Can I still be lactivist if...... - Page 2

[MarcyC]

You all are so supportive! This morning I'm working on drafting letters...

I'm writing to the ENT that we saw who refuses to "agree" with the tongue tie diagnosis.

I'm writing a letter to all area peds and ENT's that I'll send along with the information on the different classifications of tongue-tie.

I'm writing a letter to all area hospitals (specifically their birthing centers and LC's) along with the information on the different classifications of tongue-tie.

I'm writing a letter to hospital where I delivered. They didn't let me nurse the first 24 hours because I was on magnesium for pre-eclampsia.

I'll post them here before I send them to get your input...

Here's the info on tongue tie I'm including...

http://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/8-27%20Newsletter.pdf

[homewithtwinsmama]

Contact area CPM midwives and see if any of them will do it. The midwife I precepted with in PA did tongue ties in her office.

Lorrie

Originally Posted by MarcyC

......I quit nursing?

DS recently got diagnosed with a class III tongue tie. And it was only recently that I was educated as to the different classes of tongue tie and how classes III and IV are almost always missed.

I saw one ENT who disagreed with the LC's assessment and refuses to do anything about the tongue-tie.

Well, today I saw the pediatrician and the appointment went well in some respects, but he was blatantly honest.

First off, he feels terrible. He said he knows of the different tongue tie classifications and can't believe he missed the signs in DS. He feels really bad. He really showed compassion and empathy for me and DS. It was touching.

But he also told me that I would be hard-pressed to find an ENT in the area who would agree with the diagnoses. He said the ENT's around here are not educated in issues regarding infant feeding and that they go simply by weight alone (nevermind the fact that I have to unlatch and relatch him 20 times per nursing session and I have use an SNS wide-open just to get milk into the little guy). He said to put it bluntly I probably was not going to get the tongue-tie fixed at this point. (They don't do it in the peds office.)

I'm pumping like mad (got a Lactina), but things are headed downhill FAST!!! Every nursing session gets more and more painful than the last and all this latching/unlatching/relatching is driving me mad! It's so incredibly frustrating and I can tell he is frustrated as well.

What I'd really like to do though is go to LLL meetings and help other new moms and get out this literature about tongue tie. There are two classifications that are really easy to miss and mis-diagnose as simply "low milk supply" and I feel like if this knowledge got out there to enough peds, it would help other new moms who might be struggling.

[p1gg1e]

My SIL is still nursing her DD who is TT but man she was in pain for 6 months.

Your doing a great job! Sounds like you have great offers for info and help!

[Rubyandwillsmom]

Anyone can be a lactivits! If I were you I'd call every EMT, Pediatric Surgeon and oral surgeon you can find!!! And then give their info to your Doc for future references at least.

[CathMac]

Originally Posted by MarcyC

...

I'm writing a letter to all area peds and ENT's that I'll send along with the information on the different classifications of tongue-tie.

I'm writing a letter to all area hospitals (specifically their birthing centers and LC's) along with the information on the different classifications of tongue-tie.

I'm writing a letter to hospital where I delivered. They didn't let me nurse the first 24 hours because I was on magnesium for pre-eclampsia.

...

Yes you are a Lactivist. From the response here I'm sure you can get references if you ever need them.

Regarding supply & pumping issues. Please check out the supply thread "sticky" at the top of the BF'ing challenges board. In particular see the 5th post for suggestions on supply and the 6th post for suggestions on increasing pumping output.

Good luck
~Cath

[frontierpsych]

Of course you can! I consider myself a lactivist and I have never nursed a baby before in my life. But I still work to normalize breastfeeding in my circle of friends, which is great, because they are mostly young and most have no children yet, so they aren't set in their ways.

[momileigh]

How interesting. I've never read about different types of tongue-tie before.

Whenever we find a tied tongue during a newborn exam, we snip it on the spot, or just pop it with a clean thumbnail. I wonder if that would work for the types 3 and 4... seems probably not. (And of course not w/ an older child!)

[AidynElyMama]

Sounds to me like you are a lactivist already, I don't think it matters at all! Good luck!