Thrush - It Ain't Just a Songbird

It's one of those fun things that no one mentions when they talk about the importance of breastfeeding: THRUSH. Sore, bleeding, cracked nipples? Sure, they mention that. Milk leaking through your clothes? Check. Supply issues? The football hold? You know all about that! But does anyone ever mention the possibility of a yeast infection on your boobs? Or in your baby's mouth???

A friend from university, and a fellow mom-blogger, Jenn, tweeted today about her youngest developing thrush, and it brought it ALL back for me.

I was desperately trying to breastfeed my second daughter, despite my breast reduction surgery. We had finally gotten a rhythm of some nursing, some bottle-feeding when she suddenly stopped wanting to nurse altogether. I was certain that she had just develped a preference for the bottle, and I was sunk, and I was absolutely inconsolable over it. It was only when I took her to the walk-in clinic for something else that the doctor saw the tell-tale white mouth.

Because I was breastfeeding AND bottle feeding it was much more complicated. When there are bottles and/or pacifiers involved you have to boil them after every use until the thrush treatment is over, and then THROW OUT every single one, because if the yeast gets back into the baby's mouth, the thrush comes back. At the time we had Avent bottles, and a set of two nipples was nearly ten dollars, so to replace ten of them was just... horrific.

But there's more! The treatment is for baby AND mom, so anything that touches mom's nipples, clothing-wise, has to be washed in hot water and bleach. So much for the new mom "it's sort of clean" idea. Every time you wear something, it has to go through the laundry. Just what you need when the house looks like a cyclone hit it.

So what does thrush look like? Have you ever seen those white spots of mold on cheese? Yeah, like that, in your baby's mouth. At first it's very hard to tell the difference between thrush and milk residue on the inside of the mouth, but as it gets worse, it's pretty gross. Plus, milk residue will scrape off, thrush won't. In terms of what you might see on your nipples, well, I've never been all that sure, but apparently doctors can tell. All I know is that they ITCHED!

There are generally two treatments for thrush: one involves yeast-fighting ointments for you, and yeast-fighting drops for baby. You have to put the ointment on your nipples a few times a day, and be careful to wash it off before you feed the baby again. The baby gets these icky yellow drops that they will invariably spit out all over everywhere, and they stain, just so you know. The medication is called "Nystatin", although personally I'd suggest that you also ask for an oral medication for yourself called "Diflucan".

The other treatment possibility is called "Gentian Violet." It was the most commonly used treatment until recent years. It's a purple liquid that you dab on your nipples and inside baby's mouth (although Dr. Newman says that you can just put it on your nipples, then let the baby feed and it will transfer to baby's mouth that way). The great thing about this treatment is that it only takes about 3-4 days to work, and in my experience, it actually worked better. I've heard people say that it stains clothing, but in my case it washed out fairly easily, much more easily than the spit-out Nystatin drops.

The only problem is that these days it is NOT easy to find. I ended up having to find a pharmacy that did compounding, since apparently it's used for compounding certain medications. So you can try pharmacies in or near medical centres. I suggested to Jenn that she contact her midwives, and they could tell her where to get it, and apparently that worked. I'm not sure that conventional doctors would know, to be honest, although I'm sure that some would.

Thrush isn't fun, but it doesn't have to spell the end of your breastfeeding relationship AT ALL, so don't let anyone tell you that! In fact, it's probably easier to deal with if you are exclusively breastfeeding, since you don't have the bottle nipple/pacifier issues to contend with. KellyMom has lots of information about thrush here.

Guest Blog: A Parent's Worst Nightmare

Reality teaches us that illness knows no age, and the recent 2010 Annual Report of the Heart and Stroke Foundation – “A Perfect Storm” – highlights how this statement is becoming more and more accurate as each year passes. All parents, myself included, would rather believe that our own children are immune, and that there is no way that one day they could be stricken by a severe illness or condition.

But what if, God forbid, it did happen? Would you have the resources to remain at bedside with him or her during a long period of convalescence? We’ve all seen the posted notices or heard the radio ads for the neighbourhood barbeque or yard sale being put together by loved ones for a family trying to come up with the means to see their little one through the unfair and unforgiving plight of some significant disease or accident.

