Difficulty breast feeding? Check your baby for tongue-tie

This is obviously not the only cause for difficulty with breast feeding, however it is one that is more often than not overlooked or missed by midwives, health visitors and doctors. 

This post draws on personal experience as I only found out my son had a tongue tie when he was 18 months old, while breast feeding issues were discussed on my doula training course. I had to resign myself to stop breast feeding him at 5 months as he was progressively loosing weight, screaming all the time ( starving!); breast feeding was painful and I also got mastitis; by 5 months, my milk supply was virtually down to nothing. Although I knew something was wrong ( I had the experience of breast feeding my daughter and could tell that he wasn't latching on properly), no one picked it up, not the midwives, not the health visitor, not even the paediatrician!

So remember:

1. If you feel something isn't right then it is likely that something isn't: a mother's instinct is worth as much if not more than any medical degree! So keep pushing for answers. ( please see list of possible symptoms in baby and mother as a result of tongue tie)

2. You can spot a tongue tie yourself once you know what to look for ( please refer to picture); an anterior tongue tie is easier to spot than a mid or posterior tongue tie.

When your baby sticks his/her tongue out, a tongue tie will cause the tongue to form a heart shaped tip.

3. Ask other family members on both sides if there is a history of tongue tie as it is hereditary.

4. A tongue tie baby can still be breast fed. If spotted at birth, a tongue tie can be severed without anaesthetic ; however, further down the line, your child would have to go under general anaesthetic for this procedure. Should you wish to carry on breast feeding without the tongue tie being severed, ask to be referred to a breast feeding consultant or a doula. Your midwife or health visitor may also have some previous experience with this condition and may be able to help.

(Note: depending on the severity of the tongue tie, it may not have any impact on your child's elocution; the tie tends to loosen in time, allowing for more movement. Higher incidence of decay has sometimes been found in tongue tie children because of the inability of the tongue to remove debris in teeth but this can easily be avoided by good oral hygiene)