Tongue tie?

[Meeb]

Despite midwife checking and saying all looks ok with latch, dd does not latch deeply at least 99% of the time. Her tongue doesn't extend over her bottom gum and my nipples are in bits.

I've noticed this line/ shape of her tongue - does this look like it could be caused by a tongue tie?

Yes, my ds had a similar shaped tongue and it was a tongue tie. Can you see under her tongue to see? It was really obvious in our case - but not picked up at the hospital or a subsequent midwife appointment. Not blaming anyone but just saying these things can be missed!

My son couldn't push his tongue further than his bottom lip. Breast feeding was agony for about 6 months (had to continue as he is cows milk allergic too) then it just got better and better. I went to the Dr though to ask about tongue tie and she said tongue tie doesn't effect BFing - as they don't lap milk like kittens 🤔 I stopped when he was two and a half and my milk ran out with the next pregnancy.

Thanks both for your responses! @oliveroses this might just be my sleep deprived brain, but I'm not sure entirely sure when I look whether it looks normal or not?! I've attached a photo but obviously its not the easiest of photos to take!!

Hi, no problem! You see that part in the middle of the underside of the tongue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth? It's like a piece of flesh that is slightly lighter in colour. If it is too far towards the front of the mouth and tongue that's a tongue tie as it anchors the tongue in the mouth. It's hard to see from the picture, but does this help?! I should add I'm not a medical expert, that's just my understanding of it!
When they cut a tongue tie they snip that piece of flesh and so the tongue is released from that point of its anchor in the mouth x

Maybe have a look at your own too to get an idea of positioning!x

Whether it is or not, I think you should ask for further support as it's not normal or okay to be in lots of pain when breastfeeding x

This was my experience:

Dc1 I struggled immensely with bf. My nappies were in agony and she couldn't get milk effectively, resulting in my supply being minimal. I queried tt with 6 different medical professionals (midwives, health visitors, doctors) to be told it wasn't. Bf didn't work out for us. About 6 months later a doctor commented that she had a very bad tt!

Dc2 same bf problems. Advice sought and checked for a tie multiple times. By 3mo my supply with almost nothing. Nursery nurse (like a health visitor) came and said she had tt and a high palette. At this point I had no fight left in me.

Dc3 I asked on delivery if she had a tt. Told no. She was admitted to hospital 3 days old and a doctor mentioned casually in passing (and totally unrelated to the reason she was in) that she had tt. Regardless I had to ask at least 10 times for them to cut it.

There seems to be a real reluctance (based on my own experience and that of others) to acknowledge tt. I wouldn't take it as a given that a baby doesn't have tt just because a medical professional has checked. If you're having problems get support. Is there a bf cafe local to you?

My son had tongue tie. They noticed it as soon as he was born. It was major but it didn't stop him latching and feeding just made it more painful. It got sorted when he was a few weeks old. X

Wasn't*

The majority of midwives aren't properly trained to assess. So if your baby is gaining weight then they likely won't be bothered to refer on. But breastfeeding shouldn't be immensely painful or leaving your nipples damaged so do ask to be referred on to the infant feeding team for a proper assessment. They will then do a full assessment based on tongue movement and appearance, along with how feeding is going. Then you'll know either way.

I think so. I'd contact a good tongue tie practitioner, really recommend Carmelle Gentle ( Gentle births and beyond on instagram ) or Rockabyehub

A lot of "practitioners" will do the cut and nothing else, not give you any aftercare or exercises or know that much about oral function but those two really do or can point you in the direction of someone who does (not affiliated with them but have used them)

Yes weight hasn't been an issue - about 1% lost day 5 and by day 10 she was above birth weight, so easier to dismiss I guess. My nipples on the other hand are a different story! I fed my first for 2.5 years and whilst I knew that beginning bf'ing with a newborn would be starting the journey again learning together etc, I didn't expect to feel quite this clueless and helpless!

I think there's a local bf support group run by the HV on Tuesday mornings, although not completely sure it's restarted covid, I'll attempt to go there this week. Thanks again all.

I have a friend who took her ds to a dentist who diagnosed her with tongue and upper lip tie and he referred them to a lactation consultant who cut it.

This was few years ago, so things might have changed.