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March 2015 Moms
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Tied tongue/lip

babyh310babyh310 member
in March 2015 Moms
So many of us have been discussing breastfeeding woes, fussy babies, gassy babies... have you all looked to see if baby has a tied tongue or lip? I met with a lactation consultant yesterday and she pointed out that my son has a tied lip and his tongue is also tied though not severely. After researching this, I learned that these issues contribute to low milk supply (bc baby isn't able to feed effectively and communicate demand), painful feeding (baby compensates for poor latch by sucking harder, also cannot get nipple to roof of mouth so there's constant friction bc the nipple is dragged against the ridges right behind where the teeth would be), slow weight gain, increased gas, fussy baby because of difficulty being satisfied, trouble taking a pacifier, thrush, and recessed chin (looks like they have an overbite). Uncorrected, this can also cause speech and feeding issues later in life.

MIND BLOWN!!!

My son sucks so hard that I thought he was latching well, but after we got thrush at week 2 I started to question if his latch was good because the thrush symptoms were improving with treatment but I was still having pain when feeding. I was feeling so frustrated because my baby didn't seem satisfied and was crying in pain from hunger. My supply seemed to be inconsistent, some days seeming okay and other days like I had nothing to give him. He was getting gassy seemingly regardless of what I ate. He seems to be soothed from sucking but can't hold on to a pacifier well. He wasn't gaining weight as he should, barely on the growth charts. He has the pulled back chin, too! I'm going to have the pediatrician evaluate him for an official diagnosis and discuss correcting it. They can either snip it with scissors or scapel, or they laser it. It sounds like babies fuss for a few seconds but you feed them immediately and then they are alright. You have to stretch it for 2 weeks to keep it from healing back the way it was, which is uncomfortable for them, but it sounds like there are ways to help it not be so bad for them. I hate to think of my baby in pain, yet it seems every single struggle we've had could be contributed to this! If feeding could get better and he could be content, happy, and gaining weight and breastfeeding were more enjoyable, I would be thrilled!!!!!

Any mamas with experience?
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Re: Tied tongue/lip

  • liveeeannliveeeann member
    My 6-week old was tongue tied. The pediatrician at the hospital discovered it before we were discharged. They clipped it and it seems to have healed nicely. He was fussy and tired the day after the procedure, but no other problems.
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  • dreyes4dreyes4 member
    My three oldest had the top lip tied...i didnt no it (they wasnt breastfeed) until i had to take my sons to a ENT. During thier Surgery the dr clipped it. Wad better in two days. But my daughter on the other hand fell and ripped hers..it bleed really bad and took alot longer for it to get better...with my newborn thats the first thing i asked about when i seen the dr.. :)
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  • djolietdjoliet member
    My 5 year old was tongue tied and we has issues with breastfeeding. I never had his clipped and there are no issues with his speech or feeding.

    My daughter is also severely tongue tied and slight lip tied and she had no problem latching but it was painful for me and she wasn't getting enough milk. I am now exclusively pumping and bottle feeding her breastmilk. Hers is bad and a simple clip isn't all its going to take to correct, the dr said she runs a big risk of bleeding too much when it's clipped and it will need to be cautirized after being clipped. It will have to be done by an ENT or pedi dentist. Right now I'm fine with not having it clipped.
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  • Babykells3Babykells3 member
    We just went through this!
    DD is 4 weeks old and was diagnosed with an upper lip tie when she was 2 days old. We just got it clipped a few days ago from an ENT, just with scissors. It took about 15 seconds. He gave her some sugar water to calm her down, clamped it and then snipped it. She cried for about 30 seconds after while the nurse held some gauze to it and then I latched her on and she fed for about 5 minutes and then fell asleep.
    She had a stage 4 lip tie, which means that her upper lip was tied all the way to her palate and there was even a little gap in her gums where it attached. Her front baby teeth and adult teeth would have came in with a gap if we hadnt got it fixed.
    For home care, we just have to lift up her lip to her nose 3 times in a row with every second feed for 10 days. She still has a few issues with her latch, her upper lip doesn't always like to flare but I can manually fix it now, my babies tend to have thin/tight upper lips so I think part of that is genetic and will hopefully correct itself as she gets bigger.
    I am so glad we got it done. My 2 yo DS has an upper lip tie that wasn't caught as he wasn't breastfed, and his front 2 teeth have a gap. The ENT told us we can get it snipped at any time, and as long as we do it before his adult teeth come in, then it will lower the risk of them coming in with a gap as well. It will be more 'traumatic' for him but he won't remember it and, personally, I would rather have it done now where it's covered by our provincial healthcare (in Canada) then not correct it and have to pay for braces when he's a teen.
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  • babyh310babyh310 member
    @djoliet I have seen that some providers use lasers because it cauterizes it itself. If you think you guys need it done, you may benefit from finding someone who does the procedure with a laser, could solve all your problems!
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  • dreyes4dreyes4 member
    edited April 2015
    @Babykells3 my oldest son has his clipped at 6months. He had already got his front top two teeth in. And yup they are gaped.
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  • sarimurawehsarimuraweh member
    My son was both lip and tongue tied. I asked the pediatrician in the hospital to check for them and she said no. He was still having latch issues so I saw a lactation consultant and she told me he was! So I took him to another pediatrician and she also said that he wasn't. I took him to an ENT who specializes in posterior tongue ties and my son was a level 3 posterior. ( not visible, had to be felt) he had his lip and tongue cauterized ( different days). The tongue was painful for him because I needed to massage him 4-7 times a day. His pain lasted a good 4 days. The lip was a piece of cake. He did better than I did at his appointment. He smiled at me to stop my tears
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  • 2Swanns2Swanns member
    edited May 2015
    My baby was tongue tied and I noticed right away. She had it snipped when she was two weeks. Easy, quick and seemingly lttle pain - my baby fussed for a second and then zonked and showed no signs of pain after that. Fairly common issue with an easy remedy.
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  • Amy and JayAmy and Jay member
    Does this look like a problematic lip tie?

    I've seen a LC a few times but never thought to ask and she never mentioned anything but we do have some latch issues and low supply. I had a breast reduction so I've always attributed b'fing issues to that.

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  • sarimurawehsarimuraweh member
    @Amy and Jay my sons was the same way. They had to cauterize it because it goes all the way to the gum. He couldn't flange his upper lip. If left untreated he may have issues with solids getting stuck or a gap in the front teeth. So it's up to you really. My son couldn't latch because of it and it made him swallow too much air. Thought he had colic until after the procedure the crying stopped :)
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  • Amy and JayAmy and Jay member
    @sarimuraweh, thanks for your input. I'm going to ask the ped about it and possibly make another appt with the LC to get her thoughts.
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  • Christina80xoxoChristina80xoxo member
    I don't have this issue, but thanks for sharing ladies! It was interesting.
    My dad's tongue is like that. He still can't stick it out and he hates it. It's good you guys are taking care of it :)
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  • Britanee&BabyBritanee&Baby member
    My DD has both a tongue and lip tie. Her tongue tie is posterior and is in such a way that it would have to be surgically remedied. This causes severe nursing pain and her peds doc suggested I bottle feed her. We found a new ped that encouraged me to keep nursing and who will be keeping tabs on her growth. She also has a pretty severe overbite. All of these things together may cause speech problems. I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one going through this.
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