Tounge Tied

[annelizabeth]

A mother I met recently who is successfully nursing her third child expressed great joy in actually putting her son to the breast. She wasn't able to with her others due to them being tounge tied. Is that common??

[ma2maya]

I am not sure how common it is. Maybe it is genetic if two of three had it.
Anyways...a mother I know just recently had a child who is tongue tied. There is a relatively simple surgery to fix it, although her insurance won't pay for it b/c they say it is cosmetic. She is fighting this b/c not being able to nurse correctly is more than just a "cosmetic" implication of being tongue tied. The baby is eating and gaining weight fine now, though it could become more of an issue as time passes.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

it is genetic, so common in families, but not universally common. having the frenulum clipped is really quick and easy... my understanding is some midwives used to leave one nail relatively long, and just did a quick swipe shortly after birth, then baby went to breast to stop the bleeding.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

Originally Posted by ma2maya

a mother I know just recently had a child who is tongue tied. There is a relatively simple surgery to fix it, although her insurance won't pay for it b/c they say it is cosmetic. She is fighting this b/c not being able to nurse correctly is more than just a "cosmetic" implication of being tongue tied. The baby is eating and gaining weight fine now, though it could become more of an issue as time passes.

0of course, but betcha they would have no qualms paying for circ...


anyways, baby gaining weight isnt the only problem. mom can have serious pain and problems as well. she needs to keep fighting it, unless it is really minimal.

also sometimes the frenulum will "stretch" itself a bit, and not cause any problems

[velcromom]

My ds was moderately tongue tied, caused lots of soreness in the first two months but no one who examined him told us that was the cause. Got over that then had chronic problems with plugged ducts. I sought help from LLL and an IBCLC and finally had the frenectomy done when ds was 10 months, the dr was reluctant but both my hubby and I went in and had a ream of documentation with us. Immediately following the procedure my problems stopped. It is a genetic thing in our family to be mildly tongue tied but with bottle fed babies no one notices so it was a surprise to us.

[ma2maya]

Originally Posted by mom2tig99Nroo03

0of course, but betcha they would have no qualms paying for circ...

Actually, circumcision is not a covered procedure under the insurance plan.

[roxy]

my 9yo ds was slightly TT. i had never heard of such a thing, but the wic LC pointed it out to explain the painful nipples i'd had for months. it was clipped around 8 mos. i can't remember if it was redone (isn't that horrible, to forget?), but i'm thinking it was. ds2 is also slightly TT, but as a more experienced nursing mom, i've left it alone, and dealt with it by positioning and tongue training.
the procedure is quick and simple, bleeding stopped w/in seconds of being put to the breast. same LC recently told me that the procedure is gaining more acceptance in this area. 9-10 yrs ago, there was only one dr in the county known for being willing to do it.
i don't know too much more about it, except to say i would recommend it be done if necessary to save the nursing relationship.

[Bleu]

I really appreciate th e good info in this thread.

We thought Bleuet might be slightly tongue-tied in the beginning when he wasn't getting enough at the breats and his pediatrician told me that if we had his frenulum clipped we wouldn't be able to nurse that day, maybe for a few days afterwards while it healed. I accepted her "expertise" at face value. If he had any TT at all, it went away -- some TT can stretch out if they are mild, according to my LC.

[ma2maya]

Talked to my friend today. They won the appeal with their insurance. Funy, but the issue wasn't necessarily with the procedure but with the professional they had submitted the request for. Their request was for the procedure to be done by an oral surgeon, the insurance said that if it was done at an ear, nose, and throat practice it was coverable. Interesting, guess oral surgery is considered cosmetic but if same procedure done by different type of specialist then it is coverable.

[deleria]

My first ds was tongue tied, which made a horrible go of things the first week. Thankfully, it was 'snipped' at the pediatrician's office at his one-week checkup. Nipple soreness and engorgement went away within a couple of days. We continued a beautiful breastfeeding relationship afterwards

Our second ds was not severely tongue tied. Latch has been just fine. 18 months and going strong!

[Shirada]

My daughter is now 4 years old (and surprisingly still nursing), and we had a tough and painful time nursing in the beginning, (5 months in fact!). I never knew she was tongue-tied and recall doing a lot of research as to why my nipples were blanced white during and after LONG nursing sessions but never successfully discovered the answer till about a year ago! I wish she had been diagnosed and been snipped as a newborn. Despite seeking help with a lactation consultant, it was never mentioned as a problem although I always knew nursing shouldn't hurt so much. At 2 years of age we had nursing problems again with teeth indentations which in retrospect I know to be because of her tongue-tie and maturing palate.

Anyhow, that is some of our story, but the main reason I am posting is to inform others of the great new information I have discovered. One is a link to Dr. Brian Palmers website with important information regarding the condition and another is a link to some research conducted in Israel regarding a SIMPLE procedure that a child can have if not diagnosed with their first year. I recently wrote to Dr. Brain Palmer and he was very helpful. Here goes:


http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/frenum.htm

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=14523332

[stafl]

both of mine were born mildly tongue-tied. Oldest was unable to nurse because of it. new baby nursed no problem from day one!
I never could find a doc to clip oldest DD's tongue, but she did finally outgrow it enough to be able to nurse by three months of age. I would help her do exercises to stretch it, by sticking my tongue out at her and getting her to imitate me. I think she eventually snipped it herself, once she was up and running around. Maybe she fell and her teeth cut that strip of skin or something? It wasn't a major deal.

[pb_and_j]

I, as well as both my boys, are "tongue tied." There are definately varying degrees to it. Neither of my boys has had problems nursing so it has never been an issue. However, if the baby is not able to latch on properly then I think it's necessary to have the frenulum clipped.