Tongue Tie?

padma55 · May 2014

Does anyone else have a LO with a tongue tie? This is my fourth baby and my other three kiddos haven't had anything like this. I thought I had thrush, but it looks like my breasts being wrecked has to do with a tongue tie issue. Only one Dr. in my area performs the procedure to revise a tie, and I'm curious if anyone else has a baby with a tongue tie, and what you chose to do about it.

joyfullyfound · May 2014

DS has tongue tie but it's minor enough that I'm not experiencing any discomfort anymore so we're not going to do anything about it.

If it's still hurting you after a couple weeks, I'd definitely get it clipped though! It's such a tiny procedure, barely hurts them, and it will be such a huge improvement. I know a few mamas who have had it done with their LOs and have nothing but good things to say

Manda+panda · May 2014

DD had tongue tie and lip tie. She had both mid and posterior tongue tie. She could not latch, she couldn't even stick her tongue out to her gums, or have her tongue reach the roof of her mouth. I realized all of this 12 hours after she was born, DH had tongue tie as a baby, so I knew to look for it.

BF was and still is very important to me, so I opted for her to have it done. But, honestly, it was so bad she couldn't really handle a bottle. At one week old, she had the tongue cut. It was still very tight, and two weeks later, it was cut again and her lip was done.

It wasn't horrible, and I'm glad we did it. It didn't fix everything, we are working with her on suck training, and she may need to see an occupational therapist to help fix her latch, or a chiropractor that does craniosacral adjustments to help her loosen up. Her mouth is super tight. (those were my LC recommendations, we have an appointment with her tomorrow to see where to go from here).

I have to use a shield (flat nipples, and poor latch in the beginning, trying to wean her off of it) but things have gotten much better. I am not an expert, but see a LC and see what they have to say. Even if you do have the procedure, I highly recommend going to a LC after to help get things on the right track.

Edit: my phone is evil...stupid auto correct

thomas930 · May 2014

DS had a tongue tie and we had I clipped at his fist pediatrician appointment. It made a world of a difference BF.

LindsayB0505 · May 2014

DD had a tongue tie which we didn't get snipped until she was about 5 weeks old and it made a world of difference with breast feeding. DS had a slight one too but he was really damaging my nipples so we chose to get it snipped. As long as it's not too thick/tight its a very simple procedure in the doctors office.

A lot of doctors tend to be hesitant to snip them but most LC's around here recommend getting it done if you are having any sort of difficulty with nursing. I would do it for sure. It's made a drastic difference with both my kids.

Andrewsgal · May 2014

DS did we had it clipped at his first appointment and I am so glad we did. Even if we were not having sore breast issues any speech pathologist will tell you it will greatly impact speech so ewe choose to,get it done young when he won't remember and it did not bother him at all.

maelic · May 2014

DD had a tongue tie and we snipped it at the hospital when she was two days old. It was so fibrotic that the doctor had to cut twice. She recovered super fast and was back in our room in ten minutes. It really helped her latch dramatically.

Damage to my nipples had been done by then, unfortunately, so we nurse with a nipple shield (first to let my nipples heal and now because I'm too chicken to wean her off it).

macynsnoop · May 2014

My little guy had a posterior tongue tie, wasn't diagnosed & fixed until a week after birth. The procedure was simple & it made a huge difference in BF. Of course this was after the damage had been done to my nips. The right boob got plugged ducts which turned into mastitis 2 weeks after he was born. I had a mild tongue tie as a kid & had to do speech therapy for a long time. Hopefully this kiddo will escape that fate since we got his little tongue clipped.

alyssa0410 · May 2014

DS was born tongue tied. He had it snipped in the hospital the day after he was born. He wouldn't latch well so I EP

Smores730 · May 2014

My first child was tongue tied and we had it snipped when she was 5 days old. It didn't make her latch any better though and I ended up pumping. The procedure wasn't a big deal; a cut and a little bit of blood.

Jmblue · May 2014

My LO was born tongue tied but it's not severe. We had an oral surgeon look at it the same week she was born. He said he would leave it be for now since we are having no latch issues and she breast feeds great, my pediatrician also agreed. My only concern is possible speech problems in future. But My DH is tongue tied and it was never corrected and he talks completely normal. So hopefully my LO is like her dad.

zazu13 · May 2014

One of my twins was clipped at 1 week old. Her latch improved but she still never took off with bf, prpbably more related to my supply and her being preemie though.

sf214902 · May 2014

Our little guy had moderate tongue tie. At first I didn't agree yo the procedure, but ended up doing it on day three. It hurt me more than him! I was concerned with future speech problems even though he was feeding fine and not having issues right away.

padma55 · May 2014

@MelsaX‌, good luck tomorrow, let me know how it goes!

