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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Advice for a friend with tongue tied baby

22 replies

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:00

My friend had her second baby on sunday. They identified she had a tongue tie and she has been referred. My friend said she spent 3 hours with a feeding specialist today but no real luck with getting her to latch properly and her nipples are shredded. Milk not in yet.

Appointment to snip the tie is not for a week. What can she do in the meantime?

Any advice gratefully received.

OP posts:

HumphreyCobbler · 28/05/2014 22:04

I would pay and have it done as soon as possible. It cost about two hundred quid to have someone come to the house the day after I noticed it.

Original poster

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:06

I have told her to ask to get the appointment sooner, but I don't know if it will happen. And to use lots of lanisoh, and to not worry that she cannot express much colostrum as there isn't much of it anyway. I don't know what else to say (also don't want to badger new tired mum)

OP posts:

crikeybadger · 28/05/2014 22:07

Could she hand express and feed the baby the colostrum through a syringe ?

Try the 'flipple' or exaggerated latch -I don't have a link but something should come up on google.

Get on the phone and insist on an earlier appointment, she's in pain and can't wait that long.

Original poster

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:07

Who did you pay Humphrey? I have good bf support links but not dealt with this issue (or newborns for a long time!)

we are in Sheffield

OP posts:

Laquila · 28/05/2014 22:09

You could suggest she contacts La Leche League for advice? I had to wait 4 weeks post diagnosis to have it done (and it wasn't spotted til he was a few weeks old), and feeding was extremely painful. I don't know if it's the same for everyone with a TT baby, but I found Lansinoh and keeping my nipples warm were the only things that dulled the pain! In terms of improving the latch, has she tried the exaggerated "flick" latch? I had to latch my boy on til he was about 3-4 months but he's a very efficient feeder now and doesn't need any help from me. Please tell her it does get better!!

Laquila · 28/05/2014 22:11

There's someone at Chesterfield Hospital who does it on the NHS but I don't know whether he does it privately too. It's worth phoning wherever she's got an appt to let them know how urgent it is and that she'd be able to come at short notice if they had a cancellation.

Laquila · 28/05/2014 22:15

I remember being incredibly depressed when the asst practitioner brought round a pump when my baby was a few days old and I had bleeding, shredded nipples and was in too much pain to feed - I thought it was going to be the answer to my problems but I could only get a few drops of colostrum after about 35 mins expressing, and I couldn't even get him to drink it. Oh God it makes me teary just thinking about it! I really feel for your friend :(

HumphreyCobbler · 28/05/2014 22:18

My midife gave me a number, who then passed me onto someone else who ran a clinic in Cardiff - do you remember the midwives programme? It was Tatiana the amazing russian midwife, I was rather starstruck when she turned up!

I was in agony after two days, damaged after three. The nhs wait was two weeks,. I would have been formula feeding by then.

I still had to get his posterior tt done by laser a few months later. But snipping the anterior tie made it possible to breastfeed.

Original poster

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:18

Me too I feel awful for her
She fed her first DD till about 5 months but it was always a struggle for her (weight gain ok but baby fussed all the time and I think she always lacked confidence that it was going ok - I remember her being so relieved when she went to formula, which was just about the time bf got really easy for me and I felt bad about it all)
She was really hoping this one would be different and I want to help so much and wish my lengthy experience of bf could help her at all, but it doesn't really :(

OP posts:

HumphreyCobbler · 28/05/2014 22:21

her first baby may have had undiagnosed tt, it often runs in families

Original poster

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:23

I think so but I knew so little about bf at the time (her DD was 2 months older than mine)

OP posts:

Original poster

weebairn · 28/05/2014 22:25

I chat to the La leche league locally on facebook sometimes so I have asked if anyone there knows. Googling doesn't seem to turn up anything. It's a lot of money but I don't really know how you could continue bf for a week if you can't latch>?????

OP posts:

HumphreyCobbler · 28/05/2014 22:27

I know

colafrosties · 28/05/2014 22:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

1stMrsF · 28/05/2014 22:37

DTD1 had a tongue tie. Blood sugar dropped very low and she got floppy and sleepy and wouldn't feed. Your friend needs appointment sooner than a week. Help fight for her? She could go back to the hospital? Expressing to stimulate milk supply plus syringe feeding plus formula might be the safest option.

RedKites · 28/05/2014 22:42

I like the instructions for exaggerated attachment on page nine of this leaflet . I am guessing the feeding specialist will have tried different positions to see if something different helps?

I don't have any experience of them myself, but have heard milk matters mentioned on here. If looking to go privately, they might be near enough?

RaisinGirls · 29/05/2014 04:02

My five week old dd had TT. I had a lactation consultant support me as waiting to get TT snipped she advised me to lie down on my side to feed and also to use rugby ball hold. Both helped ease pain - lying down helped best as I also relaxed more.

Have you tried www.tongue-tie.org.uk/find-a-tongue-tie-divider.html
Can't see a Sheffield one but maybe a call to nearby one could help?

In the week I waited, I used lots of lanisoh and just stayed topless all the time to help nipples heal.

highlove · 29/05/2014 04:12

I don't think there is anyone private in aheffield. We used Milk Mattera who are I'm Huddwrsfield and they we're fab and sorted us out a short notice.

highlove · 29/05/2014 04:12

Sorry lots of typos!

highlove · 29/05/2014 04:13

Sorry lots of typos!

bakingtins · 29/05/2014 05:00

Another recommendation for Milk Matters, but ridiculous she has to wait. many mums would just have given up by then. DS had TT which was diagnosed at birth, then spent a couple of days with people saying he didn't have it (blindingly obvious anterior tie) had to stamp my feet to see lactation consultant on day 3 (nobody in an entire hospital who would do it over w/end) DD born last Friday, got it snipped same day, but was told if she'd been a day later the LC would have been away for a fortnight

Misty9 · 29/05/2014 06:57

I think I got rushed through quicker due to my health visitors concern that feeding issues were leading to depression. Had it snipped yesterday at nearly 6wks but referral was made last Monday. So badgering the midwife may help if they chase it? In my case the pain did lessen after the first week as my nips got used to a crap latch. But if her baby can't latch at all, I don't know what she can do.

It is possible to get back to breastfeeding at a week or so old, so maybe that's a different road to try?

Hope things improve for her, and she's lucky to have such a supportive friend :)

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