Tongue Tie

[rowtheboats]

Just found out our 5 month old baby has tongue tie.

Just wondering if anyone could offer any insight into how it affected their baby (e.g feeding/speech)?

How was the procedure to fix it? (E.g cut or laser)

I found out my dd had a slight tongue tie at 10 Weeks, feeding was painful and a real struggle for her. she had it cut the same time it was diagnosed and it was honestly fine. Midwife did say when she cut it that she felt the release more than how it originally looked. She cried more at the swaddle than the cut itself, it was so quick and I didn't see any blood.
I noticed an improvement in feeding straight after and it's now 5 weeks on and she feeds fine.

Thank you that’s so reassuring, if only we had got it diagnosed sooner!

I agree, my DD is 3 weeks today and was diagnosed in hospital, but they didn’t cut it at the time because they said it may not affect her feeding. It did and I struggled like crazy with a very painful latch and DD having awful wind from “clicking” when she fed, had it cut on Monday and she barely even woke up! It was so quick, and it took her a couple of days sticking her tongue out wondering what it was but she now feeds so much better and I’m so glad it’s been done. I didn’t see them cut it they took her away it took about 2 minutes!

My DS had this, not diagnosed for 4 months, and would only correct under anaesthetic at the hospital at 6 months. Went in and had it done (super quick) and it transformed everything instantly! He fed better, you could hear the sounds he was making more clearly, and he slept better (because he was feeding better).

Please get it done ASAP. It really is best sorted as early as possible. They missed Ds2 and then it had the be cut twice. But it best sorted as early as possible.
I had to Get the hv to refer and then phone the hospital to chase and chase up appointment before I finally got Ds2 seen.

Both of mine had tongue tie, both bf fine, no problems with speech, diagnosed very early (weeks old).
Never got anything done with it as they were not affected at all.

Now 4 & 14, absolutely fine.

My baby feeds absolutely fine from me but struggles a little with a bottle.
She also gets terrible reflux and I’m wondering if this could be linked? E.g could she be taking in air when feeding because of a wrong latch?

Get it divided asap. It’s a simple procedure the younger children are, why wait for problems to develop.

DS1 was very windy due to his TT and poor latch. Best thing we ever did.

Both of mine were tongue tied.

DS1 got his lasered at 6mo - made zero difference to feeding, sleep, screaming.

DS2 got his snipped at 4wo - made zero difference to feeding, sleep, screaming. Actually, it did - he refused to latch properly for about a month. I could only feed by clamping his head against my boob and wedging my nipple right to the back of his mouth for every feed. It was naff and made my shoulders ache like hell.

I am very tongue tied, and have exactly zero problems. Teeth fine and I have a diploma in speech and drama, among other things. I can't roll my 'r's, but since I'm not Italian, it's no biggie.

I'm very about getting tongue ties divided based on my experience - shouldn't have bothered with either of mine as they just got on with the tongues nature gave them - but also the evidence to support tongue tie division is sparse and dodgy.

Get it done by someone expert - we went to Dr Griffith at Southampton

My two youngest had tongue-tie and both had it snipped at about 2 weeks (in Ireland, private healthcare option). I don't know. I'm not sure how much difference it made in the long run. Feeding was easier afterwards though. I could write a book on this tbh but I guess if I had my time again I would still snip the TTs as otherwise BF was out the window due to too much blood in the breastmilk (sorry tmi).

Saying that, I have a tongue-tie myself (intact), and my mother bf me for 6 months. However it was the mid-70s and she did 10 minutes on each side every 4 hours and ignore any screaming in between.

My DD had it and we got it cut at 4 weeks. She squealed when they cut it, that was it. Was fine after. She fed well straight after but in the two weeks following her feeding was a bit funny, a mix of her old style and then the new. She was basically having to learn how to feed again. Now she feeds completely fine and really efficiently. I was told it would lessen her reflux symptoms. It didn't really do that, but they are somehow going on their own.

My daughter had TT and although I won’t bore you with the details as to how my concerns as such were ignored and BF came to a sorry end for us, getting it cut privately did make a world of difference to feeding and subsequently my sanity! just because the research is sparse does not mean it proves that treating TT is ineffective. Unfortunately OP I think this is one of the many parenting decisions that lie ahead; your best tools are your gut instinct and your self trust. Wishing you luck, either way. X

OK, not only is the research sparse, the research that had been done is inconclusive:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011065.pub2/abstract;jsessionid=0CC4CF97517E20644CB1831D60ED729F.f04t03

You wouldn't undertake any other surgical procedures without considerable supporting evidence, so I'm mystified as to why tongue tie division has developed such a cult following without similar research support. Babies change and grow out of stages constantly - I can't help but feel people often correlate a tongue tie release with something that would have happened naturally anyway. I'm sure it absolutely does work in some cases, but I also think a healthy scepticism is warranted, and a good look into the clinical trials that have been done should be your main source of information, not the random opinions of people on the internet.

OP I am not sure where you are but in my area the NHS will only cut TT under anaesthetic after 9 weeks of age. As I understand it that’s a fairly archaic approach. It can be cut privately without anaesthetic and takes less time than blimming immunisations! It really was a pain free and trauma free experience for us. Most practitioners will talk you through all of this of course. X