Breastfeeding a Newborn with a Tongue Tie

Hi H.-
I'm still figuring out how this site works, so I think you're local...if you are, call Dr. Christina Smillie at Breastfeeding Resources asap. 2505 Main Street # 223,
Stratford, CT 06615. Her number is ###-###-####. She is so worth any drive you might have. She's a board certified pediatrician who runs a breastfeeding practice. If you call today someone will call you back even on the weekend.

I'm not sure if you found this yet, but everyone has different opinions on clipping frenulums, a ped will tell you one thing, a lactation consultant something else, an ENT and a pediatric dentist something else. Dr. Smillie is an expert in breastfeeding and she actually clips frenulums herself so I felt like I could really trust her opinion (she didn't think either of my kids needed to be clipped.)

She really is the best, I know so many people in the area who have gone to her and she's helped everyone. You will be so happy you called. Good luck!

What you describe sounds very familiar to me. I want to give you the information for the doctors I spoke with first, because I think they were excellent. My story follows after.

Dr. Cliff O'Callahan, in Middletown, CT ###-###-####) did the procedure for my son. He was the closest thing we found to Millerton, NY. I would highly recommend him. He was great, explained everything, had excellent bedside manner with me, my husband, and my boy. I also spoke by phone to Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) Coryllos, a pediatric surgeon who also specializes in lactation and frenulum problems. She's supposed to be an expert on the subject. She's on Long Island (Mineola) and was willing to speak with me for free over the phone. ###-###-#### & ###-###-####).

We did it when he was 4 months old, fully awake, just some local anesthetic. It was simple and over quickly. There was a little blood and a lot of angst - mostly about his head being held tightly - and then it was over in less than 5 minutes. The Dr recommended I nurse right away to soothe him.

My son had a more hidden tongue tie . . . that's why it took until 4 months for someone to see it and suggest the idea of getting it snipped. To be honest, by the time we did it, I was nursing so rarely that I can only say it *seems* to have helped. The later in life, the longer it will take for him to relearn a different way to use his tongue, so the results are not as dramatic.

My opinion? If they can see he has a tongue tie, I see no reason NOT to get the snipping. I had the exact same nursing situation as you (minus the C-section). A ton of pain, could never get it to work right, was on the same crazy pumping and feeding regimen you describe until I just couldn't do it anymore . . . Between the pain and the formula supplementing I had to do, my supply never really got going properly. Of course, he preferred the bottle. I went through every other idea you can imagine, and its remedy, before we found the tongue tie. By the end (six months) I was pumping 3-4 times a day and feeding him maybe 4-6 oz total to supplement his 18 oz of formula.

You can never say what might have been, but I wish I had the information you have now at 3 weeks . . . I think I would have done it ASAP. Why "hang in there" when the procedure is so simple and relatively risk free and could be so beneficial.

One last thought. Dr. Coryllos explained to me that this used to be a completely standard procudere that every pediatrician learned. It would happen as a regular procedure to most kids right after they were born. It fell out of fashion and stopped being taught in med school. I don't know why, maybe because they felt "Let's not do unnecessary procdures?" (Which I certainly respect). But she believes that it is one part of the reason why so many moms have pain breastfeeding. Feel free to email directly if you have anymore questions.
N.

My 6 month old was born with a tongue tie- she had a terrible time nursing in the hospital. My pediatricians kept saying, "wait and see". (It took all my strength not to yell at them, "It's not your nipple she's tearing to shreads!") Anyway, I went to a LC in Stratford, CT- Dr. Christine Smiley at Breastfeeding Resources and she does the clip right in the office- I was so scared, but it was really nothing... you can even see it online- check out youtube for some examples. IMMEDIATELY after the clip, she started nursing like a CHAMP. The tie can interfere with speech later on as well. It worked for us, I'm glad we did it. I wish you lots of luck!!!

Hi H.,

My son was also born with a slight tongue tie. We took him to a specialist and he clipped it right then. It was a pretty simple procedure. Personally, we had a bad experience with the doctor but otherwise it should have been fine. My son was great very soon after, he didn't show any signs of discomfort.

Good luck!

Hi there, My 2-3/4 year old nephew was born tongue tied but his mom was not informed of it until the day of his circumcision when the (Rabbi/Moehl) saw the attached frenulum when the baby cried. He was bottle-fed so she didn't have the nursing problem, however, the pediatrician and the doctor she was referred to who did the procedure advised her to do it when he was just 3 weeks old. This was so he wouldn't have problems with speaking, etc when he got older. Also, it is not a painful procedure for the baby, it took just seconds to snip and everything is fine. It is entirely up to the parents to make the decision to do the procedure, but I believe it's better for one and all that it be done as soon as possible when it is easily forgotten. My niece lives in Merrick, LI but there are pediatric specialists who do this all the time. Just find someone you have confidence in and ask how often they do this. You'll always do best with a doctor who is very experienced in what he does, no matter what the procedure.
If you need the name of the doctor my niece used just contact me. B. Weill, Grandmother of two grandsons and I live in Westchester.