Dianakdee · May 2014

Ya this is the first time I'm aware of this issue. My son has a mild one and it was very painful and first. My one nipple was starting to crack and everything was a mess. But he seems to be latching on properly and doing great with his weight gain, everything got better now.
I'm not sure what to expect next other than my dr who is keeping an eye on him and how he develops and if needed next month when I see him he can do a 5 min procedure and just snip it.

KM0715 · May 2014

DD got her tongue snipped yesterday at 4 week. They originally weren't going to do it but she hasn't been latching well and taking a long time to feed. To be honest I haven't seen as much of a differnece as i had hoped. Her latch is a little better/less painful,
but I haven't seen an improvement in how long feedings take or how fussy she is (maybe there's something else going on).

MamaFantastic · May 2014

resurrecting this thread from 2 weeks ago!

it was pointed out to me 2 days ago that tessa has a lip tie. lo and behind... yup! i had never noticed. that would explain my nipple pain from day 1 (which i'm assuming contributed to a less healthy environment wherein i was more susceptible to getting thrush).

i've been doing a lot of research because hey... i sit and nurse on the couch for hours every single day

and i have learned quite a bit about TT and LT. i'm very interested in pursuing a laser correction rather than a snipping procedure. seems the laser is a more effective, less painful, less traumatic process for the baby and has excellent outcomes IF you go to the right person.

i've been looking into this pediatric dentist: Dr Lawrence Kotlow at https://www.kiddsteeth.com/ , who is the nationwide leading expert on frenectomies via laser. he would be half a day's drive for me, but it's worth it for a great procedure outcome. his research and methods seem very thorough and caring, and the office can get us in within the week, i think.

has anyone else pursued laser correction instead of scissor snipping? did anyone else do the stretching exercises that are recommended post-procedure?

Manda+panda · May 2014

I did the sniping, but also all her stretching and mouth exercises. At this point, is been over a month since her last frenectomy, and I could stop, but her mouth is so tiny it helps her.

If the laser procedure had been available to me, I would have gone that route, but she was not able to eat, and had jaundice, so it was more of a get it done as soon as possible situation.

Edit: spelling and grammar

Laidey3512 · May 2014

We went to dr. Kotlow for my DD to get her lip and tongue tie revised( we traveled from NC). She was 1 at the time and we had a very difficult year of feeding challenges. I ended up EPing as a result of her ties and even bottle feeding and solids were a struggle. Dr. Kotlow was wonderful and the revision changed our lives- reflux gone, milk protein intolerance gone, sudden interest in solids all within 2 weeks post revision. We were going to feeding therapy multiple times a week from the time she was 3.5 months, as soon as she was revised her need for therapy ended! The speech pathologist was amazed.

My April baby also had a lip tie that was revised 2 weeks ago via laser. Since we are back on the west coast we went to a very reputable dr out here. I am not seeing the improvement I was hoping for. He said his tongue had okay mobility so he did not revise, but if we still had issues we can revisit it. The LC in the hospital acknowledged he has a posterior tongue tie. I am thinking his tongue tie is affecting feedings and planning on going back to hopefully get some relief and avoid some of my daughters issues.

I know I never post, but this is something I am very interested in and passionate about after suffering so much with my first. I definitely think getting a laser revision is worth it. We did all of the suggested stretches. DD tongue reattached a bit but she does not have any symptoms. We have had no reattachment with the lips. While not fun, doing the stretches is so much better than all the pain and stress pre-revision. Best of luck! Hope you find some relief!

MamaFantastic · May 2014

Thanks so much for sharing, Laidey!!

MamaFantastic · May 2014

here's tessa's upper lip:

i emailed dr kotlow tonight with this photo and one of her tongue area to see if he can recommend scheduling a procedure. it looks to me like she has a major lip tie, but he's the expert, not me....!

Laidey3512 · May 2014

That definitely looks like a tie to me. I attached a picture of what my DD's looked like. I didn't take one of DS's, but it looked very similar. If you have any questions about Dr. Kotlow's office or the healing process, let me know! Hoping everything works out! Dr. Kotlow was great and always responded very quickly to all my inquiries.

Lazerlulu · May 2014

Just had my little guy's lip and tongue tie clipped a few days ago. He is 6 weeks. A few drops of blood, but it took all of 15 seconds to do both and I breastfed him right after and he was fine! Highly recommend if it will help w breastfeeding!

