having worked with many moms and babies, I've found the best approach is a 2 step process:
1.) Kill the yeast safely and naturally - WITHOUT dangerous or potentially harmful ingredients of any kind
2.) Restore your baby's natural yeast defenses that will not only protect your child from yeast, but will also help protect your baby from harmful viruses and bacteria as well.
Rebecca Haworth is a professional health writer with more than 15 years of experience in the alternative health industry. Her ebook, The 3-Day Thrush Cure is specifically designed to help breastfeeding mothers and babies suffering from thrush to overcome this problem quickly and naturally. Visit http://www.GetRidofThrush.com for more information.
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