Good luck. This is nothing to worry about; no general anesthesia was necessary.

My daughter was tongue tied too. I figured it out, with the help of my midwife, at 2 days old. On her first pediatricians visit, at 1 week, I told her. She snipped it in the office and my daughter has had no problems since. We nursed for 2 years!

My son also had problems nursing. It is amazing the different opinion from all the different doctors. We pushed for an ENT referral, and he had his tongue clipped in the office in ~5 minutes. I could not believe how simple the procedure was given how much I had to push to make it happen. The difference for us was immediate. There didn't appear to be any pain compared to the difficulty he had been going through. The bleeding was very minimal.

My younger sister had this issue noted when she was an infant also. Since bottle-feeding is easier, she was able to feed, and doctors said "wait and see". She was able to avoid the speech concerns, but was never able to swallow pills (still used chewable tylenol in high school). She actually had the procedure done as a teenager - I remember jokes about french kissing, but can't remember the real reason. Why couldn't they have just taken care of it when she was a baby instead of letting that hang over her for years?

Good luck with your situation. I suggest called the ENT office directly after your referral and asking for any openings that come up (such as cancellations) - you don't want to wait any longer than you need to!

My 2 month old was tongue tied as well - and the pumping and feeding is very hard. I knew he nursed a bit differently than my 2 others - and wanted to nurse 24/7 - ouch! I was the one who figured out that he was tongue tied at 4 days old.

My pediatrician was supportive of getting the frenulum cut ASAP. ENTs and others of that ilk for the most part wanted to knock him out to have it done - which meant waiting until he was older. We brought him to an oral surgeon - and it was a minute procedure in office - and he nursed (latched perfectly) immediately following. It was the best thing we have done. He cried for a whole 3 minutes - and then practiced sticking his tongue out. He was a week old at this point. He started latching perfectly - and gained back all his lost weight ++++ within a few weeks. Highly recommend getting it done quickly.

Hi there,

My daughter was also born with a tongue tie and after around 3 weeks of incredibly painful breastfeeding it was caught by a lactation consultant. I was on the verge of quitting breastfeeding as I was in tears literally every time. But I believe firmly in breastfeeding so I was keen to find a solve. I went to the peds and he was very non-plussed by the whole thing. Yes, slight tongue tie...but no big deal...stretches over time etc... In the end I pushed for a referral and I'm glad I did. We went to the ENT specialist and he thought it significant enough to warrant recommending clipping it. It was a really quick and seemingly painless to my daughter although I was nervous at the thought of her having any 'procedure' at 3 weeks old, but I can't tell you the difference to breastfeeding was IMMEDIATE. It was such a relief! in more ways than one! I would have to say without a doubt that it was really worth it for me. Although one thing the ENT also said was that now she will be able to french kiss boys when she's older (I haven't told her Dad that yet! :)
I wish you well with whatever you decide!

My son was tongue tied. I did get his frenulum snipped, and it did help. The pain I had didn't go away instantly, because it took time to heal (I was really sore), but it definitely helped. I also think it helped him because he was able to get more milk, and he became much more efficient at nursing. I would highly recommend it. They numb the baby's tongue so they don't feel it, and it literally takes a few seconds. Right after it was snipped, they had me nurse him for comfort. The thing that really sealed the deal for me was that I was told (and read) that if you don't correct a tongue tie issue, it can interfere with speech development down the road. I definitely did not want to deal with that, or have to face the prospect of having to do the surgery at a later time, when my son would be much older. If you have any more questions, contact me. The doctor who performed the procedure is in Chatham, NJ (if that's anywhere near you) and I highly recommend him. He's knowledgeable, pro-breastfeeding, and a grandfather. I felt that he treated me as though I were a family member, and he gave advice he said he would give to his own children. Good luck.

My son also had a tongue-tie when he was born. The pediatrician saw it when she was doing the newborn check at the hosptial. I did have some trouble nursing and with him having latching issues. Eventually I just pumped and gave him a bottle and then onto formula. Our pediatrician said that as long as he was gaining weight and eating then we should wait to get his tongue clipped around 6 months. In our case, she as more concerned about future speech issues associated with tongue-ties if we did not get it clipped versus his feeding issues. A pediatric ENT clipped his tongue right in the office and he was okay right after. The whole procedure took 15 minutes or so. Good luck!

Hi H.,
My name is L. my son is actually 7 1/2 and is also tongue tied I was able to breast feed him till he was 3 months old. To be honest with you I didn't know he was tongue tied till he was about 2yrs old and having speech issues. Thinking back I did have difficult breast feeding but the best technique that worked for us was football style he seemed to latch on no problem. I am a Registered Dental Hygienist and checked with my prior boss who is a Pediatric dentist, checked with a general dentist and oral surgeon and they actually all left it up to me to snip the frenum. I opted not to he is now in 2nd grade has speech in school and is doing excellent loves to read and everyone understands him and he doesn't get frustrated.

