Tongue Tie

[Shellyrayx]

My DS is 5 weeks and has tongue tie. He is feeding fine - a little gassy but so were my other babies.
DH wants to get it snipped to prevent speech problems in the future. I want to avoid the procedure if possible.
Does anyone know the likelihood of him developing speech problems?
Has anyone left a tongue tie and regretted it?
Our midwife will only snip up to 8 weeks so need to decide soon.
Thanks

I suspect my daughter has a mild tongue tie. She was 10months before the dots joined up. She had assessments when she was a newborn. She has good dexterity with her tongue but the middle of the tongue doesn't go up in the same was as the edge of the tongue. I had a few discussions with a sleep specialist around 1 y and from a video of her crying she said it was possible but she wasn't an expert. She is nearly 4 and does have a prominent frenulum whether it is significant enough to count as a tie i don't know. She has had reflux from birth and is still medicated now, she occasionally has a slight lisp but otherwise there hasn't been anything that would make me explore getting the tongue tie looked at or treated. Had we joined the dots up at weeks old and not months old I probably would have had it cut, just because of how bad her reflux was at the time. She has multiple allergies which also trigger her reflux so I doubt it would have been curative although it might have helped

We had a moderate tie snipped at 2days old. There's no way I would have risked long term problems for something so easily managed and with minimal risk

DC1 had Tongue tie that wasn't divided. Had two courses of sped h therapy.

Couldn't eat anything but the smoothest of purées until 12 months and didn't sleep through until he was 5.

I'm with your DH

It's such a tiny procedure that heals so quickly.

I have zero regrets getting it down.

I had my frenulum cut when I was old enough to know about it. I don't believe it doesn't hurt because it certainly hurt me. I think it is barbaric to do it without proper anaesthesia and to anyone who'd do it to a baby without anaesthesia I suggest they have it done themself first, just to check.

OP get medical advice, not from someone who has a nice little business doing it, if it needs doing get proper pain relief.

I will add, I'm a rubbish snogger so I wish mine had been done as a baby!
My daughter cried for a few minutes when snipped, stopping immediately when I breastfed her so yes, it would have hurt her, but so does an inoculation and I don't hesitate to get them done.
But we were both tied right to the tip.
My son's is much less and I didn't notice until he was older. He has had no speech issues but did and still does have a lot of gastro issues.

@Iwasafool that's why they like to do it when they are very young when the skin is thinner etc so it's less painful!

DS1 had a tongue tie reattach at 4 months we were then on a waiting list and he had to have it done under GA at 9 months.
It doesn't only effect speech but also weaning. My DS wasn't able to move food around his mouth as easily so it was a real struggle.
Honestly there are no nerves in it takes 5 mins and whilst it's not pleasant as they don't like being held in the position to do it that is basically it.

Less being a very significant part of your reply. I would not let someone cut a child of mine without anaesthesia. I guess if you haven't had it done it is easy to believe it doesn't hurt but that isn't how the body works, just because a baby can't tell you about the pain it does not mean it isn't there.

If there are no nerves why did your son need a GA at 9 months? Was it because he was strong enough then to not let someone cut him or because he had mysteriously developed nerves that meant it hurt?

My kids had tongue tie.
BF no problem.
Never got them snipped and zero speech issues.
Both are over the age of 10.

Because our NHS had the rule that after 4 months it had to be done under GA as they move too much so there is a risk of doing damage. It was also a reattachment so scar tissue and thicker.

So nothing to do with pain? I think it is a delusion that this does not cause pain based on the fact I've had it done and it hurt.

We read so much on here about the fourth trimester, how a baby will be affected if separated from its mother and yet we are supposed to believe that basically taking a blade to the inside of a baby's mouth and cutting through flesh is just fine and no trauma at all.

Sorry you went through that.
Can I ask how old you were?
Our NHS midwife would perform the procedure and does not gain financially from doing it.
Thanks

Do we know it’s less painful though? Or is it just assumed as babies get over it more quickly.
I don’t mind putting him through some pain if it’s going to help him significantly later in life but there is no way of telling!

DH has tongue tie. He's 60. No speech problems whatsoever.

If you are going to do it why risk him being in pain? Pay for it to be done with proper anaesthesia. They used to say the same thing about boys being circumcised but it is routine to use a local now.

My son had a tongue tie, I asked for it to be snipped but it took a while 🤷🏼‍♀️ he finally got it done at the age of 2 and had to be put to sleep for it. I did notice issues with the tongue tie beforehand, he couldn't even move his tongue properly and this did affect they way he would eat etc so definitely glad it was done, just wish it was earlier.

(After it was done he was eating his weetabix within 10 mins, didn't seem in any pain from it and no issues since)

I didn’t know it’s the norm to circumcise with anaesthetic now.

That’s my thinking - to wait and if he does have speech problems then to have it done with anaesthetic.

I had a tongue tie, which caused me trouble with the letters R and L in particular. The main issue I had, however, was neck pain and poor posture. I know that sounds stupid, but people with tongue tie tend to develop a head-forward stoop, which then strains the muscles in the neck and shoulders.

I paid privately to have it sorted with local anaesthesia when I was 58. The difference it has made to my life is incredible. No neck pain and I walk upright. Eating was a brutal experience for a month or so after the procedure, although otherwise was pain-free.

My advice is to get it sorted ASAP. I suffered for years because my parents listened to my GP.

Honestly their is more risk to your child going under a GA then there is when it is much much thinner.
The waiting list for is also a lot longer and your leaving your child struggling. We were 4.5 months on a urgent referral with our HV calling weekly.
Surgery under a GA is not a light thing and young children can "withold breathe" which is what my son did and subsequent marks around his face from holding a oxygen mask on to get him breathing again.

In comparison when he had it done first time around he cried for less then 30 seconds. He cried more when his vaccinations were done.
The time effort and stress going down the surgical route should also not be underestimated.

Join tongue tie Facebook groups and get some in depth information.

You realise there is local anaesthetic?

Which isn't how its done for young children it's too much of a risk of them moving and causing damage etc. It's done under GA until they are much much older by which time a lot of the problems have already occurred.

The frenulum can stretch as your child grows but it depends how tight the tongue tie is. If you don't get it snipped, your child could have problems with feeding, cleaning teeth with his tongue after eating resulting in decay, possibly speech, and 'French' kissing. I would definitely get it snipped before 8 weeks. He will cry a bit but not for long. I know a child who used to take 1.5 hrs to eat his lunch at school due to his tongue tie plus he had speech problems. He had it snipped and the problems were resolved almost immediately.

DS1 was snipped at 5 weeks, DS2 at 4 weeks (both by oral surgeons). My understanding at the time was that it was relatively quick and simple to do when young, and could mitigate issues later which would require more intervention (speech therapy, more evasive procedure to correct etc).

I have no regrets.