MamaFantastic · May 2014

Dr Kotlow was able to fit us in very quickly, so a solution is on the horizon. So glad to know she'll be in the best hands!

padma55 · May 2014

There is a very reputable doctor in Portland, OR, which is several hours away from me by car. https://www.oregonclinic.com/our-team/bobak-ghaheri

There is a local Dr. who is known to be excellent with snipping, however. We see him on the 2nd of June, and chances are he'll fix the tongue tie on that day. I heard from one LC that Phoenix has a lip tie, but then another said certainly not enough to be a problem. I'm having the most incredible pain I've EVER experienced on one breast while feeding. I'm tempted to take Oxycodone for the pain; when he latches I almost pass out, and I pride myself on my pain tolerance! It's possible we have thrush (which is what I thought was going on when the tongue tie was discovered by LC several weeks ago). I'm doing Gentian Violet to see if I get any relief.

If he has a lip tie I will consider taking him to the Dr. in Oregon. The tongue tie is a level 4 (or 4th degree, not sure of the lingo) posterior tie, but it's thin. If I go back and forth forever about this I'll never get anything accomplished, which I think is a disservice to baby, so I'll commit to having the tie clipped, though I'd prefer the laser. If the upper lip and gums are an issue, I'll contact the guy in Portland for a consult. I'm surprised that in 4 kiddos I've only seen this with Phoenix.

Suzanne237 · May 2014

Ok now you ladies made me look. I've been having tingles in my nipples even after done nursing so I took a look. Is this maybe lip tie?

padma55 · May 2014

@Suzanne237, that looks like a lip tie to me. A LC or maybe pediatrician could tell you for sure. My LO's lip tie isn't significant, but the tongue tie is, and this past week I was in so much agony on one side that I considered taking pain reliever from my C-section for it. I tried Gentian Violet just in case it was thrush. I can't believe the pain. Two days ago I really focused on jamming the entire breast into his mouth, (as in areola, not just nipple), and bringing him into me, versus lowering myself down to him. It's helpful to use a Boppy for it, but since I've been doing this I've found that I'm not in as much pain as I've been before. I'm looking forward to having him looked at by the Dr., and I hope that fixing the tongue tie will bring relief. I hope you get some answers, too!

snappyK · May 2014

My son had a tongue tie that we had clipped by a pediatric ENT. It took no time at all and didn't seem to hurt him at all. It worked really well and we went from him never having latched to EBF in no time.

I notices recently that he may have a lip tie. He's nursing alright, so my question is if there's any other reason to get a lip tie clipped?

padma55 · May 2014

The other reasons I was told to fix a lip tie was due to food and liquid getting caught up there and causing tooth decay, and also a gap in between kiddo's two front teeth. After looking into it further I've decided that unless there is a really imminent need to fix the lip tie, I'll wait. Sometimes braces can remedy the lip tie (closing the teeth on the band of tissue). If that doesn't work then he will be much older and will understand what we're doing. In the even that a lip tie causes scar tissue I read that it is very difficult to fix the gap between teeth; that the scar tissue is far more stubborn than the original tie. I hope I don't need to address it, but if I do, I'm going to bury my head in the sand about it unless it poses a problem now, or causes him trouble in the future.

Nik102 · June 2014

Sorry to resurrect this thread again but you ladies seem to have a good deal of knowledge on the subject. DS is 7 weeks old and as of this morn I noticed he def has a tongue tie he can't stick his tongue out and when he tries it looks like a heart and the tip doesn't make it past his gums. You can feel the this skin holding it down. Both my mother and brother were tongue tied so it does run in my family. I never knew about a lip tie until reading this thread so I checked out his lip and def looks like he has a lip tie as well. Do you ladies find it odd that he hasn't been diagnosed with either of these yet? Should his pedi have checked for it? We are EBF with a nipple shield due to flat nipples and it seemed to be going well until about 10 days ago. He gets very frustrated at the breast like he's not getting enough milk. Do you think it could this long to notice signs of a tongue/lip tie?? He does have his 2 morn appt next weds so I will def be talking to a doctor about it.

MamaFantastic · June 2014

@Nik102‌ I don't mean to be a crazy arsonist (that was an autocorrect fail but it's too funny to delete, so it's staying!) conspiracy theory type mom, but I basically have zero confidence in pediatricians, LCs or OBs to find and correctly diagnose tongue/lip ties in newborns. I was seen by THREE different LCs, my midwife, my doula and my pediatrician for nursing pain and red, irritated nipples. Nobody caught it. Nobody even thought to specifically check. I read all the time about other moms having the same experience.

My story is up above, but we went to Dr Kotlow in Albany and he did a great job. The drive was worth it. Finding a pediatric dentist who uses a laser is key. Also important: religiously doing the mouth stretches afterward for 2 weeks. Anyone who snips and just lets you leave without explaining how to stretch the area is doing you a disservice. The tie will just grow back without proper stretching and then the whole procedure will have been worthless.

Tag me if you want more details. I might not see a response otherwise.

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