Hellobee

After GeekinHeels shared her experience with recurring bouts of mastitis followed by thrush, I did a bunch of research into the topic. The antibiotics you take to get rid of mastitis kills the good bacteria and bad bacteria in your system, leaving you more susceptible to thrush and other yeast infections.  Kellymom, the breastfeeding resource out there, says that you can take probiotics as a preventative measure against thrush.  Probiotics are live microorganisms, or good bacteria or yeast, found in your intestinal tract that aid in digestion and provide protection from harmful bacteria.  They’re found in foods like yogurt, or can be taken as a supplement in pill form.

In addition to the antibiotics I took to treat my mastitis, I got an extra dose of antibiotics for Group B Strep when I was in labor. I was supposed to get the test the day Olive was born, so they didn’t know whether or not I was positive and had to treat me just in case. Because I was taking antibiotics for my mastitis, I wanted to start taking probiotics right away, and had Mr. Bee purchase some from our local health food store.  He came back with a yogurt containing lactobacillus acidophilus (the most popular type of probiotic) on the recommendation of the store clerk. Evidently there are many different strains of bacteria, and Kellymom suggests taking a probiotic with Bifidobacteria, the most common bacteria in babies’ stomachs.  I wasn’t sure if I should buy a different probiotic, and which one I should buy because there is very little specific information on probiotics out there for breastfeeding moms and their babies. Luckily a very dear friend of mine happens to be a nutritionist. I turned to her for advice and this is what she had to say:

Acidophilus is not antibiotic resistant. It’s still helpful so that you have some beneficial bacteria in your gut after each dose of antibiotics destroys all of the good guys. However, whenever you take antibiotics, it’s better to take a product with the strain Saccharomyces boulardii (it actually is a beneficial yeast) which is resistant to antibiotics and also helps proliferate the other beneficial bacteria strains. So, I usually have people take the latter while on antibiotics and then switch to a simpler form for a few weeks after.

Babies don’t have L.Acidophilus in their GI tract until they’re about 3 years old but it doesn’t matter that you take a more comprehensive product – actually, you should take one with more strains. You should definitely give Olive probiotics too, one that is is just bifidobacteria. For her all she’ll need is a little dab of powder (like 1/16th of a tsp or less) in her milk or just in her mouth twice a day. You could also put some on your nipple when you breastfeed.

Regarding yogurt vs capsules – it’s hard to gauge how much you’re getting from yogurt. Also, a maintenance dose of probiotics is about 30 billion organisms, but therapeutic doses are at least double that so that would be a LOT of yogurt. And especially with dairy, it creates a lot of mucus so it can be problematic for many.

Here are the products I use. They are all professional lines so it may be hard to find it at a store but all are available online. You always want to take them away from antibiotics, at least 3o mins. It’s better without food but fine with.

• Basic probiotics for adults: Metagenics’ Ultra Flora Plus Dairy Free Capsules or Powder – 2 for maintenance, 4 caps for therapeutic
• More comprehensive product for adults: Premier Research Labs’ Probiotic Complex – 1-3 caps a day
• For use while on antibiotics (the one with S. Boulardii): Ortho Molecular’s Ortho Biotic – 2 caps while on antibiotics, 1 after. OR, it may be easier for you to find Florastor which I used once a long time ago but like the Ortho product better.
• For babies (when they’re sick, have diarrhea, constipation, are on antibiotics, etc): Metagenics Ultra Bifidus Dairy Free Powder

Phew that’s a lot of information about probiotics! But I feel so much more educated on the topic now. Olive had a pediatrician’s appointment yesterday and I asked our doctor about giving probiotics as a preventative measure for thrush.  He was very pro probiotics and recommended the infant powder that my friend suggested for Olive.

My friend shipped me the Metagenics probiotics for me and for Olive (they have a location in New York so I was able to get them the next day), and we’re both on a probiotic regimen right now.  You can read more about my mastitis experience here, and if you take antibiotics to treat mastitis, you might want to look into taking probiotics to prevent thrush as well.  Another step you want to take is reduce your processed sugar intake which contributes to the proliferation of yeast.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and in need of a nutritionist, look up my fabulous friend Hee Won at HealtheeLife.  Here’s another interesting tidbit she shared with me — the most common reason she sees children is because of sodium chloride (salt) deficiency.  We’ve become so anti-salt when it comes to kids, that many are not getting enough!  Now I’m off now to research salt…

*The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and is for education purposes only.  Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.