Tongue Tie Help!

[Lockdownbaby2021]

Hello.

My 8mo baby has had his tongue snipped on Friday. This last two days have been awful. He’s not drinking much milk, his latch onto bottle hasn’t changed and he’s not eating his solids. Along with that his reflux seems worse. I’m so worried I’ve done the wrong thing.
I’ve been told to do tongue lifts but he’s absolutely hysterical and I can’t physically get my fingers under his tongue to lift it and it’s very distressing for both of us.
Please tell me this gets better and that I haven’t made the wrong choice in getting this done. I thought this would be the answer to our reflux problems

Mine had his cut at 12 years old and it was very traumatic.

He's also been left with mouth, teeth and speech issues as his upper palate didn't develop in the best way.

So I think you've done the right thing tbh.

Sorry I can't advise on baby tongue tie snipping, but I really wish I'd known about it and had it done for my son when he was tiny!

Hope someone comes along with advice soon x

My son had his done at 3 weeks, latch didn’t really change but could see the difference.
Is he in pain? Maybe some paracetamol for pain relief and softer foods to chew?

It took about 1-2 weeks to see a definite improvement after my Ds had his TT snipped, hang in there OP I'm sure you have done the right thing!

I’m really not sure. He seems in pain but I don’t know if he’s teething or got belly ache or if it’s his tongue tie etc.
The reason I got it snipped was to help with reflux and also he’s got a lot of tension. He also couldn’t stick out or lift his tongue and this still seems to be the case. I paid to go private. X

I am so upset I just feel like for 8 months I have tried to do what’s best for him to make him comfortable. Every month I’ve spent all my maternity wage on osteopaths, tongue tie appointments, different bottles, formulas and he’s still in so much discomfort. I really thought them snipping his tongue tie would solve all the problems.
I just really struggle to understand how to help him and I feel like I’m failing as his mother now.
all other babies I know are so content and can be left happily on there own. And I know there’s no such thing as a bad baby at all, but he’s not a happy baby and I just want to know what I can do to help.
sorry had to let this all out. I think the fact I’m going back to work in a few weeks is getting me down. I feel the whole of my mat leave has been spent trying to sort out his reflux problems.x

Does he have meds for his reflux?

Reflux isn’t caused by excess wind, true reflux is caused by the valve between his oesophagus and stomach not being fully developed so the acid can come back up.

My youngest had her tongue tie snipped at 6 days old, she had reflux and meds until she was 1.

If you want to solve his reflux get omeprazole from the GP. It’s the only real solution to actual reflux.

@MynameisJune after speaking to a baby reflux specialist. Reflux has an underlying cause and it’s a load of rubbish about an immature valve.
Meds just masks the problem so I’m reluctant to put him on any.
Reflux has underlying causes such as excess wind (being a big one) caused by tongue tie, allergies, birth trauma, tension and so on. It’s not just a thing they need to learn to deal with. Something is causing it and getting to the underlying cause is the way to treat it X

@MynameisJune

Does he have meds for his reflux?

Reflux isn’t caused by excess wind, true reflux is caused by the valve between his oesophagus and stomach not being fully developed so the acid can come back up.

My youngest had her tongue tie snipped at 6 days old, she had reflux and meds until she was 1.

If you want to solve his reflux get omeprazole from the GP. It’s the only real solution to actual reflux.

tongue tie can cause reflux symptoms though and make it look like they have reflux, when it’s actually a sign of a poor latch. My girl had to have 2 divisions (still never got TT free but it was better) and was still an awful spewer, way past 1, but she didn’t have the other reflux symptoms ie pain.

OP baby is quite ‘old’ so it may have given him a bit of an oral aversion, especially if his mouth is sore. Research and opinion is really divided on the necessity of active wound management, and if he’s got an aversion it could make it worse.

