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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Tongue tie

71 replies

lookout · 15/10/2011 11:50

Following on from my other thread, can anyone share their experience of tongue tie division? Ds has a slight one, feeding is horrible, the pain is driving me to tears at most feeds and we've been offered the snip if we want to.

I was all for it until the mw explained the risks of not being able to stop the bleeding and having to cortorise (sp?), and infection. Just wondered if people could tell me about both feeding with a tt, and getting it snipped.

TIA.

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RandomMess · 30/10/2011 17:39

I just really feel for you. I carried on through the pain/discomfort (was no longer agony) and put up with square shaped nipples until I returned to work when she was 4 months old, I just couldn't express so ended up formula feeding then and now 9 years on I don't feel sad about it - it's such a small part of parenthood really!

My eldest was bottle fed from birth and the younger 3 all breast feed for 5,6 and 12 months respectively biggest plus was the not having to start sterlising bottles at 10pm at night because it had been forgotten earlier.

MightilyOats · 30/10/2011 22:33

If you or somebody else can get to boots tomorrow, get some of their own brand shields as much softer and a bit roomier. I'm reluctantly sticking with shields for a while as tried feeding without again this afternoon and instantly sore again, despite relatching a few times. Sigh. Something to talk about to mw tomorrow again I guess. Am going to try la leche league again to see if they can help, NCT helpline was good before as well might be worth you talking to them?

MightilyOats · 30/10/2011 22:33

If you or somebody else can get to boots tomorrow, get some of their own brand shields as much softer and a bit roomier. I'm reluctantly sticking with shields for a while as tried feeding without again this afternoon and instantly sore again, despite relatching a few times. Sigh. Something to talk about to mw tomorrow again I guess. Am going to try la leche league again to see if they can help, NCT helpline was good before as well might be worth you talking to them?

Original poster
lookout · 31/10/2011 14:39

I've given up on shields as he kept falling asleep on them. I'm expressing and giving bottles, though i can't seem to get much out, and then feeding through the pain to top up as expressed never seems to be enough. Spoke to bf counsellor last night who gave lots of advice, but feeding today has been a nightmare, plus he's been screaming a lot, and my nerves are in tatters. I wonder why i'm putting myself through this.

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MightilyOats · 31/10/2011 15:15

Hi lookout, sorry the hellishness is continuing. What do your nipples look like when he comes off? Mine tend to go quite elongated and white if he's been chomping on the end. Apparently there is a different hold for tt babies which is supposed to help as they come up from underneath, I haven't tried it yet, but its called jockey hold?

At the end of the day though if you want to move to a different way of feeding nobody is going to judge you after what you've been through, you've given him the best possible start. Big hugs xx

Ps apologies if this double posts, am sending from my phone.

Original poster
lookout · 31/10/2011 15:49

Nipples are white and shaped like a lipstick iyswim? I find rugby hold works well for a time then seems to stop working so well. Haven't heard of jockey hold, will google now. Thing is, i really don't want to move to a different way of feeding. I desperately want to bf, just can't seem to get it right Sad. I am still hopin that now the tie has been cut, he will get better. Just depends if i can hold out til he does.

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RandomMess · 31/10/2011 16:32
Sad

Do you know any other breast feeders who would try feeding him to see if they could correct the latch, desperate times and all that...

When you are so sore it's hard to pinpoint when the latch slips isn't it Sad

Original poster
lookout · 31/10/2011 18:18

Ooh, I don't know about that. Not quite sure I'm that desperate. Yet!

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TitaniaP · 31/10/2011 20:24

Lookout, not sure if you've had any post-op support. There are some "exercises" which you can do with your LO to help them exercise their new free tongue. I contacted Milk Matters when I was at the end of my tether and Ann Dobson came out to see me. If you google Milk Matters you'll get their contact details and they should be able to help (i'm on my phone so can't do links). Ann made a number of suggestions and we're putting them in place (only been a week). She's lovely and has really helped my confidence. Not sure how much difference her suggestions have made yet as I haven't had my DS weighed since she came out but the feeding feels better and I feel like I have more milk (so feel like he's demanding more if that makes sense).

If you have someone locally who can help then great, but I felt paying out for some specialist help was worth it to continue breast feeding as I'd exhausted all the NHS support. I wasn't in pain though we just had very slow weight gain.

