YAY! Nursing w/ no pain thanks to frenulum clip!

[bluesymama]

IT WORKED!!!
To VickV and SheBear and all others who gave me advice THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! We went into the Dr. today, and she right away said that Toren's frenulum was very tight- and with a 2 second procedure- (I think it was cauterization- I am not sure- I was cowering in the corner) it was finished! He let out one tiny yelp, and they handed him to me- I put him to the breast- and he latched on- and it was like HEAVEN girls- just like it's supposed to be! NO PAIN AT ALL! Even on nipples that were already sore from 2 weeks of abuse! It's almost like releasing his toungue proved to be therapeutic to my sore nipples- nursing him feels great now!
It was such a dramatic and instant change- I cried for 10 minutes afterward! :::
I AM SO HAPPY WE DID THIS! (I really wish we had done it sooner- but no complaints! ) It was a virtually painless procedure- he didn't seem that bothered by it at all- he gets more upset over a diaper change! And the difference- WOW! In an instant our lives have changed- it's amazing how difficult nursing problems can be- and how much they can affect your life! It's also adorable to see him actually STICK OUT HIS TONGUE now! I didn't realize it before- but he couldn't really do it! It's so cute! (hee-hee)
I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone considering it- it really wasn't bad at all and the payoff has been SO worth it! My little nursling seems so much happier now!
Anyway- maybe now things will settle down a bit! I would love to have time to catch up on posting...
Much Love to all of you Ladies...: I am such a grateful, Happy Momma! :

[AGlimmeringHope]

Yay! I'm so glad it worked and nursing is pain free now Serenity!

[bumblebeej]

awww I'm so happy for you! Your post gave me goosies! It's so nice when everything goes RIGHT!

[wholewheatmama]

YAY! we have an appt for next friday. just having pain on one side. hope the clipping helps here too.

thanks for sharing! enjoy your nursing!

[SheBear]

I'm so happy for you! I've been thinking about you, hoping it was going well for both of you!

isn't it amazing what a huge difference such a small bit of skin can make?? IMO, it is one more product of our "formula society" that doctors simply don't know--or refuse to acknowledge--the effect short frenulum can have on breastfeeding. I still can't believe how hard it was for us to convince our ped to give us a referral to an ENT!

And frenulum issues are fairly common, it seems... My midwife said that in "olden days" the midwives would keep one of their fingernails long and sharp, and would automatically check the frenulum after birth and use the fingernail to cut it if necessary. Not that I'd advocate doing it that way, lol, but I sure advocate doing it asap after a problem is noticed!

Since our exp. with ds1, that has been the first thing I've checked (and asked the mw to check) after each of our babies were born. Possibly I'm a wee bit paranoid, but I do NOT want to go through that again!! : And I don't want anyone else to have to suffer through it, either!

[kerrybennysmama]

I was told my son has a short Frenulum as well. Nursing was initially very painful, but it has gotten better. Not sure if maybe I have just gotten used to it our not. My ped said we would wait to see if it posed a problem later with speech since apparently they can stretch over time. As I am reading and seeing how much better things are for you, I am wondering if its just better to take care of it now. Are there any cons with getting it done early as opposed to waiting?

[bluesymama]

Originally Posted by kerrybennysmama

I was told my son has a short Frenulum as well. Nursing was initially very painful, but it has gotten better. Not sure if maybe I have just gotten used to it our not. My ped said we would wait to see if it posed a problem later with speech since apparently they can stretch over time. As I am reading and seeing how much better things are for you, I am wondering if its just better to take care of it now. Are there any cons with getting it done early as opposed to waiting?

This is my first experience with a short frenulum- so I'm not sure- from what I've learned they can grow out of it over time and they also vary in severity- Toren's was pretty tight from what the Doc said and was causing unbearable pain for me- and was very frustrating for him also. If nursing is getting better for you- than maybe your son is outgrowing it already? (that would be great! ) As far as getting it done early- I would definitely have done it way sooner if I had known what was going on- it would have saved alot of sore, sleepless nights for me. It's an incredibly small thing to have done- and the pain it saved me was tremendous! Hope that helps a little...

Originally Posted by SheBear

isn't it amazing what a huge difference such a small bit of skin can make?? IMO, it is one more product of our "formula society" that doctors simply don't know--or refuse to acknowledge--the effect short frenulum can have on breastfeeding.

I couldn't agree with you more! I know so many ladies who have given up on breastfeeding due to pain issues- and now I wonder how many of them may have been facing the same thing- and didn't know it!