Good Luck
L.

Hi there, I have two children, 4 and a half and almost 4 months, and have not had any personal experience with tongue tied babies and breastfeeding (I had another whole set of nursing issues but that's for another post!). Anyway - I wanted to write because my very best friend's daughter was tongue tied and they didn't figure it out until she was weeks old as well, and had the same nursing trouble it sounds you have. She would have to wake her up several times at night with her alarm clock go and try to get her to nurse... she wasn't gaining weight and it was just hard on the whole family. Did have her fenulum snipped and it was a quick procedure. There was a little blood and her daughter cried but she nursed her right away in the doctor's office and she was quickly calmed down and nursed instantly without any problem. I know my girlfriend said they wished they hadn't waited so long. Her daughter was a nursing champ from then on, gained weight like crazy, was happier, more rested (mom too!) and all was fine in their house. She is now a year old! Just wanted to share what I know because I know how frustrated my girlfriend was with this and how she had a excellent fix! Hang in there!

Well I have a 13 month old girl who was tongue tie. My daughter was born two months early and spent her first month it the NICU. She was exclusively breast feed for the first year. I pumped while she was in the NICU and it was fed to her by a feeding tube. As soon as she was able to go off the feeding tube, I believe at 2 weeks she was right to the breast and she was not even 5 lbs. She nursed with the tongue tie till she was about 8 months. I then had her tongue clipped. Hers was all the way to the end of her tongue, she could not stick her tongue out at all. I hope this gives you some encouragement that it can be done and to not give up.

My first baby was fairly easy to nurse. I had planned to aim for 1 yr. with the second. She was jaundice and wasn't the best nurser from day 1. I supplemented with formula initially to deal with the jaundice - ped. told us to do so because she was tiny (6lb. 3 oz when we left hospital)and the jaundice was getting worse. After weeks and weeks of so-so breastfeeding and several visits to the lactation specialist and early intervention services, she had her tongue tie clipped at 3 months by a local ENT right in his office on the same day as our consultation. By that point she had already learned bad nursing habits so the nursing didn't improve. We managed to get by for 6 months with nursing, pumping and supplementing with formula until I had emergency surgery and was in the hospital for a few days and pain killers for a few weeks. After her tongue was clipped she started using it all the time! Sticking it out and wiggling it like it was something new! Do it early- don't wait like we did. It's really a quick and easy procedure. Harder on us mommies!!!! Good luck :)

Hi H.,

My son was also tongue tied and we noticed it a day or two after we brought him home from the hospital. I just didn't feel he was latching right. There wasn't even a discussion on treatment. The pediatrician set us up with the specialist (CHOP) and he cut the frenulum when right there in the office after examining it. It was more traumatic for me than my son. He was breastfeeding in the car in the parking lot right after the procedure with no problems. We breastfed until he was 13 mos without any problems. Good Luck!

I had a similar experience when my son was born. I was breastfeeding and he seemed to have a good latch, however, he was jaundiced the first week he was home so we had to supplement with formula. His tongue tie was not that pronounced so it was not diagnosed until he was a few months old! He was a slow weight gainer and after months of breastfeeding my nipples were still sore! I guess I was able to nurse him as long as that but we ended up getting his tongue clipped at three months and it made all the difference in the world. He was getting more milk from the breast and my nipples stopped hurting. It was as if the tongue clip loosened it enough to make him be able to feed more normally and get a full stroke across the nipple to get more milk. While it broke my heart to have the procedure done, it takes a mere seconds and he was able to breatfeed right afterwards (they make you do this in the dr's office to make sure the baby has no problem). Plus it saves you the fear of him having a language issue later on in life when your son will be very conscious of having to have such a procedure done when he is older. Do not hesitate to consider it for your son now while he is less than a month old. Good luck!

Well, I can give you a slightly different view of the situation...I myself was born with a tongue tie that went from the tip and extended all the way back. It started right behind my teeth and was completely attached to the bottom of my mouth (there was a thin membrane). My mother was concerned mainly with breastfeeding and with speech development. However, at the recommendation of the pediatrician (30 years ago) she waited and did not end up having it clipped. She accomplished the hurdle of nursing and then there was no issue with my speech. When I was older, it started to become irritating to me (it would sometimes get cut by my teeth from me attempting to stick my tongue out with my mouth closed so no one could see...a habit I had developed) and I also realized that it was different. I then asked if I could have the procedure when I was around 11 years old. Let me tell you, at that age it was pretty scary seeing the needles and tools going in and out of my mouth, but it was worth it. I had a little blood and a few stitches. I would definitely recommend having it done now because it really didn't hurt (very numb, I couldn't feel a thing) but I was pretty nervous! Nothing compared to what I have been through since! :0)

Chrissy