Breastfeeding issues post tongue tie

[sweetpea2000]

My baby (now 6 weeks) was born with a severe tongue tie which meant he couldn't latch at all for the first 2 weeks.

We had the tongue tie division procedure at 2 weeks and since then he can latch (though only using nipple shields) and feeds frequently.

He still doesn't open his mouth wide though and he constantly holds his bottom lip in over his gums. This means we only get a shallow latch which is painful for me, and inefficient for him. He feeds for ages and takes in lots of air, which gives him wind. He also uses his gums to suck (like a chomping motion) which is really painful.

We were giving him 4X 80ml formula top ups, and hoping to reduce, but his weight isn't tracking well, so we've been advised not to decrease further.

It's now 4 weeks since the procedure and I'm really frustrated that the breastfeeding hasn't improved more. I've been to a support group where they confirmed that my technique/ positioning is fine, and the poor latch is due to my son not opening wide/ holding his lip over his gums. I've also noticed even when we do the recommended exercises he doesn't/ can't stick his tongue out further than his lips.

We've seen a lactation consultant, and she performed some cranial-sacral therapy on him too (which I wasn't convinced by, but was open to trying) but she thought she had done as much as she could to relax his jaw.

I feel like he needs some kind of physio-therapy for his mouth. It's making breastfeeding so difficult and I really don't want to give up - is there anything else we can try?

Was it an anterior or posterior tt?

I am wondering if he has both and they snipped the anterior one but missed the posterior one (easy to do)

I also wonder if he has a tight lip frenulum

What happens if you push his chin down gently as he goes in for the latch? Also have you tried untucking his lip with your little finger once latched?

@minipie it was an anterior tongue tie, and very obvious. The midwife rated it 1/10 for appearance and 3/14 for function.

If I roll his lip outwards when latching it stays there for a few sucks then rolls back in. Once he’s on it’s rolled in too tight for me to unfurl. Both lips are turned completely inwards. I’m worried this is partly due to friction with the nipple shields, but I can’t get a latch without them (or if I do it’s short lived and painful).

Do you think I should go back to the tongue tie practitioner fot a checkup?

Thanks

If he still can't stick his tongue out I would go back. I think they can reattach.

Hi, my 2w newborn has the same issue- finding breast feeding very challenging. Did you manage to find any solutions?

Hi @Jessicaniamh , we went back to get his tongue tie checked again and either it wasn’t divided properly the first time or it reattached. My GP got me a referral to the hospital and we had it done again at 12 weeks. Things improved a lot after this, and after a couple of weeks he could latch on well without the nipple shields.

My supply never improved enough for exclusive breastfeeding, so we still supplement with formula, but we’re still breastfeeding (painlessly) at 7 months now.

So sorry to hear you’re having the same issue - I remember it being so stressful. Has your baby been checked for tongue tie? Have you tried nipple shields to help them latch?

thanks @sweetpea2000
Glad to hear things have improved for you and your still BF! The tongue tie practitioner said he only had a very mild tongue tie and main issue is jaw tension which means he won’t open his mouth wide enough to latch properly. She’s offered to cut it if things don’t improve after massage and osteo.

did you find the tongue tie division helped improve mouth opening, or were there other factors that helped with this? Wondering if he’ll just get better at this as he grows.

@Jessicaniamh I think my son’s jaw tension was all linked to his tongue tie, as it seemed to go away once he had his tongue tie resolved. It wasn’t instant though, and he had it done for the second time quite late (12 weeks) so I guess it could have been down to him getting bigger and developmental changes anyway.

The health professionals (doctors and health visitors) all seemed quite sceptical of the idea of ‘jaw tension’ as a problem in babies and when I looked into it, there isn’t really any evidence that osteopathy actually works. But I was willing to try anything really!

One thing that helped was using the flipple technique, which helps you get a deeper latch even when baby isn’t opening their mouth wide. There are YouTube videos but it only really clicked for me when I had it demo’ed to me at a breastfeeding group.

I definitely recommend getting to a support group if you can. Wishing you and your little one all the best.