Tongue Tie in Northern Ireland

[nearlyreadytopop]

I suspect DS has a posterior tongue tie. I have been to the GP who checked and says he looks normal but that she will investigate getting him checked by someone else. The HV says since DS is gaining well there is nothing to worry about. I am suffering through each feed and to me if I am in pain there is something wrong.
I have looked to see if there are any local tongue tie specialists to no avail. I'm just wondering if anyone in NI has experience with getting posterior tt diagnosed and corrected?

I don't live in NI, but I just wanted to let you know that just because your DS is gaining weight, it doesn't mean that there isn't a problem.

It seems to be a common belief that a baby that gains weight either doesn't have TT, or if they have been diagnosed with TT, that it isn't an issue.

In the first few months, milk production is largely hormone-driven, so even babies with a tongue tie can gain weight as they don't have to try as hard to get it. Later, when milk production settles into supply-and-demand, your supply may start to suffer if your DS isn't able to feed effectively.

Also (and this is the bit that really upset me when I was in your position) There is something to worry about - you are suffering!! Your pain and discomfort should not be overlooked, and it is important that you don't continue struggling.

How old is your DS? Is there an Infant feeding coordinator at your local hospital? Really, you need to have him checked by someone with experience in tongue ties, as they can be difficult to spot, especially posterior tongue ties.

Do you have any specific symptoms - wedge/lipstick shaped nipples after feeding, a compression ridge after feeding, does your DS make a clicking noise, etc?

I hope someone with experience in NI comes along, and if I find anything I will post it here, but I remember how hard it was, and you are doing amazingly well to keep going.

www.nwih.co.uk/pages/departments/ear_nose_and_throat/tounge_tie/

hi
Baby is now 12 weeks. I have some of the specific symptoms, wedge shaped nipples, vasospasm after feeding and the clicking noise.

My GP checked his mouth last week and said it looks normal. She went to check with the HV who is the areas bf specialist. Neither has heard of posterior tongue tie before. GP did talk about a referral but said it could be 6 to 8 weeks and she wasnt sure about it.

Regarding the weight gain, I have oversupply issues so baby doesnt have to work very hard at all to get plenty of milk.
I will look into the bf coordinator at the hospital.
thanks

thanks for the link, I didnt even know about that independent hospital!

No problem :)

I had an oversupply too - it was a bit of a nightmare at times, but I wonder if it's the body's way of compensating.

My bf health visitor had also never hear of a posterior tongue tie - I ended up hiring a lactation consultant for a cou[le of hours. It cost me more than I could really afford at the time, but it turned out to be money well spent. She gave me the referral I needed (NHS).

Keep pushing. I think what you really need to find out is where a normal tongue tie would be treated, and work backwards from there. There were only a couple of places near me that TTs were referred to, so I phoned them and found out what they needed from me to go ahead. I know the last thing you need with a new baby (especially when you have problems feeding) is to spend a lot of time and energy trying to sort this out, but when bf started working for me it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. In the meantime, see if you can get some nipple cream (Lanisoh helped me) on prescription, and take paracetamol if it helps any. I expressed one feed a day to give me a bit of a break - I don't know if that is something that would work for you.

There are also a number of breastfeeding helplines/resources, including the breastfeeding network (0844 20 909 20 - 9.30am-9.30pm) and La Leche League (www.laleche.org.uk/ - phone and email support). I'm sure there are loads more, but these could get you started. They might be able to let you know what help there is in your area, as well as offer practical advice. I used the LLL helpform, and got some really helpful advice, as well as confirmation that I wasn't bonkers for thinking DS had a posterior TT.

There are also some bf support groups listed here, but if my experience was anything to go by it can be just as hit and miss as your GP/health visitor. Not everyone is experienced in diagnosing TT.

I found details of a NI lactation consultant here. I don't know if she's any good, or if she has experience of posterior tongue tie, but she is the only private NI lactation consultant I could find.

I really hope you get some help quickly, or that someone who has had a TT snipped in Northern Ireland comes along with some advice.

You've been working so hard to take care of your DS, just remember to take care of yourself too :)

That's really awful HereIGo :(

Just to follow up on this post
HereIgo, thats pretty much what the HV told me today. She said that they would only take action on tt if the baby could not latch at all. I wonder why its so different in England?
Browneyesbluee
I dont know if my baby has a posterior tongue tie but I was really hoping to find someone with experience that could check for me. I have had the LC out already but I dont think its an area she is familiar with. She advised the GP route but warned that they dont take it seriously. At this stage I'm trying to investigate every possible reason for my nipple pain. Ive had swabs taken and an waiting on the pharmacist making up some of Jack Newmans APNO. Im determined that some day soon I can have the lovely breastfeeding experience that everyone talks about

Thanks again

Hi op!! I'm in NI and have same prob- 12 wo and same symptoms but gaining weight well... I got referred to paediatrician who was useless!! She told me he has no TT but I'm convinced he has. She said that unless it was a severe one they wouldn't do anything about it anyway . She said that as he was thriving even though feeds were difficult I just had to live with it or put him on ff . Needless to say I live with it!!! I didn't push issue any further as didn't want to obsess about it ( and I would!) so we are feeding away as normal. I do think that things are improving though as he has gotten bigger- he doesn't fuss as much after letdown, but I find that feeds are frequent as he still would tire himself out sucking. Won't be giving up any time soon though xo hth!

I know this thread is old but just incase anyone else comes across the same issues I had in NI I thought I would post and update
On the suggestion of someone on here I had an online/phone consult with Milk Matters. Charlie was fantastic and by looking at a variety of photos able to see the TT.
Through a bf counsellor I was told that there was a consultant (Bill McCallion) in the Royal in Belfast who snips TT. He also works in the Ulster Independent Clinic. I decided to go privately to see him as I have been in pain long enough. Need a GP referral for this (they cant refuse). I phoned clinic on Monday morning and had an appointment for that night. So DS tt finally snipped at 20 weeks. It was so quick, straightforward and cost £150. I am still very sore so its hard to tell if there has been any improvement. Living in hope that tt snip and some cranial osteopathy along with going back to basics on position and latch will help.

Hopefully this is helpful ...

As a consultant paediatric surgeon I regularly release tongue-ties for infants and children in Northern Ireland.

Tongue-ties are incredibly variable with some being flimsy and others being quite thick and fleshy.

It's not just about weight gain, as poor latch and painful nipples are also common valid reasons to consider releasing a tongue-tie.

As surgeons we are generally happy to release a tongue-tie in the clinic, without the need for a general anaesthetic, if your baby is less than 3 months old.

Once your child is older than 3 months, then their head control is far too good to safely have this done in the clinic. In this case surgeons will generally offer tongue-tie release under general anesthetic. This is also my preference if the tongue-tie is very thick or fleshy as it's easier to control any bleeding.

Posterior tongue-ties are controversial for sure. I think most are simply a more typical 'anterior' tongue tie that just doesn't extend quite so far towards the tip of the tongue.

Either way a full assessment, including elevating your baby's tongue, by an experienced professional is required to correctly diagnose and treat their tongue-tie effectively.

Best wishes,

Brian

Your helpful reply was about 11 years late there, Brian...

but in good time for us!