Babies are a precious gift to us and bring such joy. Along with the joy comes a lack of sleep and sometimes issues with breastfeeding. My niece Misty and I worked together to bring about natural healing for her issues with Mastitis and Thrush. Here is her story and hopefully it will be of help with someone you might know.

Misty is the mother of two beautiful children. She has a 22-month-old and now a 4-month-old. As she was in the middle of packing, moving and nurturing her 2 children, she developed painful mastitis when her baby was only a month old. She developed an acute high fever and her Doctor wisely put her on antibiotics. This took the swelling down and reduced her fever. However, her nursing baby developed Thrush from the antibiotics. Treatment (Nystatin) was tried without success. Misty's baby also had an intolerance for the Nystatin that caused her to feel sick and vomit. Two months later, as Misty became worn out from packing and moving, her painful Mastitis returned. She also had a sore throat, fever and was stressed. Because of her baby's thrush, she was unable to take antibiotics. Not wanting her mastitis to develop into something more serious she started using a few natural methods.

Coconut oil proved to be an invaluable tool with the thrush and mastitis issues. Her baby had white patches on the inside of both cheeks and on her lips. Misty put cold-pressed & unrefined coconut oil on her baby's lips and the insides of her cheeks. She also applied on and around her nipple area every 2-4 hrs. before nursing. Misty states, "By the next morning, the baby's cheeks were clear as were her lips. It was so sweet to smell the coconut smell on her little lips. I am astounded by how fast this worked. The breasts were immediately relieved of the mastitis."

Misty also sprayed her breasts with organic hydrosols, cleaning them off before breastfeeding:

• Lavender Hydrosol (Lavandula angustifolia) - Soothing, Anti-inflammatory with analgesic properties

• Bay Laurel Hydrosol (Laurus nobilis) - Broad-acting Antiseptic and Antibacterial along with an immune booster

Having the thrush and mastitis under control so quickly, we were able to deal with her respiratory "cold" and her low immune system.

Lavender Hydrosol

We made 2 inhalers blends:

1) Respiratory Inhaler Blend:

• Balsam Fir Oil (Abies balsamea)
• Orange Sweet Oil (Citrus sinensis)
• Ravintsara Oil (Cinnamomun camphora)

2) Immune Support Inhaler Blend:

• Cedarwood Oil (Juniperus virginiana)
• Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Orange Sweet Oil (Citrus sinensis)
• Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora)
• Vetiver Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides)

Used several times a day, especially with low energy. We also made a stock blend:

• Honey Myrtle Oil (Melaleuca teretifolia)
• Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
• Eucalyptus Globulus Oil (Eucalyptus globulus)

Directions

Place 1 drop of the stock blend in unscented lotion and rub on the breast area to help alleviate the infection. Be sure to wash the blend off before breast feeding.

Conclusion

Misty was so impressed with the effectiveness of the simple, natural remedies and essential oils. The baby's thrush hasn't come back over the past month and Misty's mastitis hasn't returned. When her breasts start to feel tight, she sprays the hydrosols and uses the coconut oil for preventative measures. She's feeling stronger and healthy.