One ray of hope for parents in Canada today is that, although we cannot eliminate the incidence of these various conditions, there may be a means for your family to eliminate, or at least plan for, the immense financial considerations that accompany such a situation – RISK FREE. A suitable critical illness insurance policy could provide a family with a diagnosed child a tax-free lump sum benefit that could be used to:

• Give you the financial means to temporarily leave your job and devote yourself to your child’s recovery

• Defray the costs of drugs or treatments not covered by the government, or in a private clinic

• Cover expenses from care in a specialized hospital far from home

• Hire a temporary helper for children at home or to pay additional childcare fees

• Eliminate financial worries often linked to illness and convalescence

• And most importantly, allow you to focus your energies on your child, because the presence of a parent at the bedside of a sick child can have a large influence on his recovery

The risk of paying ‘unnecessary insurance premiums’ can be offset with a Return of Premium rider. In the event that your child grows up healthy without claim, up to 100% of your premium dollars may be returned to you, pending the details of the policy you put in place. The cost of coverage for a child is typically quite affordable, as well; one company will provide a $50,000 benefit for a newborn at less than $40 per month.

As can be expected, the illnesses and conditions covered, the premiums payable, and any additional benefits (such as the Return of Premium) will vary greatly from company to company, so BE SURE that you completely understand what your options are. Rest assured, however, that there are some fabulous children’s critical illness policies available at a reasonable cost – many of which will also include additional support such as free access to Best Doctors services.

The tragedy associated with this ‘ray of sunshine’, unfortunately, continues to be the clouds of ignorance that surround it. Far too many Canadian families do not even realize that this type of solution even exists. Far too few advisors are taking the time to introduce and properly explain it to their clients. And far too many parents are shouldering these immense risks on their own, when they could be transferring them to large insurance companies that can afford to take them.

After successfully launching his career as a Financial Advisor with Sun Life Financial, Will is extremely pleased to now be positioned to serve his clients as part of the Marlin Financial team. Will is an active member, patron, and sponsor of the arts community - having served in the past on the Board of Directors of Theatre Kingston, Domino Theatre and the Kingston Arts Council. Will can be reached via email at will@marlinfinancial.ca or by phone at (613) 354-9678.

 This article is provided for information purposes only, and should not be considered to be legal or financial advice. For further information and recommendations suited to you and your family, please consult your financial advisor.

Ear Infections SUCK!

My son, Andrew, has been plagued with ear infections the past two winters. Last year after five in a row, we got a referral to a local ear, nose and throat doctor. After two visits, he declared that Andrew had "survived" the winter and didn't need any further treatment.

So far this winter he has had another five - three since Christmas. I took him back to the ENT, who said that the pressure in his ears was normal, he was okay. Well of COURSE the pressure in his ears was normal - he'd just had his eardrum rupture! Anyway, when he started to say that Andrew would be fine again for this year, I stopped him. I don't want my son to just keep "surviving" the winter. His quick answer: okay then, we'll do tubes. Go up front and book the surgery. No discussion, nothing. Just surgery.

I booked the procedure and almost immediately started to freak out. Partially because it's my 3.5 year old, and we're talking general anesthetic, and no matter how "routine" it is, it still is a horrible thing to think that my baby is going to be "put under". I hate to think of him scared, or upset. As his mommy, it's my job to keep him safe.

The other reason I freaked out was that I didn't know if it was really necessary. If there's no fluid build-up in his ears right now, will it do any good? Am I putting him through unnecessary surgery? With no chance to really discuss it with the doctor I had no idea.

I have to take him to our family doctor tomorrow to fill out pre-op forms. I decided that I would talk to her more in-depth then, and if I changed my mind I could cancel the surgery as long as it was more than a week beforehand.

Then my ear started to hurt. I don't know how many of you have had ear infections at an age that you can remember them, but this is AWFUL. the urgent care doctor told me it was a bad one, but I already knew that.  I was in so much pain I was praying for the eardrum to rupture, just to relieve the pain. Even after two days of antibiotics I was still curled up in a ball on the couch last night, praying that the way too many painkillers I had taken would FINALLY kick in so that I could sleep, and even then I was up every couple of hours looking for something else to take. And anyone who knows me knows that I don't like painkillers. I still have half the bottle of heavy duty stuff I was given after my c-section last year. I can't even close my jaw all the way, which certainly makes eating difficult.

I honestly feel like someone is trying to tell me that my son needs this surgery. As much as it may kill me as his mommy to have to hand him over to a surgeon, even if only for half an hour, I need to do it, and I need to be strong for him.

