Need to rant? Let's do it here!

jhsoontobe3 · August 2016

Hi mommies I just need to vent! And figured we could put all of our rants in one spot. I'd love so hear some of the things bothering you all!

I had lot and lots of problems breastfeeding and for no apparent reason my milk dried when DD was two months. I would nurse her for 45 minutes to an hour then since she wasn't gaining weight I would give her a bottle of formula. After our nursing session she would still eat 4 ounces from the bottle. I tried pumping and hand expressing and could not get a single drop. So I finally threw in the towel So, since she has been super fussy/cranky. To the point I cannot do anything except hold her while she screams. Her pedi diagnosed colic and reflux. Pedi said she should out grow them both by 3 months. Then she said give it until 4 month. Then she said give it until 5 months. Now at 5 months she still has some crazy reflux. A mommy friend suggested maybe she had a lip tie! When I began researching the symptoms fit her to a T! Symptoms that fit us:

Mommy Symptoms:

discomfort while nursing

Sleep deprivation (because of baby not nursing efficiently, nursing more often to compensate)

Compromised milk supply

Baby's symptoms:

Reflux or colic

Difficulty latching

Guming or chewing nipple

Gassy

Clicking noise while sucking

Excessive drooling

My poor baby, I have to manually untuck her upper lip to help her latch onto the bottle (it won't flare out on it own And will actually retuck itself)

The only symptom LO does not seem to have it poor weight gain. But I believe that is because I am a stay at home mom and I feed on demand (I sit almost all day with a bottle to Baby's mouth).

It so heart breaking. She cries and screams. She fights me every time I try to feed her but she cries before I feed her because she is hungry. Half of the bottle I make ends up all over her outfit (she still uses the newborn nipple. Tried to go up but was even worse!) because she can't get a good latch on the bottle and it spills out of her mouth. So after awhile of hammering Our pedi about possibly having a Lip tie she referred us to an ENT.

We waited two months!! For that appointment. Now that that appointment had come and gone I am as frustrated as ever!! We arrived 20 minutes early as requested. And sat for an hour and ten minutes PAST our appt time. so we had in the office for an hour and a half with a screaming baby. Ugh.

Then the ENT specialist spent 3 minutes with us. I kid you not, a literal 3 minutes!!! He looked and said she did have skin but 'it moves fine'. And since she Her weight gain is fine Then she is fine. Which I understand in theory is correct but I explained about all the reason why I thought she needed her 'possible tie' (<-- what he called it) clipped. And he said well if her weigh gain dips I'll take another look in 3 months. (Lo will be 8 months old by then! And this has been happening since day 1!) He then hurried us out of the office. I am so frustrated because I feel like no one is listening to me! She's my baby, I know her. I feel that because I look young (people always ask me if I am 16, but I am 21) no one ever takes my concerns seriously.

I understand that he doesn't see a weight gain problem however, like I stated before, I think that is because since I am a SAHM and feed on demand I am spending almost my whole day with a bottle in her mouth giving her many more ounces than a baby her age would normally take (because she only get a about 1/3 to 1/2 of each bottle in her tummy. The rest on her outfit)

My mother suggested taking her to a different ENT but we need a referral and pedi already referred is to this one so I don't see her giving us another.

Ugh! Sorry for the long post just needed to drop the feelings off somewhere!

loveymay · August 2016

I dont have any experience with lip ties, but I recently saw an ENT for congestion issues that lingered from pregnancy. I didnt need a referral, I just picked an ENT and called and made an appointment. Maybe you can find another ENT that doesnt require you to need a referral?

jhsoontobe3 · August 2016

I am checking into going without the referral (however I think it may be our insurance that is requiring the referral). But I am checking!
Thank you for the advice!

cataleya82 · August 2016

Just ask the pedi for another referral for a 2nd opinion. My daughter seen an ent bc her pedi said she was tongue tied but the ent said she wasn't and the pedi offered another referral. Im sorry your daughter is having so many issues with feeding. Have you tried a different style of nipple? My daughter had latch issues and I had the best luck with Avent natural nipples. They are the wide ones. Also when you mentioned that your daughter is using a preemie nipple and it's still going all over her outfit it made me think of my daughters recent appointment with a speech therapist for a video swallow study. My daughter has dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and also reflux. I use a product called gelmix that thickens her formula so she doesn't choke. I would maybe suggest to your pedi that you'd like to have a video swallow study done on your daughter to see if she is swallowing right. Some babies have difficulty with the suck swallow breathing coordination. Good luck and I hope that you can find a solution soon. It sounds very frustrating for you both.

jhsoontobe3 · August 2016

We do currently use the avent natural and I have tried the munchkin latch bottle as well. I've ordered a few Dr. Browns bottles just waiting on them to arrive. She was on Enfamil AR to help with her reflux (milk dried up at 6 weeks) and upon seeing the GI specialist she said LO didn't necessarily need to be on the AR anymore since she is on two different reflux meds the AR isn't necessry. My SIL babysat and said DD was perfect angle until she fed her and she thought maybe the AR was upsetting her tummy. So we switched to Enfamil Gentlease and she's doing much better on it! Although we cannot forget her meds or she's not happy! (we tried a few days without meds to make sure she still needed it and she definitely does). She does have a checkup Tuesday so I am definitely planning on asking about another referral to a different ENT.
Thank you for listening and for the suggestions! Feel much better just getting to rant. Haha!

mshukh · August 2016

Check with local pediatric dentists. They will often correct a lip and tongue tie. Going through that right now. Also inquire if they use a cold laser. Much better recovery and less painful for the baby. The procedure is called frenectomy. Good luck!

jhsoontobe3 · September 2016

Hi ladies. Just wanted to update! We had a lactation consultant suggest a place to us. I took DD in and she had a significant tongue AND lip tie. She had them both fixed the same day in office with a laser! It has been two weeks since and she is a completely different baby! She is so much happier! Let me tell you mommies trust your instincts!!!

mshukh · September 2016

Glad it ended up well for you! It's amazing how many times this goes undiagnosed. Poor baby and poor mama.

Synnovus · September 2016

So good to hear! Kudoz to you for not giving up on getting your LO the help she needed!

amorcito27 · September 2016

Joining this late and I want to say sorry you had to go through that. My son had a posterior tongue tie and upper lip tether so I have been there and gone through all of that. Make sure you do the exercises to prevent the skin from going back. If you are able to, have your LC do a consult to help retrain your baby to suck. The care after the procedure is crucial to success as I have several friends who had similar issues with their babies and they didn't keep up with the exercises. I did the exercises at least 5 times a day for the first week and within a couple weeks my baby was eating SO much better! I have learned that a lot of pediatricians, LCs and ENTs are not well educated in tongue ties and that there are only a limited number that are good at diagnosing it. Our pedi and the LC in her office all said he didn't have one, but when we saw a skilled LC and an ENT who specializes in it, we got it taken care of. Good luck and hang in there - it will get better every day!!

Want a personalized experience?

Need to rant? Let's do it here!

Re: Need to rant? Let's do it here!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards