I gave birth to my first child five months ago. This happy event was unfortunately marred by the fact that my son lost fifteen per cent of his body weight within his first week of life. This was caused by difficulties breastfeeding due to a missed tongue-tie, which affected his ability to latch on to the breast. My son was not far off being admitted to hospital in order to be fed through a nasogastric tube.
When my son was three weeks old I read about tongue-tie and suggested this as a possible cause for my difficulties breastfeeding. Four healthcare professionals then agreed that this was likely. I self-referred to a tongue-tie clinic and we were offered an appointment within a week. I was told that my son had a posterior tongue-tie which can be harder to spot. However, tongue-tie can run in families and I learnt that this was the case in my son’s father’s family.
My son’s tongue-tie was removed and he was able to feed effectively. Unfortunately by this time, as advised by the midwives, I had been topping up his breastfeeds with formula to ensure he received adequate nutrition. This was as well as expressing following every feed to maintain my milk supply. I struggled to maintain this relentless round the clock routine, and my milk supply had not built up to supply an adequate amount to breastfeed exclusively.
Had my son’s tongue-tie been picked up earlier it would have saved my baby from going hungry and facing the frustration of an undiagnosed disability in the first few weeks of his life. It would have saved me from a great deal of distress and meant that I was able to feed my baby in the way I had hoped to.
Between 4 and 11 % of babies are born with tongue-tie. This is where the strip of skin connecting the baby’s tongue to the floor of their mouth is shorter than usual. In many cases this prevents them from breastfeeding effectively. At present it would appear to be completely arbitrary as to whether or not this problem is picked up by health care professionals.
This means that mothers choosing to breastfeed their baby can struggle for weeks to feed their babies and many may be forced to give up.
In the meantime babies may lose an unusually significant amount of their birthweight, potentially ending up in hospital. Mothers may suffer with painful bleeding nipples which pales into insignificance next to their worry over their baby’s wellbeing. On top of the enormous challenges of life with a new baby mothers may expend huge effort on perfecting the latch. However, no amount of technique will compensate for a baby who is physically unable to open their mouth wide enough to take the nipple in as deep as is necessary to feed effectively.
Breastmilk production is established on a supply and demand basis. Therefore, if a baby is feeding ineffectively supply will dwindle. This creates a vicious cycle whereby a baby may lose interest in the breast if they are not getting enough milk from it. The more weeks that pass the more likely this will occur. Mothers may be encouraged to express milk in order to maintain supply but in many cases new mothers will not have the time, energy or support necessary to express milk up to eight times a day for at least fifteen minutes at a time on top of caring for their baby.
Whilst not all cases of tongue-tie require treatment, many do. The intervention involves a small cut being made in the excess skin beneath the tongue. This takes seconds and the baby is likely to cry no more than they do when they have a vaccination. The baby is likely to be feeding again within minutes - effectively and without causing pain.
I am calling for the NHS to add screening for tongue-tie to the routine newborn check. This might take the form of both a physical examination and asking about family history. Even if an intervention was not offered immediately, it would offer a potential explanation if feeding difficulties were encountered in the first week. Where necessary, intervention could be offered sooner rather than later, thereby increasing the chances of being able to breastfeed exclusively where that is the mother’s wish. This change in policy has the potential to reduce distress in a significant number of new mothers and their babies, as well as their support systems.
Please sign my petition on the link below or search for it on Change.org.
Many thanks for all your support,
Ella Cullen
chng.it/wKBnrJSCH5