nipple thrush?

Is there a way to confirm that I have nipple thrush - can a GP run a swab test or something? My baby is 4 weeks old - my nipples are extremely sensitive (if my bath towel brushes against them, it hurts!), and when he first latches on I almost want to scream with pain - it then subsides. I do get the random stabbing pains - but not often - OH...and I've been treating my nipples and baby's mouth for thrush for 2 days and seen no improvement (MCHN sees no signs of thrush in baby's mouth) - and I've just come off a week of heavy duty antibiotics for a post c-section uterine infection. I'm beginning to think that if it is thrush, it needs medicine (diflucan) as the other things I've been doing are not helping.

What have you been putting on it?? I use Daktarin gel and I have found with the warm, humid weather and frequent feeding I have been getting nipple thrush more often. If you can expose the nipples to fresh air and sunshine. Be gentle with them - I tend to get cracked nipples if the thrush gets nasty. Try some natural remedies before adding more medication to your system if you can. Probiotics are a good start.

Another thing - do your nipples change colour?? I get vasospasm of the nipple which turns them purple or hot pink or a blanched white. When I have thrush they tend to be a bright pink at the base of the nipple and sometimes extending onto the areola. They then get dry and scaly skin as they start to repair.

I've been using Daktarin on myself after every feed (first I clean with a bicarb and water mixture and then dry or let dry) - and in DS's mouth 4x/day. It was the lactation consultant I saw last week who thought it was a possibility based on the sensitivity and "sheen" on the nipples - I don't see the sheen as they just look so different to me than my non-BF'ing nipples looked it's hard for me to judge them. I'm also taking probiotics 3 times a day (well, probably less, as I tend to forget). As for the GP test - it's not necessarily so that I can get a script but to confirm that yes I have thrush and need to treat it or no, it's just sensitivity and the post feed ritual of cleaning/daktarin can be dispensed with.

actually, they are fairly pink - like you mention, almost hot pink. Thankfully, not cracked or dry.

Are they itchy?? If the daktarin isn't helping then stop using it for a few days and just air dry them and rub a little breast milk onto them. See if that helps at all. Having a new bubba doe smake them very sensitive and sore but it should be getting better as you get more practised. If it is still painful there are some other causes you can investigate but the first 6 weeks are tough. As long as the attachment is good and there is no nipple damage you are doing great :)