Red, cracked, itchy, painful and sore nipples are not fun for any breastfeeding mom. Breastfeeding your first child can be painful to begin with (even without thrush), but thrush can really make breastfeeding difficult for you and your baby. However, as you already know, "breast is best"! Youcanovercome nipple thrush, even if it's a chronic problem for you.

First, it's important to realize that the yeastiscontagious between you and your baby so you'll want to treat both of you. Even if your baby doesn't have obvious symptoms of thrush, it's important to treat him or her to ensure that you're not passing it back and forth.

Second, it's also important to realize that you can treat nipple thrush effectively,naturally. Pharmaceutical medications for thrush can have dangerous side effects and aren't necessary to treat thrush - natural remedies are often more effective for thrush. Also, killing the yeast with drugs doesn't cure the underlying problem that allowed the yeast to grow out of control in the first place.

For some immediate relief for nipple thrush, follow these tips:

*Avoid wearing a bra as much as possible; the skin needs to breathe in order to heal
*When you do wear a bra, wear it only once and wash it in hot water to kill any yeast that may be present. You can also add vinegar to the rinse cycle to help kill any yeast that may be present.
*Make a spray of diluted grapefruit seed extract with distilled water (10 to 15 drops grapefruit seed extract for 2 ounces of water.) Spray this on your nipples several times a day.
*Olive oil and coconut oil both have anti-fungal properties and are very soothing, helping provide immediate relief for nipple thrush.
*Avoid creamy lotions - these provide the right environment for the yeast to continue to grow.

Finally, yeast overgrowth is a sign that your body is out of balance. The best approach to rid of thrush in moms and babies is a holistically and naturally. It's extremely important that you treat yourselfandyour baby; yeast can cause or worsen all kinds of chronic health problems - including in babies and children.