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Anyone had a baby with tongue tie recently?

42 replies

AddictedtoGreys · 12/09/2016 18:48

My DD is 10 days old and has tongue tie. I am EBF but it is causing problems with the latch and even though now gaining weight, still hasn't reached her birth weight. It is painful for me to feed but I am persevering with the hope of getting it treated. However, after seeing our GP today who said he would refer her, had just called me to say they no longer snip tongue tie as it can cause a scar which causes more problems than the original tongue tie. Has anyone heard of this? He said as long as she is feeding they would leave it alone until she is a few years old. But she would then need a general anaesthetic which I am not happy with really. And what about the pain it is causing me? Anyone else been in this situation?

OP posts:
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AddictedtoGreys · 13/09/2016 11:35

29 my midwife confirmed it after I spotted it, asked another midwife to check and she also confirmed. I am now going to see someone who had a tongue tie drop in clinic on Friday to see what they say.

If I wanted to just opt for private treatment would they need any sort of referral? Or could I just contact then and book her in?

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BendydickCuminsnatch · 13/09/2016 11:53

I didn't need a referral to get DS' done privately. I had to book it myself because we'd moved counties.

This site has a directory of private and NHS tongue tie practitioners [http://www.tongue-tie.org.uk/tongue-tie-practitioners-wales.html Wales TT people]]

BendydickCuminsnatch · 13/09/2016 11:53

Oops soz for crap link. www.tongue-tie.org.uk/tongue-tie-practitioners-wales.html

Boosiehs · 13/09/2016 12:14

DS1 had terrible trouble feeding and I was in such pain! But we checked in hospital and the MW and Paed said no tie. DS1 was waking every 1.5 hours for food - so hungry. He could poke his tongue out so I was very confused.

First day home (day 5) community midwife took one look inside his mouth and said oh - posterior tongue tie. Referred us to Royal Free clinic.

after 5 weeks of waiting (!!!) Midwife at the TT clinic said he had a really bad posterior tongue tie. DS could latch but not effectively as his tongue didn't reach the roof of his mouth.

Had the snip there and then - no problems at all. Brilliant. fed much better after that but unfortunately at 5 weeks he was already in bad sleep patterns.

Get it done asap!

FreeButtonBee · 13/09/2016 12:16

No referral for private snip - I think they see so many people who have been fobbed off that they just take each case as it comes.

AddictedtoGreys · 13/09/2016 12:33

Thanks bendy I have just left a message for one of the private consultants in Wales. Hope to get it sorted ASAP!

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minipie · 13/09/2016 12:43

Just to answer a question above:

Your baby can definitely still have tongue tie, even if they can stick their tongue out. DD stuck her tongue waaay out and still had TT - it was a posterior TT which is different and harder to spot than the "classic" anterior TT.

Tumtitum · 13/09/2016 12:47

29redshoes you can still stick your tongue out with some tongue ties (my DD could) she didn't have trouble protruding it but had trouble curling it up to do a proper suckling motion. Especially if it's a posterior tongue tie it can be hard to spot. You couldn't actually see my DDs but you could feel it.
OP I'm glad you're following the private route, that's what we did and I'm so glad we did. Re the scar tissue, what bollocks your GP is talking! What I would highly recommend is ask whoever does the snip to show you massaging and stretching techniques. Basically for a week after you press the tip of your finger very hard on where it was snipped and wiggle it around. This stops it reattaching (which can happen). Also feed every 3 hours day and night, this ensures the tongue is moving and again stops the TT reattaching. Then after around a week (and hopefully having a follow up appointment with your clinician) you move on to applying pressure under the tongue and stretching the tissue upwards by rubbing your finger upwards. What your GP is probably referring to is that if scar tissue forms it can become stiff and this could cause issues. Doing the stretching helps it stretch and not become stiff. We are miles from you in London but we saw a brilliant LC called Katherine Fisher. She also works at Kings College Hospital and is doing/has done research on the effectiveness and importance of doing the massaging after the snip. She also does telephone consultations so you could always google her and give her a ring to chat about it. Sorry for all the garbled info, it's a subject very close to my heart as we had such a rough rough start to breastfeeding and if we hadn't got her tongue tie sorted there is no way we would have continued.
Also as an aside if your nipples are really suffering have you tried nipple shields? We ended up using them for 8 weeks but she then learnt to latch again without them.

AddictedtoGreys · 13/09/2016 12:57

Thanks tumtitum

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29redshoes · 13/09/2016 13:08

Hmmmm, interesting that being able to stick tongue out doesn't mean no tongue tie! I wonder if she does have posterior tongue tie then.

AddictedtoGreys · 13/09/2016 13:09

Good news! Private lactation consultant is seeing DD today and will get snipped this evening!! Grin

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BendydickCuminsnatch · 13/09/2016 13:40

Fab news! Aw hope it all goes smoothly.

AddictedtoGreys · 13/09/2016 13:55

Me too bendy, just worried about it hurting her now! They said they will use a local anaesthetic, I assume it will be a gel?

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minipie · 13/09/2016 14:39

IME they yell for 30 seconds, there can be some blood which looks scary as it's spread by their saliva but it's actually very little, you pop them on the boob straight after the cut and after they are fed all they forget all about it Smile good luck

BendydickCuminsnatch · 13/09/2016 16:20

Hmm I think with my DS they literally just cut it with single-use scissors. Think maybe they wiped the area first so that might have had some anaesthetic on. I wasn't allowed in the room!! I had to wait outside ready to feed him straight away. There was a tiny dot of blood and he stopped crying as soon as he was feeding, then they help you with the feed as it might be very different.

Tumtitum · 13/09/2016 20:50

With ours they used teething gel to slightly numb it. You use that each time before doing the massage too

TwoWeeksInCyprus · 13/09/2016 20:58

DS had his tongue tie snipped at 10 days old. The consultant who did it said it's much better to do it before 6 months otherwise they need general anaesthetic.
DS hardly noticed a thing (I gave him lots of milk beforehand!) and the effect on BF was immediate.
It was lovely seeing his little tongue poke right out of his mouth instead of being held back by the tongue tie.

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