Yeast Infections in Babies
You are playing and laughing with your baby and she opens her mouth wide as she screams with delight. You notice that she has white spots on the inside of her cheeks and on her tongue. Those spots were not there before and you know that it is not milk. Maybe it is that condition called thrush that your neighbor’s baby had last week. A yeast infection that is growing in the mouth of a baby is called thrush. It is a fungal infection although not all fungi are yeasts. It is the yeast that is called Candida albicans that actually causes thrush. Thrush can be found in some babies up to the age of four weeks. Age will play a part in the baby ever getting thrush again after that age. As long and babies and even adults have a normal immune system, they will not get thrush. If you think that your baby has thrush, take a look at the inside of its mouth. You might see spots on the tongue and the roof of the mouth that look like milk scum. It can be wiped off but it is not easy and will cause the skin to bleed slightly when you do. This condition will cause the baby’s mouth to be sore and you will notice their discomfort as they nurse.
If you feel that your baby is having trouble nursing then just look inside the mouth and notice any spots. These spots will begin on the inside of the cheeks and tongue and will be on the roof of the mouth later. The treatment for thrush is a medicine gel that must be applied four times a day for about a week. This medication is called either nystatin suspension or miconazole of clotrimazole. A pregnant woman who has a yeast infection should get treatment for it during her last trimester. It is rare, but possible for this treatment to fail. If this happens, the oral fungicide Diflucan can be given in a single dose.
If treated properly, thrush is easy to manage. If you have a child over the age of six months and you find he or she has thrush, this could be a sign of an immune deficiency and your doctor should be notified. This yeast will thrive in warm, moist environments and if it grows out of control, then those white spots are what you will notice in your baby’s mouth.
