Difficulty in breastfeeding your baby can be due to factors affecting the mother and / or the baby. Both mummy and baby should see a lactation counsellor or a doctor to assess the breastfeeding. Mummy will be examined for breast or nipple abnormalities for example blocked milk ducts, or inverted nipples.
The technique of breastfeeding should be assessed to see if the latch is deep enough. Often, different positions which mummy and baby finds comfortable in, help to achieve a deeper latch. The baby is finally examined to exclude abnormalities that impede breastfeeding for example tongue tie, cleft palate.
I suspect my baby has a tongue tie. How do I know for sure?
The diagnosis is suspected if there are symptoms for example, nipple pain, prolonged breastfeeding time, “windy” baby. These happen because the baby’s gums chomp on the nipple, because there is a loss of “cushioning” from a mobile tongue.
The baby struggles to feed, and gulps in more air than usual. The diagnosis of tongue tie or ankyloglossia can be confirmed by a doctor who examines the baby. Often, mild cases of tongue tie exhibit subtle signs which are only picked up in experienced hands.
The tongue tie is an excessively shortened tissue on the undersurface of the tongue, which impedes the mobility of the tongue. In severe cases, the tongue forms a heart shape when extended.
Does tongue-tie release help speech?
The development of speech is a complex one, comprising brain, hearing and neuronal connections development. Tongue tie plays a small role in the big picture. Often the pronunciation of the letter “r” or “l” becomes flatter than normal, because the curling of the tongue is impeded by the tongue tie.
Currently, there are insufficient evidence to show that a tongue-tie release helps speech in future. In an older child, a speech therapist should assess the child first because a tongue-tie release is performed.
When is the best time for tongue-tie release / frenulotomy?
After a lactation consultant has confirmed that the technique of breastfeeding is good and there is still difficulty with breastfeeding your baby, a paediatric surgeon may be consulted. A tongue-tie release can be performed in infancy. It has been shown to relieve nipple pain, and hence achieve better breastfeeding.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast feeding for 6 months, and the best time to perform tongue-tie release is during this time, before you give up breastfeeding. The procedure can be done in the clinic without general anaesthesia.
If your child is older and the tongue tie was diagnosed late, the procedure may need to be performed under general anaesthesia, because it becomes harder to hold the child while the tongue-tie release is performed. After the procedure, your child can go home on the same day.
What happens during a tongue-tie release / frenulotomy?
A scissors is used to cut the tissue on the undersurface of the tongue. Blunt dissection achieves a wound which is diamond shaped. Minor bleeding is controlled with gauze and finger pressure.
How is the recovery after a tongue-tie release / frenulotomy?
Minimal bleeding is expected and the baby should breastfeed immediately after the procedure, which helps to soothe him/her. After the tongue-tie release, you should feel breastfeeding is easier and less painful on the nipple.
Parents are taught how to perform active wound management with a local anaesthetic gel for a week. The gel is edible in babies and can be used to relief discomfort with teething in future. Your child can go home on the same day.
Does lip tie affect breast feeding?
Lip tie is a shortened band of tissue affecting the inner surface of the lip, and the upper lip tends to be more involved as compared with the lower lip. Currently there is no good evidence to suggest lip tip affects breast feeding.
The only studies that showed possible benefit were a lip-tie release combined with a tongue-tie release. I would not recommend an isolated lip-tie release to aid breastfeeding.
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