Anyone have a baby with a tongue/lip tie and did not get it released?

[Mawood]

Hi Mamas-

I have a happy chunky 7 week old baby boy. We are having some trouble breast feeding but he is gaining very well (13,5 lbs at 6 1/2 weeks). We saw an LC last week because DH is taking in a lot of air while nursing and has problems to latch on while I have a huge supply and a forceful let down from nursing a toddler all through pregnancy. The LC suspects a posterior tongue tie and sees a lip tie which is pretty obvious and runs in my family (the lip tie). 

I am having a very hard time agreeing to a laser surgery. I guess we are a borderline case and could go both ways though the nursing sessions right now take very long and my DD is only 2 1/2 so she needs me too and always has to wait. We had a beautiful home birth with my son and it just doesn't seem right to put him through this now. he is little and so trusting. I have an appointment with a special dentist who is very well known for lasering newborns (D. James Jesse) on Wednesday. DH will be 7 1/2 weeks old and couldn't even have tylenol or ibuprofen since he is under 2 months.

Is anyone out here who didn't have their child's tongue/lip tie removed and worked around it? Are there any long time studies on children who had it done and how their speech developed (meaning articulation)? I know it is a quick procedure but to laser in my baby's mouth seems like a big deal.

Please tell me your thoughts and experiences!!! Thanks so much, Maren 

[gumshoegirl007]

Yes!  We discovered that we had a posterior tongue tie at around 3-4 weeks of age.  We didn't get it lasered.

Aside from the initial latching issues and mastitis soon after my milk came in, breastfeeding went okay for us.  That's once we got the baby back onto the breast that is.  And it was once she was nursing again that was when we discovered the posterior tongue tie.  The baby was nursing well, gaining weight, and the only issue was that nursing was uncomfortable/painful for me.  Since the baby was nursing well, and I could manage the pain, we didn't want to mess with a situation that had seemed to work itself out. 

Nursing got less painful with time and we're still nursing today...at 16 months.

Do whatever you think will work well for you and your babe! 

In talking with the Dr., we were assured that the tongue tie would have no impact on speech development.  And, the funny thing is, we also discovered that I too have a posterior tongue tie! I have no speech issues.