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Original poster

Tounge tie

22 replies

jenjen99 · 17/12/2019 12:56

7 week old baby. Just diagnosed with tounge tie. Dr says no point in correcting it as he now won't go back to Breast after 4-5 weeks mostly bottle feeding.
But.... internet (yes I know it usually offers worst case scenario)..says:
Tounge tie can affect speech
Can affect weaning
And I want to breast feed! I'm expressing but it takes twice as long, 20ish mins to express, 20ish mins to feed it back to him.
Has anyone got experience? Anyone agree/disagree with my concerns?
Thanks

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katmarie · 17/12/2019 13:28

Not sure about going back to breast feeding, but I can tell you I have a tongue tie and it has never impacted my ability to speak or eat, and I'm 38 now. The ony thing I can't do is stick my tongue out very far, and I have quite a sensitive gag reflex as well (so that may affect weaning slightly). But I apparently took to food with enthusiasm and have never looked back according to my mother.

hayley013 · 17/12/2019 13:31

We had the same thing happen, we found a local tongue tie clinic and paid to have it sorted, the lady who did it helped with feeding advice and it was done the day after I rang, was so worth the money. Maybe worth researching that option

meow1989 · 17/12/2019 13:31

It is possible to reestablish breastfeeding and if you're expressing anyway you should have a decent supply. The breastfeeding network or la leche league sound be able to help i would ask for the referral again or see if there is an independent tongue tie clinician to do the separation at home (locally to me about £120 including a feeding support session).

Tongue tie can affect speech but it has to be pretty severe. I didnt know I had a tongue tie until I was 25 and someone pointed it out. Explains why my mum couldn't feed past 2 weeks!

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TowelStripes · 17/12/2019 13:34

Out affected my nieces speech and feeding, and my sister paid to go private when my niece was 2.5. Instantly better speech and my sister was very sorry she didn't get it done earlier (she wasn't supported correctly to have it identified by breastfeeding groups etc, she felt). It meant my niece had to go under general anaesthetic and it was very stressful for them.

If you want to breastfeed, I think it's with doing now personally

Sunshinegirl82 · 17/12/2019 13:36

We had someone out to divide DS2 within 24 hours of contacting them, cost £150. The Association of Tongue Tie Practitioners website has a list of people who can help.

If you do want to try baby at the breast after the division you might find nipple shields help initially as they feel a bit like a bottle. DS2 was divided at 8 days and was completely unable to latch before the division. We used nipple shields for a couple of weeks until he got the hang of things.

WhatALearningCurve · 17/12/2019 13:39

I'm 31 with severe tongue tie that was never diagnosed. I have ARFID/SED and I think a lot of that is down to the tongue tie. I also required speech therapy before school. I do wonder what would be different if it had been diagnosed and corrected earlier. If I were you I would push for it to be corrected / get it done privately

codenameduchess · 17/12/2019 13:53

There's no evidence of tongue affecting speech, and it's a fairly small number of babies that it affects feeding. I discussed this with a specialist just last week as my 4 week old ds has a TT, it doesn't affect his feeding so nothing needs to be done.

If your ds has been on bottles for that long it could be really difficult to get him back to breast, if he would take to it at all. If you really want to try it I would go back and discuss/request the tongue is snipped or have it done privately but be prepared that it will more than likely be a difficult move back to bf- maybe see a lactation consultant to help the transition.

ToTravelIsToLive · 17/12/2019 14:08

I used nipple shields before my baby was confirmed tongue tie. I carried on using them a bit after the procedure to help him too. If you want to go back to breastfeeding I would recommend getting some but also speak to a lactation consultant to get tips and help

helloswellow · 17/12/2019 14:21

I second nipple shields! The mam ones are really good as they don't require the faffing of some others.

My son had a movement score of 1 for his tongue and couldn't breastfeed at birth. We went to a breastfeeding group and a midwife recommended nipple shields so DS had more surface to try and work with. I've been breastfeeding 18 months now. We used them before and after he had it snipped but now he doesn't need them at all.

MrsA2019 · 17/12/2019 14:59

I think if you really want to BF then it's worth a shot!
As others have said you can try a nipple shield first....you have nothing to lose!

If Dr won't refer you (and there may be a short waiting period on NHS) then you can go to www.tongue-tie.org.uk to find a local private practitioner. They will also probably be able to provide you with BF support after it has been done.

Good luck whichever path you choose.

