posterior tongue tie snip, baby is even more windy!

[milkyjo]

Am I expecting too much after the procedure today? 12 week old dd latched on fine after the procedure, then went to sleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours. Since waking she has fed but is so much more windy and unsettled than before the snip. I feel deflated and frustrated and I've got ds to look after too, with a screaming baby full of wind on my own until tomorrow! I have given her some camomilla (teetha) granules to calm her down. Is this what usually happens? All the info I've seen and personal experiences of others suggest baby's wind should calm down with the new effective latch. She has also been more sick today than ever in her life! The PTT snip was my last resort to carry on breastfeeding as she is in so much pain with the wind.

My DD had her posterior tie snipped at 12 weeks too. The lactation consultant warned me that it may take quite a few feeds for her to re-learn a good latch as by 12 weeks they may have formed bad habits.

I'd say it took about a week for DD's feeding to get consistently better. The LC did show me an exaggerated latch too which helped (held my breast either side of the nipple like a sandwich and sort of wiggled it further into her mouth, I'm sure there are youtube videos that explain better!)

Did she cry lots after the procedure? May have made her more windy if so

Forgot to say that apparently the fast milk transfer resulting from an effective latch can scare them if they are used to working really hard for milk, maybe this accounts for her being much sicker? Hang on in there.

give it time, baby needs to relearn correct latch and feeding rythym.
make sure you wind baby properly after each feed!

Thanks guys. It's been 3 days since the procedure and dd is even more unsettled and in pain from the wind. Also wondering if she still has reflux. The LC said not to give gaviscon as the ptt snip will resolve this but I am now at my wits end as nothing seems to calm her down.

Oh what a nightmare. Have you called the LC?

It can take a couple of weeks for latch to improve. So surely it seems logical to continue with any medication for a couple of weeks then see if reflux has improved - not that I am a doctor just my opinion. It can also not be cut enough to release the tie or scar tissue can form very quickly making the latch poor again - so you could get it checked out by who ever cut it to see if there is still a restriction in the tongue.

My LO had severe tongue tie which caused me immense pain. We had to have it cut four times before it was fully released and no scar tissue was formed. The first time I felt no change in her latch, the second time the pain was received for 24 hours then returned, third time I had some improvement in the latch and forth toons I had gradual improvement over two weeks then one day it just didn't hurt anymore.

We have been giving gaviscon and gripe water through a teat so maybe that was the reason why the lc said to stay off them. However my dd is just in so much pain from the wind and the reflux I'd rather give them. She doesn't have the gav all the time.

How is she now OP? My DD had her tt cut last week and I think it's made very little difference to her feeding, although I can see her tongue is much more mobile. She's 7 weeks, and the bf counsellor said it can take several weeks for them to start using their tongue properly. It's frustrating though, isn't it? I had hoped feeding would become easier but not much has changed so far.

Just a thought OP but the teetha granules contain lactose from cows milk. If dd has an issue with cows milk protein that could explain her windyness.

Just noticed she has a reflux diagnosis too. Have you tried pushing for ranitadine or omeprazole. Both are far more effective than gaviscon for bf babies. If it is cmpi related a six week exclusion diet of dairy and soy could work wonders. My dd had a lt and tt but it was only tackling dairy and starting her on omeprazole that ended her pain. Were still bfing 22 months on.

We have got paeds referral but due to long waiting lists it's not until the end of July! The gp won't prescribe ranitidine or omeprazole, they will only refer and prescribe gaviscon. We may be turning a corner but I think it's just a growth spurt, lots of feeding and sleeping for long stretches. I may just have to wait it out, or try colief for lactose overload. The HV said it would be unlikely cmp intolerance as poo is normal and no history in family. Although ds is also very windy but not so much as a baby, he was on omeprazole and has allergies and eczema.

Not sure if you've heard it already, but best tip for wind I read (prob on here!) was to gently push each of your baby's knees to their opposite shoulder in turn and hold them there for 10-20 seconds. DD suffered terribly with wind and this seemed to help much more than leg bicycling etc. Probably better not to do this straight after a feed though!

So sorry your DD is suffering. Hope it gets better when her growth spurt abates.