Emma, it is a tough time and you are doing a fantastic job of getting through it

Just a note on thrush meds - oral thrush meds only work for internal thrush. The meds won't do any harm, and sometimes when you have nipple thrush, you have it internally too, so they could be a good idea. But they won't help nipple thrush if you have it. And if your little one has thrush in his mouth, there's a good chance that it is either in your nipples too, or soon will be.

Your idea to see a Lactation Consultant (LC) is a good one. A good LC can figure out exactly what's going on and give you strategies for dealing with it. A good place to start to find one in your area is here - Australian Lactation Consultants Association Ltd - ALCA - Find a Lactation Consultant. These LCs are all IBCLC qualified which means they have done extensive training and passed difficult exams.

You could be right that he needs EBM, and you are also right that doing so can keep the cycle going. Getting enough milk into him is the first priority though, and an LC can help you with this further. How many nappies is he having in 24 hours?

Do you think you'd be comfortable ringing the 1800 mum 2 mum helpline? They also have a list of good LCs in some areas also.

Keep up the great work hun. This is a very hard time, but as the saying goes, this too shall pass