Original poster

jenjen99 · 17/12/2019 15:32

Thank you all. This has definitely helped. Not sure what we'll do but at least now I have a clearer picture of all options

OP posts:

surreygirl1987 · 18/12/2019 16:59

I have a tongue tie. Wasn't diagnosed when I was a baby but when I got my son's severed, the woman noticed immediately and mentioned it. I told my mum and she said that explains why I had issues breastfeeding and had to have speech therapy when I was a child (I couldn't say the letter S apparently - I had no idea!). I still do have a minor speech difficulty now but cover it up very well (although not well enough to hide it from the tongue tie lady it seems!). I also find it painful to stick my tongue out and lick ice cream, but those are hardly deal-breakers. I guess it depends on how severe it is, but the problem is you might not know until they're much older.
I was breastfeeding and didn't want to wait for the NHS appointment so used a private clinic recommended by someone at my local children's centre. It cost £80 I think. My son screamed terribly but then it was all over. I guess it's a risk either way.

surreygirl1987 · 18/12/2019 17:02

Oh and re breastfeeding, my son couldn't latch at first because of his tongue tie. So we used nipple shields. They were a god send. Even after his tie was snipped he still needed them as I guess he'd become reliant on them. So we used nipple shields for 4 or 5 months. Worth a try if you haven't already - especially as the nipple bit is plastic and your baby has got used to a bottle! We found the medela ones the best.

ClinkyMonkey · 18/12/2019 17:09

I only realised I had a tongue tie when my son's was pointed out to me when he was a couple of days old. He didn't have it snipped. Neither of us have had any issues with speech. DS was breastfed until he was 3. Started solids around 6 months and all went well. Weirdly, I had more problems breastfeeding my younger son who had no tongue tie!

Beetlewing · 18/12/2019 17:10

My sons was done at 8 wks and breastfeeding commenced fine. He had an awful latch that gave me sore nipples so I'd been pumping but straight after the snip the doc said 'feed him' and he latched on magnificently straight away

BendingSpoons · 18/12/2019 17:32

Speech therapist here. TT causing speech issues is extremely rare, it's a bit of a myth. You don't need much movement for speech sounds. Breastfeeding is a different issue though.

EmpressLesbianInChair · 18/12/2019 17:41

My tongue tie was diagnosed at 11. I don’t know what kind it was but I’d had speech therapy when I was small & people had always found me hard to understand.

I had it snipped & then had lessons to learn how to use my tongue. I don’t have to keep repeating myself any more but I still can’t blow up balloons or whistle & licking ice creams is awkward, as are dental checkups when I have to move it out of the way.

I wish I’d had mine snipped as a baby!

scrambledeggs01 · 18/12/2019 18:10

Ive has two children with tied tongue. It's such an easy procedure when they are babies it's best to do it.

And I also bottle fed my first and managed to go back to the exclusive breast feeding. Are you still offering a breast feed at the moment ? If you are producing milk and can do lots of skin to skin and take time out you can breast feed again.

I do know adults with tied tongue and it did affect them weaning and speech

EmpressLesbianInChair · 18/12/2019 18:32

Looks like I was both extremely rare & mythical.

BendingSpoons · 19/12/2019 07:32

Empress my post was badly worded, but it is extremely rare for tongue tie to cause speech issues. Current advice is not to snip a tongue tie for speech reasons alone and snipping it on a child who has started talking (as opposed to a baby) can cause other problems, as you have to be re-taught to use your tongue without its 'anchor'. Obviously the benefits outweigh the risks in a minority of cases, as I imagine was the case for you. I have only worked with one older child (2yo) who had a tongue tie snipped, and in his case his mother had been recommended to do it at birth but didn't.

I have worked with hundreds of children with pronunciation issues. Many, many of their parents have queried tongue tie. Most haven't had tongue tie but it is a reason parents understand. Some have had tongue tie but it is coincidence. Most speech problems are essentially due to how the brain processes and sends information to the speech apparatus (tongue, lips etc). The sounds that require the most tongue movement are sounds like 'th' where you put your tongue very slightly between your teeth. It is a fairly small movement. In most cases it can be made with a tongue tie. If the tongue tie is severe enough to restrict that movement, it will mist likely have impacted on feeding significantly and so have been snipped early.

The 'myth' I referred to is a lot of people on the Internet will say TT caused their child's speech issues, when actually a professional wouldn't agree. Plus current guidelines and practise have changed. Of course there are always some exceptions and I apologise if I offended you or others on this thread. My aim was to reassure the OP it was likely to be an issue for her.

EmpressLesbianInChair · 19/12/2019 08:22

Thanks Bending, I really appreciate your detailed reply. I’m the only one I know that this has happened to so I don’t honestly know how rare it is! I’ve never discussed feeding with my DM so I don’t know how or if that was affected.

In my final term at primary, my parents took me to an elocution teacher in the hope that she could help improve my speech before I started secondary. She noticed the tongue tie in about 5 minutes & told them that was the problem.

As I said I don’t know what kind of tongue tie it was, I don’t know if it genuinely was the problem and it definitely wasn’t a quick fix - I went back to the elocution teacher for lessons on how to use it, & it was hard work. Well worth it though!

surreygirl1987 · 19/12/2019 11:26

That is all very well explained... but I have a friend who is a specifically paediatric speech therapist, and she tells me that tongue tie absolutely can cause speech issues 🤷‍♀️ I'm not saying she's right and you're wrong, but clearly there are differing opinions. She has a doctorate too and has had articles published in academic journals ... she's supposed to be pretty good. I asked her for advice about it last year when I found my son had a tongue tie.

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