First anterior now posterior tongue tie?

[ebbyniko1108]

Hello everyone! Maybe you remember me from my last thread about my baby sometimes breastfeeding for hours. Today the health visitor came for a recheck as my baby was putting on weight slowly. Today we weight her and my daughter put on 320g in 7 days and the health visitor was very surprised and happy as my daughter moved up a centile! She said I did very well because my daughter really breastfeeds for hours sometimes and I have never refused I breastfed her when and how long she wanted. People told me to top up but I always said no I want to breastfeed. I am so happy she is putting on weight! But the Health visitor was still thinking about why my daughter is wanting to feed for so long. She checked her tongue and said there might be a posterior tongue tie and that my daughter might be getting the milk slowly and thats why it takes so long for her. My baby had her anterior tongue tie cut when she was 1 week old and she had a much better latch after that. But now she might need to get her posterior tongue tie cut too and I am just trying to understand is this possible to have a anterior and posterior tongue tie? I just want the best for her but when she had her anterior tongue tie cut she did cry and bleed and I was so upset due to this. It took her about a week to get used to her tongue and to latch on well and now I am just scared she wont latch on well after her posterior tongue tie is cut. Has anyone experienced that their children had to get anterior and posterior tongue tie both cut? I am just confused! :(

She's feeding a lot because she's doing some catch-up growth. Things will settle down over time. You've got to a point where she's gaining weight so I don't see why there's any need for more surgery.

Thats what the health visitor said. She said she could see a posterior tongue tie. If there is a tongue tie that needs surgery then we for sure should get it done as it can cause difficulties later?

If there really is a posterior tongue tie then I’m sure it would have been spotted by the practitioner who treated her anterior one.

I agree with Perplexed0522. Health visitors rarely know what they are doing.

Depends who treated the anterior one. Some NHS practitioners are very conservative about cutting tongue tie.

It won't be two separate ties but rather that either the tongue tie was not fully divided initially or that some scar tissue has developed.

Not fully dividing can happen and doesn't mean it was done wrong the first time. Scar tissue is also not uncommon and sometimes means a further release is needed.

Sometimes babies do need a further division to improve feeding. Sometimes they don't. The question for you is are you happy with the feeding? If your baby is thriving and gaining weight then it is about how sustainable feeding is for you. So your comfort and how you are coping with the long, continuous feeds.

It is possible that she feeds the way she does because her milk transfer is still a bit poor and she needs those continuous feeds in order to get enough milk. It could also be that her milk transfer is fine and that she just loves being on breast. They're are no guarantees. A further assessment and division if there is still some restriction to her tongue might mean she feeds for shorter lengths of time. But it might not.

In any case, unless your HV has had tongue tie assessment training (and some do, let's not start saying all HV are shit please, there are plenty of HV who are assessors, IBCLCs or tongue tie practitioners) then if you want an assessment you can ask to be referred back to whoever did your division. You don't have to have further division but it may help you to have that assessment and know if there is still a restriction or not and then be able to consider your options with all information at hand.