Original poster
lookout · 01/11/2011 12:53

titaniap, have had some exercises from the nct counsellor, which we are using. there is a lot of local support, and a lot of different options which i don't feel i've exhausted yet, but thanks for the advice and i will bookmark that page should we need it in the future.

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MightilyOats · 01/11/2011 21:22

How are you doing today Lookout? Better I hope. I had a visit from a maternity support worker today and she said the latch was good, its now a case of slowly getting DS to stay on (she confirmed that he starts slipping back fairly quickly). I'm hoping he will eventually get fed up of me taking him off and stick with it, but going to take it very slowly - one or two feeds a day.

Have you seen the facebook group? Just search for tongue tie and you should find it if not. I've had lots of good advice from mums of tt babies on there. One thing people keep mentioning is a lip tie, which I hadn't heard of before, but is apparantly quite common in tt babies. Could that be the cause of the continued soreness? MSW also suggested nipple might be rubbing on the hard palette rather than getting far enough back to the soft palette where it needs to go.

Well done for persevering so far, I know what you mean about being desperate to bf - I'm very much the same, hoping like hell I can make it work long term.

MightilyOats · 01/11/2011 21:23

How are you doing today Lookout? Better I hope. I had a visit from a maternity support worker today and she said the latch was good, its now a case of slowly getting DS to stay on (she confirmed that he starts slipping back fairly quickly). I'm hoping he will eventually get fed up of me taking him off and stick with it, but going to take it very slowly - one or two feeds a day.

Have you seen the facebook group? Just search for tongue tie and you should find it if not. I've had lots of good advice from mums of tt babies on there. One thing people keep mentioning is a lip tie, which I hadn't heard of before, but is apparantly quite common in tt babies. Could that be the cause of the continued soreness? MSW also suggested nipple might be rubbing on the hard palette rather than getting far enough back to the soft palette where it needs to go.

Well done for persevering so far, I know what you mean about being desperate to bf - I'm very much the same, hoping like hell I can make it work long term.

Original poster
lookout · 02/11/2011 02:18

mightilyoats, brilliant that you had some help today. good luck, and well done yourself for persevering, we can make it!

saw my bf mw today and she said the same thing about the palette. she showed me how to do an exaggerated latch which, when done properly, forces the nipple further back in the mouth and results in a perfect feed. i haven't quite mastered it, managed 3 good feeds out of 8 today Confused, but that's better than nothing, and i will keep on keeping on.

good luck tomorrow

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Original poster
lookout · 02/11/2011 09:15

can't find the fb group. for some reason this exaggerated latch works fine on one side, but i cannot get it right on the other. it's getting on my nerves!

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MightilyOats · 03/11/2011 06:24

I'll send you the link when I get onto the computer. Glad exaggerated latch working a bit. I'm now contending with v tender engorged right breast which is not fun. 5 tender ducts, please don't be mastitis!

Good luck with the 3 wk growth spurt!

MightilyOats · 03/11/2011 06:24

I'll send you the link when I get onto the computer. Glad exaggerated latch working a bit. I'm now contending with v tender engorged right breast which is not fun. 5 tender ducts, please don't be mastitis!

Good luck with the 3 wk growth spurt!

Original poster
lookout · 03/11/2011 13:56

ooh, sounds painful. hot flannels apparently, though ive no idea really! hope it gets better, last thing you need is mastitis

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Original poster
lookout · 05/11/2011 17:44

one week on and we were still having trouble. went to see a private lactation consultant who checked tongue only to find it hadn't been cut properly the first time Sad. she cut it again today, only tiny difference noticeable in feeding but prob because nips are so damaged now. please please let things get better now...

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RandomMess · 05/11/2011 17:57

Nightmare. I really hope it helps!

BertieBotts · 05/11/2011 18:44

Does he have a lip tie as well by any chance?

Article about it here

Can also put you in touch with a friend who's been through the same.

Original poster
lookout · 06/11/2011 16:49

I've had a look but even with the photos in your link, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. He spreads his top lip upwards when feeding though, so I'm guessing he's probably not got a lip tie. That would be the last straw really, there would be o way I'd carry on feeding through that as well. I am seeing the lactation consultant again on Thursday though, so I will ask her opinion.

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