Tongue ties and feeding
What is a tongue-tie?
A tongue-tie is when the piece of skin under the tongue (called the frenulum) is tight, or shorter than normal. A tongue-tie is an oral restriction which is also called a Ankyloglossia and is one of the most common occurrences behind breastfeeding issues.
a Lip tie is the same piece of skin, but underneath the top lip, that attaches to the gums is very tight. A Lip tie usually comes with a tongue tie, rarely there is a lip tie without the tongue tie.
They can impact babies ability to latch and seal, or create that vacuum needed, to feed efficiently. This can lead to painful feeding experiences for mum, an unsettled baby and can lead to putting breastfeeding in the too-hard basket.
Tongue and Lip tie symptoms are:
Mother:
Nipple pain when feeding
The nipple looks pinched or creased after a feed, or shaped like a lipstick. Not round.
Low milk supply
Recurrent Mastitis or blocked ducts
Baby:
Comes on and off the breast during feed
Makes a clicking sound when sucking
gets tired quickly during feeds
has little or no weight gain
Its also important to note that some babies with tongue-ties breastfeed without problems.
Most GPs, midwives and doctors don’t have specific training in oral restrictions or oral function. This results in often dismissing a tongue tie, calling it a ‘fad’ or say that ties don’t affect breastfeeding. This can be extremely confusing for new parents and you may want to take their advice with an open mind and seek out other options.
You might be offered a ‘snip’ at the hospital, which sounds like an easy fix.
This will more than likely not fix your problems so I would encourage you to seek guidance from someone with experience with oral restrictions, not the general doctor at the hospital.
There is options out there, but unfortunately parents will have to seek them out themselves. There are also an amazing Facebook support group to join for more info: See Tongue & Lip tie support Australia
Why is a tongue tie a problem for breastfeeding?
A baby needs to be able to have good tongue function to be able to remove milk from the breast well.
If the tongue is anchored to the floor of the mouth due to a tie, the baby can not do this. The baby might not be able to latch on to the breast deep enough for a efficient feed. This can result in nipple-feeding or a shallow latch because the nipple is not drawn far enough back in the babys mouth and constantly rubs against the baby’s hard palate as they feed. As a result, the mother is likely to suffer nipple trauma.
You won’t necessarily have all the sighs, but some can be related to a tongue and lip tie.
If you are having any of the above issues, please see a Lactation Consultant. I would recommend to see Jo Vlasic at Childs Health in Proserpine to start with or a IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant for a full assessment.
If you decide to have a restriction released, please see our local recommended options below. There are also a place in Mackay called KIDS who does tongue tie releases but I have not dealt with them directly.
Releasing a tie is not always a quick fix. It takes time for a baby to adjust to new tongue mobility and to relearn how to suck. It is also important to see a Chiro or osteo before and after a tie release, called body-work. They help with compensations seen when the tongue could not function properly.
After a release you will also need to do something called ‘stretches’ these are to help the wound left after the procedure to not close up again, so it’s a scar massage. Your provider will let you know how to and how often to do the stretches and what else is needed.
Recommended Release Providers
The providers on this list has been recommended due to their excellent reputation and personal experience from me and other local mums.
For a full list of recommended providers Australia wide, please visit
Dr Lindsay Smith (Dentist)
Absolutely Dental Townsville
(07) 4723 8100
email: admin@absolutelydental.com.au
Dr Brett Smith (Chiropractor)
Dynamic Chiropractic - Whitsundays
18/121 She Harbour Road, Cannonvale QLD
(07) 4785 0029
email: dynamicwhitsunday@gmail.com
www.dynamicchiropractic.com.au
I hope this helps you in your search for guidance about ties. Please reach out if you need anything else or have any further questions. I have been here before and I have searched for a lot of information myself, so I know this journey is not easy and a decision to have a tie released (or all) is not an easy one.
Listen to your intuition as always, mama.
Much love,
Louise xx
