Best Natural Yeast Infection Cure

New parents have enough to worry about when their infant is healthy and happy. When they suspect their child is having a health problem their world falls apart. One health problem that can affect a newborn is thrush.

The good news is that thrush is, for the most part, a minor illness that is easily treated. It is an oral yeast infection. Diapers can also cause an infant to develop a yeast infection.

Thrush is something that a child might develop naturally, the fungus that causes thrush is a fungus that is already in the body but the mouth is a warm, dark, moist area where the fungus thrives and reproduces. Sometimes, if the mother had a vaginal yeast infection when she went into labor, the child might have contracted the condition when they passed through the birth canal.

Parents who routinely examine their child’s mouth will quickly see the signs of thrush. They will notice that their child has developed some oral lesions or that their is a white mucus covering the mouths surface, when this phlegm is wiped away the tissue underneath might look red, irritated, and sore. If the parent notices symptoms of thrush developing in their child’s mouth they should call their pediatrician and arrange an appointment as quickly as possible. Although yeast infections are usually easily treated, because of the infants underdeveloped immune system, the yeast infection can turn into a more serious condition called Candidiasis.

When the pediatrician is examining your child’s yeast infection they’ll often ask about the mother’s health. If they suspect that the child developed a yeast infection from the mother they’ll recommend treatments for both child and mother. Some physician’s will recommend a prescription treatment while others will recommend an over the counter treatment.

One of the most important things to do when an infant develops a yeast infection is to take precautions to make sure the infection doesn’t spread. Disinfect and sterilize the child’s pacifiers. If you bottle feed the child, throw away all the old nipples and replace them with new ones. If the baby is breast fed the mother needs to use a topical ointment on her nipples. All family members should wash their hands several times a day with an anti-bacterial soap. Stop using cloth towels to dry your hands, use paper towels that can be thrown away instead. Continue these precautions for at least two weeks.

Parents should know that a yeast infection can sometimes look like a diaper rash. If you have been using a cream to treat diaper rash and haven’t noticed any change with forty-eight hours, you could be dealing with a yeast infection. Set up an appointment with your child’s pediatrician. Giving your babies bottom a chance to air dry before replacing their diaper will help lower the chances of them developing a yeast infection. Another step parents can take to prevent a yeast infection from starting is to replace the diaper as soon as it is soiled.

Babies who are breast fed and babies that are already on antibiotics seem to be particularly susceptible to yeast infections.

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Yeast infections that affect a baby’s diaper area not the same thing as diaper rash. Unfortunately, many well meaning parents use regular diaper cream and baby powder on the yeast infection and this will do nothing to cure it.

A yeast infection is different from a diaper rash in that it appears as a flat, red rash with scalloped edges that have several tiny rashes around it. A yeast infection rash may extend along the pubic area and onto the lower part of the baby’s abdomen.

The yeast infections that affect babies are called Candidas albicans, which is the most common cause of all types of yeast infections. A pediatrician can determine whether a rash on the groin or a thrush in the mouth of babies is a yeast infection. To get a definite diagnosis the doctor may examine the scrapings of a yeast infection under a microscope.

Babies who are on antibiotics or who are being breastfed by mothers who are taking antibiotics are at higher risk for yeast infections. That’s because antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the body that keep yeast in check. Without these bacteria around, yeast and grow more abundantly.

While applying diaper cream may bring your baby temporary relief from the itching and soreness it will not heal the infection. Without proper treatment, a yeast infection in the baby’s diaper area will get progressively worse.

Anti-fungal medications are the only types of medicine that can get rid of yeast infections. Some pediatricians might write a prescription for Nystatin while others may recommend and over the counter medicine like Lotrim AF to treat the diaper yeast infection.

Using antifungal cream, soaking the baby in warm water two times a day and frequent diaper changes will usually clear up a yeast infection within a few days. While you are treating the yeast infection make sure that your baby’s diapers are loose enough to let air in. When changing your child’s diapers, make sure the skin on his buttocks and groin area is clean and dry.

Some holistic medical practitioners advocate the use of a diaper cream containing tea tree oil to help clear yeast infections in the diaper area. Others recommend using aloe or pressing damp chamomile teabags directly on the baby’s rash. If the yeast persists for more than a week or if your baby has fever or chills you should consult with your pediatrician.

Yeast infections in baby’s can occur despite our best efforts. However, frequent diaper changes can decrease the chances of an infection occurring. Children with yeast infections in the diaper area should not be excluded from daycare because these types of infections are not contagious.

If your baby recently had thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth), her or she may end up with a yeast infection in the diaper area, too. That’s because yeast passes through your baby’s digestive system when he eats and winds up in his stool, which eventually lands in his diaper right next to his warm, damp skin. Yeast thrives in warm, damp environments.

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