Originally Posted by SheBear

And frenulum issues are fairly common, it seems... My midwife said that in "olden days" the midwives would keep one of their fingernails long and sharp, and would automatically check the frenulum after birth and use the fingernail to cut it if necessary. Not that I'd advocate doing it that way, lol, but I sure advocate doing it asap after a problem is noticed!

That actually sounds pretty nifty to me! I was so worried about the procedure- But there wasn't a drop of blood- it took only a few seconds and Toren barely noticed! I would definitely have preferred to have done it earlier though- so he wouldn't have had to go through 2 weeks of frustration. And for me too, of course! Sore, cracked nipples bite the dust. Big Time! It would have been great if the Midwife could have done it right there- when he was born...
By the way- He is CRACKING ME UP with his adorable tongue antics now- :nana: He is absolutely FASCINATED by his ability to move it and stick it out- and his eyes get all HUGE like he's going "WOW- check THAT out!" I HAVE to get some video of this before the novelty wears off for him...

[SheBear]

The only "con" I'm aware of is the financial cost of it, but of course you should do your own research. Someone posted a really good link here just a couple days ago....maybe search the forum for "frenulum". I think the link was in VickV's thread.

Anyway, IMO, you should at least ask for a consult with an ENT and/or pediatric dentist. Also talk to a really good LC, who is most likely to have exp. with how frenulum issues directly impact nursing.

You said that nursing was initially "very painful" but that it has gotten better. For me the question would be: "how much better?" are you still putting up with some level of pain that could be corrected with the frenulectomy? And, is better good enough?

ETA: Here's that link! http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/frenum.htm

[SheBear]

Originally Posted by bluesymama

That actually sounds pretty nifty to me! I was so worried about the procedure- But there wasn't a drop of blood- it took only a few seconds and Toren barely noticed! I would definitely have preferred to have done it earlier though- so he wouldn't have had to go through 2 weeks of frustration. And for me too, of course! Sore, cracked nipples bite the dust. Big Time! It would have been great if the Midwife could have done it right there- when he was born...
By the way- He is CRACKING ME UP with his adorable tongue antics now- :nana: He is absolutely FASCINATED by his ability to move it and stick it out- and his eyes get all HUGE like he's going "WOW- check THAT out!" I HAVE to get some video of this before the novelty wears off for him...

You said they cauterized it, rather than clipping with scissors? Interesting! For ds1, they used some lidocaine sort of gel, then grabbed his tongue with a piece of gauze and clipped with itty bitty curved scissors--they looked just like needlework scissors, LOL! And there were maybe 2 drops of blood, but the thing that bothered him most was them holding his tongue with the gauze, LOL! And he definitely didn't fuss as much as at a diaper change!

And I hear you about the tongue cuteness! Bethany is really fascinated by her own tongue, and she mimics me when I stick mine out, it's so adorable! That's how I knew that she didn't have a short frenulum--during that first amazing post-birth "quiet alert" period, I got her to mimic me sticking out my tongue, and hers came out way past her gums, and came to a perfect little point. She is always doing little tongue acrobatics, esp. during bath time. I agree, you definitely have to get some video of Toren doing it!

[VickV]

I am so happy for you!! That's awesome I wish they had cauterized Olivia's, but, like Sarah, our experience was a grab and snip, with far more tears and upset about the gauze than the cut.

Originally Posted by kerrybennysmama

I was told my son has a short Frenulum as well. Nursing was initially very painful, but it has gotten better. Not sure if maybe I have just gotten used to it our not. My ped said we would wait to see if it posed a problem later with speech since apparently they can stretch over time. As I am reading and seeing how much better things are for you, I am wondering if its just better to take care of it now. Are there any cons with getting it done early as opposed to waiting?

I'd definitely see a pedi ENT for their assessment - yeah it can stretch, but I think *how* short and tight it is plays a role. With Olivia, her frenulum was attached right at the tip of her tongue and the ENT said it was "very" tight. His criteria for recommending in favor of the procedure was the degree of shortness/tightness and if it was affecting nursing - he wasn't going to advocate for it to ward of future problems if nursing was going well.

I'll admit that I did weigh possible future issues into my decision - and the fact that after DD was 8 weeks old, it was no longer an in-office procedure, but one that required general anesthesia. Those factors, plus the pain when nursing, led me to believe that cutting it now was for the best.

The only risk our ENT mentioned was the possibility of damaging the salivary glands- but he also said it was something that would heal, and that it was something he'd never seen happen. I imagine that it's a greater risk in an un-anesthetized baby than in an anesthetized one, simply for the wiggle factor.

[wife&mommy]

that is great!