Thrush and Mastitis are two things that, if you are going to get them, it's usually within the first couple of months after giving birth.  I lucked out; I didn't get either.  Until recently.  

I got mastitis when Hudson was eight months old (see prior post - "My Tornado of Pain") and Hudson got thrush when he was eight months old.  Thrush is a yeast infection of the mucous membrane in a baby's mouth.  Yep, it's as bad as it sounds.  Actually, Hudson had a very mild case of thrush so all things considered it wasn't too bad.  Or too gross.  I first noticed it on his lip - I thought it was just gunk from having a dry lip and I tried to wash it off.  It didn't come off, which is one of the most obvious symptoms of thrush.  Then I peeked inside of his mouth (not the easiest thing to do with an infant unless you tip them upside down to get them to giggle) and I saw some white spots on his cheeks and the roof of his mouth.  

Most babies with thrush refuse to eat because thrush can be painful.  I don't know if Hudson's wasn't painful or if he just never refuses to eat - ever. Either way, he didn't have the classic symptoms in terms of crankiness or refusal to eat.  

Thrush is caused by an overgrowth of candida (yeast) in their little bodies.  Hudson previously had a yeast infection in his diaper area (that actually still comes and goes, very difficult to get to go away!) and I suspect that is where it started.  Their little immune systems aren't quite strong enough to fight off the candida and it's fairly common to grow in different areas of their body, including their mouth.  

Candida is usually caused by too much sugar in your diet.  Yes, "your" - breast feeding momma's diet.  Cutting out sugar and taking probiotics (you and baby) will help prevent a yeast infection and it will help eliminate one.  Yeast is a pain in the rear to get rid of.  Literally - it thrives in moist areas, (i.e. baby's diapers area!) so if you use cloth diapers, it's best to boil them for thirty minutes to kill off any thriving yeast.  And boil your pacifiers, bottles, pumping gear, toys that go in the baby's mouth (isn't that everything?!) and make sure you wash your bras and reusable nursing pads in very hot water.  Oh ya, and you have to keep the diaper area dry - no problem, right?!

Thrush will actually go away on its own, but after trying to let it run its course for several days I decided to use the standard treatment of nystatin.  It's a yellow-ish liquid that you have to rub on the inside of their cheeks, gums, and the roof of their mouth.  Again, another really easy task with an infant.  I started out by putting some on a q-tip and swabbing the various areas, but Hudson wasn't digging that too much, so I just put it on my finger.  He actually liked the taste and sometimes cried when I took my finger out of his mouth.  

The really crappy part about thrush for a nursing mom is that it's often passed back-and-forth between the baby's mouth and your nipples when you nurse.  Thankfully I didn't get to experience thrush on my nipples, but I've heard that it feels like sharp razors cutting through your nipples when you nurse.  I love breast feeding, but seriously - nipples and razors, that's just wrong!  

To avoid the razors, a nursing mom who has a baby with thrush should put the nystatin on her nipples to fight off any potential yeast.  



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There's one thing I know for sure.  Nothing.  I know absolutely nothing about my son's sleep pattern.  Is there even a pattern?  I suppose the only "pattern" is that it changes constantly.  

I, like just about every new mom that I've met, puts Hudson to sleep each night by rocking and nursing him.  Sometimes he passes out in my arms and I transfer him to his crib ever-so-carefully, and other times I put him in his crib while he's barely awake. I enjoy rocking and nursing him to sleep, but "everybody" says that I need to train him to sleep on his own.  Byron Katie would ask, "is it true?".  

One thing's for sure - good or bad, don't count on any sleep pattern to last. Sometimes he sleeps 11 hours straight through the night, other times he wakes up once or twice and last night he was up more than he slept.  

I've read just about every sleep book on the market and I've tried several different "sleep training" methods to teach Hudson how to put himself to sleep.  The No Cry Sleep Solution, The Sleep Lady Shuffle, you name it.  

Two nights ago I tried the shuffle, and I let Hudson cry it out for almost 45 minutes.  Granted, he wasn't "ferberized" (left in a dark room by himself); I sat right next to his crib, rubbing his back and whispering "nighty-night" as he wailed.  And wailed.  And wailed some more.  Although, sitting next to his crib didn't make me feel any better.  My entire body was tense and I felt like I was literally going to throw up.  "One more minute", I kept telling myself.  Surely he would tire himself out and fall asleep if I waited just one more minute.  One more minute turned into 10 and 20 and before I knew it, 45 minutes.  I picked him up, and did everything that all of the books say not to do.  I rocked and nursed my baby to sleep.  It was the one thing that felt "right" over the 45 minute period.  


It seems as though the only thing I "trained" Hudson to do is to cry when he goes into his nursery.  Not so successful.  

Everyone has a different opinion on infant sleep and sleep training.  There's no wrong and there's no right way of dealing with it.  It's all about what feels right to you - what is your gut telling you to do.  I stopped listening to my gut two nights ago, which told me "pick the baby up.  pick the baby up." Instead, I listened to my thoughts, which said, "if you pick the baby up, you fail."  My thoughts about picking my baby up were causing me to feel like a failure - picking my baby up is a circumstance and circumstances cannot cause pain, only our thoughts about a circumstance.  

Tonight I chose to rock and nurse Hudson to sleep.  Tomorrow is a new day and I may choose to give the shuffle a try once again.  And I may not.  But, either way, my body will know what to do.     

Infant sleep is such a touchy subject.  It's one that my partner and I disagree about and argue over constantly.  "Mother knows best", I tell him.  After all, mother gets baby to sleep at night.  And mother is okay with rocking and nursing her angel to sleep.  
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