6 wk old - mild tongue tie to snip or not to snip

[forevermore]

DD2 has what i've been told is a mild tongue tie. its about 1/4 of a way back from tip of tongue. The GP diagnosed it at 6 week check and said lets see what happens when she's over a year. I don't have much confidence in the HCP who have 'advised' me recently so thought i would check with you guys.

DD2 cannot poke out her tongue and it forms a heart shape when she tries to stretch it out. feeding has been going ok until recently when she keeps losing the latch and only feeds for s hort time (5-10 min) this has been happening for nearly 2 weeks (although I have been reassured on here that the duration of feeding is ok). could the tongue tie start to affect feeding/latch later rather than sooner?

breasfeeding counsellor suggested i get a referal and i have. apparantly they would snip there and then if i wish.

i am worried i may do unnecessary damage? could it go wrong and affect her speech or something? is it really distressing for them?

i am not sure what to do. will breastfeeding improve or is it not worth the risk (if any)

TIA for sharing your experiences

[smallorange]

Mine had the snip at 3 weeks and it really improved feeding. It took seconds, didn't seem to hurt her and brought me immediate relief ( had v sore nips) doctor told me it was a good idea as can affect weaning/ speech.
However I also have a Tongue tie and apart from being unable to roll my r's and a slight lisp on s sounds, it hasn't done me any harm.

On balance, if it was my baby, I would have it done .

[hampdenpark27]

My son was tongue tied and it wasn't discovred till he was 4. by which time his speech development was affected. he has had it removed as best as they could surgically last december 08, and what a difference. Much more confident and clearer to understand. In talking to my midwife i understand that they now check for tongue tie very early on, if they had done this, it would have explained why he also couldn't latch on to breast feed. I would have chosen to have it removed if i had found out much sooner. to save him from all the struggle of not being able to talk properly, and simple things like sticking your tongue out, eating easier. i would say go for it, but at the end of the day, its your decision. I just wanted to let you know that i'm here if you wanna talk, and good luck in what ever you decide. Also having it dealt with at an earlier age, is much easier than having to prepare and explain a 4 year old for an operation.

[SofaQueen]

DS has it and I didn't get him snipped. Didn't affect his feeding.

[nosferartifartu]

My DS had a tongue-tie and BFing was awful (painful, took forever, dribbly, fell off a lot). It took me a while to get it diagnosed and my the time he had it snipped was 14 weeks old. They took him into a room (so as not to distress me) and one minute later brought him out, gurgling happily. He didn't even cry and then had a feed. So it wasn't distressing for him. I think they do like to do it sooner rather than later though - DS was borderline as he was big and wriggly and they wanted to do it under GA initially but then expert surgeon assessed it and said they would try.

Did the BFC think that feeding was going okay or not?

[Tambajam]

I recently went to a talk given by a lactation consultant who manages a tongue tie clinic in London. From what you've said I really think you should consider going for the referral. Talk to the person who will do the procedure. Ask all the questions you can and decide then. If you have spoken to the expert you still have the right to walk away and think about it some more.
It is not uncommon for tongue tie to start to cause breastfeeding problems after the initial phase is over when the baby's feeding technique is even more crucial in driving your milk supply. If you are already seeing her losing the latch and her feeds are being affected it sounds like things can only get harder. I have spoken to several mums (I am a breastfeeding counsellor) after the procedure and they have ALL said how easy it was, how the baby seemed remarkably unfussed, how much better feeding was afterwards. Some babies cry but usually for less time and less intensity than after vaccinations. Babies are usually encouraged to feed immediately afterwards and the LC said in all her years only one baby hasn't.

Putting breastfeeding aside there is also a high risk she may have difficulty with speech as she is older not to mention that french kissing and licking an ice cream are quite fun too. I also know someone who had their son snipped at 3yrs at his speech was being affected and it was a MUCH bigger deal.

There really aren't risks to speak of. Very occasionally scar tissue can cause the tie to 'regrow' but that is so rare. The person doing the procedure can't really cut in the wrong place as it's so straightforward.

[forevermore]

thanks for sharing guys; really appreictae it.
tamba you're the first to speak of BF issues arising later having previously been ok. i am thinking this could be the case, however poor latch and fussines could be for other reasons also couldn't it?

I will ask the BF experts at the clinic to have a look and hopefully they will decide for me

[spookyrookie]

DS had a tongue tie and it was one of the reasons that I stopped bf fairly soon, as he found it very hard to latch and because of the C-section I found it hard to get him in the right position.

I have a tongue tie and it hasn't affected me in any way, but I know someone else who had their sons snipped when he was about 2 years old as they felt it was impacting on his speech development.

On balance I would have it done in your situation as when they are very small although it clearly hurts it will be very quick and will hopefully mean that you can keep bf for longer.

[anothercoldcupoftea]

We had this - did the research on here and elsewhere, and decided to get DD2's tie snipped at 6 weeks. As far as I could make out, no real downside (momentary pain for DD, but she screamed worse than that having her jabs!), and the potential downsides of NOT having it done were more serious (BF and solid feeding issues, speech impediment, general anaesthetic if it needed to be done in future). The consultant who did it said there were no risks at all (assuming its done by a professional). Seemed like a no brainer to me!

PS still BF 4 months on, no problems, DD2 is on the 99.6th centile

[roomforthree]

I'd have it done now. From what I understand, a snip at a very young age is a quick and easy procedure, relatively painless, and is only very rarely associated with complications.

DS2 was initially diagnosed with tongue tie at 6 weeks (only because I pointed it out!) GP was reluctant to refer as DS2 was gaining weight really well, and we had no issues with feeding. However, at about 3 months, feeding became a big problem when DS2 started flailing at the breast and refusing to feed. He lost weight rapidly, and plunged through 2 centile lines.

After a fairly quick referral by a lactation consultant to a maxfax surgeon, DS2 had his tie separated at about 4.5 months, under general anaesthetic.

The surgery and recovery was awful. DS2 refused to feed for several days, and was in a lot of pain . However, when DS2 resumed feeding, boy, did he feed! The difference was huge. His weight has increased significantly, and he is now back on the centile line he was following at birth.

We think that it was left too late, and if it had been done when first diagnosed, the weight loss and post-operative pain DS2 endured would have been avoided . The lactation consultant agreed with me and was horrified that the referral had been left so late.

So, in your position, and knowing my experience, I would definately have it done now, rather than wait and see.

Sorry for long post, but I hope that it's of some help.

[forevermore]

dd is closer to 7 weeks now (she should have the snip tommorow if all goes well). After these posts will definetly go ahead unless told otherwise. thank-you for sharing.

do you think recovery wil be ok at 7 weeks? should she feed as normal or better straight afterwards??

[nosferartifartu]

forevermore- I seem to remember DS fed normally straight afterwards. Recovery was very quick - no problems with him at all. Feeding started to get better quickly although it was probably a couple of weeks before no soreness (me!) and a month before the length of his feeds reduced.

[anothercoldcupoftea]

forevermore - recovery should be fine (in fact there isn't really a 'recovery' as such, as its such a simple procedure). DD2 fed straight afterwards, then fell fast asleep and was fine when she woke up. The feeding issues (just a slight latching on/off for us, sort of head butting - not a major problem) improved within a few days as she learnt how to re-use her tongue, so you might not notice an immediate improvement. Good luck.