Doctor Knows Best

• Doctor Jay Gordon has published a number of books about caring for children. The California doctor has served on the Professional Advisory Board of La Leche League for twenty years and is the first male physician to pass the International Board of Lactation Certification exam. The medicine typically prescribed to an infant suffering from thrush contains sugar, according to Dr. Gordon. Since sugar feeds the yeast infection, he prefers to begin treatment for thrush with grapefruit seed extract.
  
  

Dosage

• Grapefruit seed extract is made from the pulp and seeds of the fruit. According to Dr. Gordon, it is extremely effective in treating thrush in infants. He recommends mixing 10 drops of the extract with one ounce of distilled water. Chemicals found in most tap water can reduce the effectiveness of grapefruit seed extract, so be sure to use distilled water.
  
  

Application

• The solution should be applied to the infant's mouth and the mother's nipples once every hour during waking hours. The infant's mouth should be swabbed before nursing. The mother's nipples should be swabbed after nursing. If thrush is also present in the infant's diaper area, use a swab or spray bottle at every diaper change on the affected area.
  
  

Relief

• Thrush in most infants, according to Dr. Gordon, should clear up in a couple of days. If the infection has not improved by the second day, increase the solution to 15 or 20 drops of extract per one ounce of distilled water. The mother may also need to eliminate sugar from her diet until the thrush clears up. If the infection does not go away, see a doctor.
  
  

Warning

• If a mother's nipples dry out while using the grapefruit seed extract solution, she may use vitamin E oil to combat the problem. However, make sure the oil absorbs completely into the skin before breastfeeding. According to kellymom.com, too much vitamin E can be toxic to the infant.