The purpose of ear tubes is to ventilate the area behind the eardrum, which keeps the pressure equalized. Bacteria and viruses can enter the middle ear from the eustachian tube, which connects the ear to the nose. This causes pus to fill the middle ear, putting pressure on the ear drum. Thus, the pain from the ear infection. Plus, because the eardrum has a harder time vibrating (which is how we hear), there is often a temporary loss of hearing in the ear.

The tubes (usually done in both ears, unless for some reason the patient only seems to have one ear affected) are intended to allow the fluid to drain, rather than build up behind the eardrum. They generally stay in place for anywhere from 6 to 18 months, although I've heard from a lot of parents that they often fall out and end up needing to be replaced.

You can see a short video on ear tube surgery here. It's does show the insertion of the tube, but it's not all that graphic. I've got a pretty queasy stomach for this stuff, but i found it interesting.

Avoiding the household pandemic

In my humble opinion, having a sick kid is one of the hardest parts of being a parent, at least in terms of the day-to-day problems. It's not just that it's hard to watch someone you love feeling miserable, it's the logistics, too. If both parents work, who stays home with the ailing individual? Or are they lucky enough to have family nearby who are willing to risk being infected themselves?

Then there's the whole handwashing thing: not just yours, but theirs, too. Usually to the point where your skin will crack and bleed profusely if you wash them one more time. And the sanitizing... ugh! I can barely keep up with normal, everyday cleaning, much less disinfecting everything my child could have come into contact with or potentially breathed on.

When you have more than one child, though, the difficulties of a sick kid can become reason for panic. How do you keep the first sick kid from becoming the second, third or fourth sick kid? Suddenly cracked and bleeding hands are a small price to pay for avoiding an epidemic. The dreaded cleaning becomes the only line of defense against the dreaded "germies."

And, if by some miracle, you only have one sick child amongst your bunch, the logistical nightmares can multiply exponentially. This was my situation a couple of days ago, and the reason behind today's rant.

I was out with my two youngest yesterday (Andrew needed a "cool dude haircut") when my cell phone rang. I don't have call display (I know, dark ages, right? I am also severely deficient when it comes to texting skills) so I answered with a pleasant, if somewhat confused (no one EVER calls my cell phone) "Hello?"

"Where are you?" my loving husband's voice demanded. I informed him that I was at the grocery store, in a somewhat put off tone, given his lack of pleasantries.

"I've got Emma on my cell phone," he informed me. "She says she's sick." And so it began. I paid for the groceries, loaded them and the two youngest into the van, all while trying to get them to hurry by telling them that Emma was sick (which only resulted in hearing about 15 choruses of "Emma sick?" from Andrew) and drove over to the school to pick up my sick kid.

I put her on the couch for the afternoon while her brother and sister slept (and me, too, truth be told - I am, after all, VERY pregnant and VERY tired) and all was well. She didn't look very good, but no actual puking occurred, so that was positive. By bedtime, though, she still didn't look as if she was going to be up for school the next morning. Problem was, Charlotte had nursery school the next morning.

When we lived in town, this wouldn't have been a big deal. I would've just loaded everyone into the van, taken Charlotte to nursery school, then brought Andrew and Emma back home until pick-up time, when I would've loaded everyone up again to pick up Charlotte, and then we'd be done for the day.

But we don't live five minutes from the nursery school anymore. It's a 30-40 minute drive each way for a 2 1/2 hr class. I drop her off at school, then find some way to keep Andrew and I occupied until pick-up time. Usually on Thursday mornings I take Andrew to "Little Feet Fitness and Fun", a preschool "gym." Obviously this wasn't going to work with a sick 8 year old. I really didn't know what I was going to do with her. Even if we didn't go to Little Feet (and Andrew woudl NOT have been happy at missing his favourite outing of the week) where could I possibly hang out for 2 hours with a sick kid?

I lucked out in that my father-in-law (who lives all of 400ft away) was okay with me dropping her off there for the morning, but I didn't actually find this out until about 30 minutes before we had to leave in the morning. I was still stressing about what on earth I was going to do right up until that moment.

Emma's mostly better now, although she still looks pretty rough. She went to school yesterday, but I don't think she's 100% yet. Time will tell if we've managed to avoid an epidemic, though.

A mom can only hope.