should I have my 2 wk old son's tongue tie snipped

[spongebrainbigpants]

Hi, not sure if this is the right thread to post on, but I'm looking for advice on my little boy's tongue tie.

He's 12 days old and is not being breast fed so it's not for feeding reasons but I've heard that tongue tie can interfere with speech development - but obviously won't know if this will be a problem for another year or two. I also understand that, if I think it should be snipped, it would be better to do it now than when he's older.

Really agonising about this and I know I probably shouldn't be, but interested in others experiences/opinions so I can make a more informed decision.

Thank you.

My DS had his done at 2 weeks because he had a poor latch and bf'ing was taking forever - it didn't hurt him at all - he didn't even whimper. It improved his latch no end.
I had insisted that the MWs all check for it because DH has a tongue tie, that also prevents him from french kissing properly (not that I'm particularly bothered but it could be a handicap for DS when he is a teen ).

A friend of mine didn't discover her DS1's tongue tie until he was about 3 (she had had problems bf'ing but didn't know why) and it did seem to be affecting his speech a little, he lisped a bit before and then not after it was divided. Of course at 3 the operation was more involved (anaeshetic, more discomfort)

Our hospital do the tongue-tie snip with no hassle on the NHS but I know that there are some that don't; there are private clinics that will do it but I think it costs £100.

I would say get it done if you can - it won't do him any harm and it might prevent future issues.

It was no problem getting our son's tongue tie sorted - we went back to the ward where he was born and the trained midwife did it there. No waiting list at all, as it only takes seconds to do. A few years ago, this wasn't the case, but far more areas around the country now accept this as a routine procedure and have trained midwives up to do it.

If it does cause problems when the child is older, it is not that simple to resolve - tongue ties that still cause problems at several years old normally require an operation with general anaesthetic and stitches. HOWEVER, tongue ties that aren't that severe (probably the majority) generally resolve themselves by stretching or tearing, or by simply not being bad enough in the first place to cause genuine problems. Still, a tiny snip with scissors isn't exactly a traumatic procedure, if you are worried your child might be one of the ones to have problems. I certainly don't regret it.

DS2 had tongue tie. Consultant told us that in his opinion it was barbaric to perform the procedure to split the tongue without anaesthetic I was so relieved to hear this from a medic because my gut feeling was that if someone snipped that part of my tongue without pain relief, they would have to remove me from the ceiling afterwards. I admired his honesty and we decided against the procedure. DS2 was BF'd and yes, there were initially latch issues but probably no more than the when DS1 and I were "learning" to BF! His speech has never been problematic. Personally, I think its better to wait to see if the situation resolves itself.

lordy hascas, there was no way my DS tongue tie snip was done without anaesthetic - it was dabbed with a tiny amount of local anaesthetic prior to snip; but the other point is that it WOULD hurt you much more, as it would hurt an older child much more, hence the need for more anaesthesia and more pain post-op in an older child if it doesn't resolve itself.

Thumbwitch, I am curious to know how you arrive at your viewpoint that pain is greater if child is older?? Pain is pain, no? Babies cry. Fact. We can only guess at the reason for that cry and whenever they do cry we, naturally, offer them comfort which they, usually, respond favourably to. Who is to say that the baby whose tongue is snipped is not crying in pain for several days afterwards? You only know its worse for an older child because they can articulate that.

With our consultation, we were told that, under a certain age, anaesthetic was not used.

DD1 had a bad tongue tie, which caused huge feeding problems (along with other things).

It was only noticed when she was about 6 weeks old, and wasn't snipped, she is now 2.3, and as yet we haven't noticed anything wrong with her speech.

The doctor told us that most tongue ties stretch themselves away, and that if it does cause any speech problems it is a simple procedure to correct. (I hope he was right!)

hascas, the part that gets snipped is thin and not properly formed when the baby is v young. thats why it doesnt hurt if you do it right away. when ds3 had it done he didnt even cry. not a murmur. absolutely painless.
as we grow that part gets tougher i believe and thats why it becomes more of a procedure, with risks and pain involved. all of which would be avoided by perfomring a 2 second painless snip at birth.

I agree with Amphibimum - it really is NOT a hugely painful procedure for a very small infant (and I mean a few weeks old, not a few months or years). The only people on here saying that it is or may be are people who never had their children's tongue ties cut and therefore haven't seen or experienced the reality.

Of course a tiny baby's tongue tie is going to be easier and less painful to cut than an older child's as there is far less, far thinner, less tough tissue there to cut. That's why tongue ties in very young children frequently resolve themselves - sometimes by tearing and causing bleeding, without the child particularly noticing or caring. The only real argument is whether it is worth getting done if the likelihood is that it will resolve itself in any event. That is largely why the procedure is confined to people having huge difficulties breastfeeding.

I for one found breastfeeding my tongue tied son intense agony - nothing at all like the initial pains I got breastfeeding my elder son. With my tongue tied son, I ended up with deep bruising deep inside my breast that took several weeks to recover even after he started feeding properly. It reduced me to tears of agony every time he tried to feed, as I couldn't bear him clamping down on the bruising all the time - not to mention the damage it caused to my nipples, which would come out squashed into the shape of a lipstick and also with purple bruises on them. Most definitely worth resolving that with a simple procedure.

hascas, my ds did not cry at all afterwards and we were made to bf immediately, which he did for about 15 minutes. There was no more thsn usual crying afterwards (and I ean days). Also, DS had to have an inguinal hernia operated on at 7 wks old and, apart from the first day, he didn't cry more than normal after that either. I was told by the consultant paediatricians that babies often have less reaction to pain, whether because they feel it less or not, I don't know.

And Amphibium and asteamedpoater explained the physical reasons already.

Asteamedpoated - your bf'ing experience sounds awful - I felt like DS was sucking razorblades through my nips and it was a real test of endurance sometimes to let him latch on; I didn't get as bad bruising as you mentioned but he drew blood a few times so well worth getting the snip done.

My son is now 5 months old and it was discovered that he had a tongue tie at his 8 week check up and told not to worry. He was breast feeding, not very well very messy and not putting on weight but still told not to worry. Had to stop breast feeding not that i wanted to. He still has not doubled his birth weight althought bottle feeding better now. Still told not to worry but i am wanting to see if he can get an op. I felt that no one was that bothered where i was pulling my hair out about it.