Is baby FF? How’s weight gain? Any things like rashes? Could baby have an allergy? Xx

[quote Lockdownbaby2021]@MynameisJune after speaking to a baby reflux specialist. Reflux has an underlying cause and it’s a load of rubbish about an immature valve.
Meds just masks the problem so I’m reluctant to put him on any.
Reflux has underlying causes such as excess wind (being a big one) caused by tongue tie, allergies, birth trauma, tension and so on. It’s not just a thing they need to learn to deal with. Something is causing it and getting to the underlying cause is the way to treat it X[/quote]
Okay then carry on struggling and him being in pain because you don’t want to use meds.

You’ve tried everything else clearly, was this reflux specialist an actual paediatrician? Because I’ve had two with reflux both for over a year and never suggested a tongue tie or milk allergy where to blame.

Your baby has reflux symptoms which can be caused by tongue tie/CMPA etc but not actual GERD then.

Also NCT disagrees about underlying cause or that the valve being immature being rubbish. Pretty sure they take their advice from the NHS/Nice

www.nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/feeding/common-concerns/what-baby-reflux-symptoms-and-support

www.nhs.uk/conditions/reflux-in-babies/

Send this to your specialist and tell them to inform the NHS that they’re spouting rubbish too.

Drs and health visitors often give the lower oesophageal sphincter as an excuse to parents to back up the prospect of waiting for baby to grow out of it.
They will go through a standard checklist for parents with reflux babies. They start with the over the counter medicines I.e infacol, etc then it’s the infant gaviscon which yes I gave my baby at the start, and it made things 100% worse. So excuse me for being reluctant to put my baby boy on an adults medication.
All babies have this weaker valve so why do some babies have reflux and not others because there is an underlying cause for the reflux. Something is causing that regurgitation of stomach contents/ digestive discomfort.

Then he will be in pain until he grows out of it, they’re not adult medications. They can be prescribed in lower doses for children.

All babies don’t have a weaker valve that’s the whole point of some having reflux and others not. All babies have legs but some walk at 8 months and others at 18 months because they all develop differently.

Continue to believe what you will despite medical evidence and continue spending money on things that don’t work and continue to moan on the internet that he isn’t happy or comfortable. No he isn’t because he is pain.

@MynameisJune

Then he will be in pain until he grows out of it, they’re not adult medications. They can be prescribed in lower doses for children.

All babies don’t have a weaker valve that’s the whole point of some having reflux and others not. All babies have legs but some walk at 8 months and others at 18 months because they all develop differently.

Continue to believe what you will despite medical evidence and continue spending money on things that don’t work and continue to moan on the internet that he isn’t happy or comfortable. No he isn’t because he is pain.

But most babies DO have a slightly weaker valve which is why possetting is normal.

There are very real conditions such as GERD that need medication but for things like CMPA omeprazole won’t work unless the underlying condition is resolved. Also medication such as omeprazole works by making you produce less acid which in time leads your body to create more stomach acid.

OP is 100% correct ‘reflux’ is often a catch all diagnosis given by GPs who just go down a list of crappy ‘meds’ such as infacol that do absolutely nothing.

Yes but the op has tried everything else, apart from looking at it being a milk allergy.

I’ve had two children with reflux that I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get medication for because I know they fob off lots of issues as ‘reflux’ but if the op has tried everything else and her baby is still in pain then meds would be the next logical step. If he is still the same on omeprazole then it’s likely to be not be GERD so can be ruled out.

My baby is already on a prescribed formula for CMPA.

I do thinks some babies are just sicky babies, my daughter was even when on solids and past 1 but she wasn’t in pain from it, it would just come up. You could place her on her back and wouldn’t scream the house down and her weight gain was on her centile (after we had the TT semi resolved).

OP how’s weight gain? Do you have other signs that could indicate an allergy? There is a condition called plyoric stenosis has he been checked for that?

@Lockdownbaby2021

My baby is already on a prescribed formula for CMPA.

What formula is he on? Some still contain milk in a hydrolysed way that some cmpa babies can’t have? I think neocate is amino acid based

Could he be eating things that contain soya, I’ve heard that milk protein and soya are very similar to it’s common to have an allergy to both?