Breastfeeding and Tongue Ties
Did you know?
Tongue ties occur in pregnancy.
“The frenum
is a remnant of tissue that was part of the facial structure of the infant
during early pregnancy. Usually it disappears or reduces to a very slight
membrane which is elastic and does not limit the tongue in its movements or
disrupt function.”
Tongue ties can be
genetic. They are often seen in pre-term babies as well.
There are two
different types of ties; anterior and posterior, and several different
severities.
Tongue ties are
extremely common, though not always diagnosed even when difficulties are present.
They affect more
males, at nearly a 3:1 ratio and a quarter of tongue tied infants have
difficulty breastfeeding due to the tie.
Tongue tie can be
treated by family doctors, dentists, lactation consultants, ENT (ear, nose and
throat) doctors, surgeons, or speech-language pathologists.
Tongue ties can
interfere with normal breastfeeding regardless of the severity.
Oftentimes, a
maxillary labial frenum tie(upper lip) is present with a tongue tie.
Tongue ties are still
a problem, even if the mother decides to switch to bottle feeding.
Tongue ties are can
be tricky to diagnose, but are very easily fixed!!
Symptoms of a tongue tie
Baby – colic, excessive gassiness, excessive drooling,
clicking sound when nursing caused by losing suction or the frenum “snapping
back”, unsustained latch, shallow latch, unsatisfied after prolonged nursing, hunger, malnourishment, swallowing of wind, sleep disturbances, vomiting,
and reflux can be present, and cause incessant crying and inability to settle,
falls asleep at the breast, unable to hold a pacifier, gumming or chewing on
the nipple, gags easily, difficulty sticking their tongue out, tip of tongue
may appear notched or heart-shaped,
difficulty lifting the tongue to roof of the mouth or to the inside of
the cheek
Mom – bleeding or cracked nipples, plugged ducts,
infections, thrush, mastitis, vasospasm due to bad latching, nipple creasing or
blanching, low milk supply, severe pain with latching, disappointment, sadness
and guilt over nursing
Untreated tongue ties can cause a multitude of problems as
the child grows into an adult. Speech problems are very common, high palate,
teeth may come in crooked, sleep apnea due to a narrow airway, a tongue thrust
which can lead to an abnormal swallowing pattern and an open bite, may have
digestion problems and difficulty swallowing pills as well. There are social reasons, too. It can make
things such as eating an ice cream cone difficult, or kissing. There are many
more reasons to treat a tongue tie than just for the sake of breastfeeding!
Test Yourself!
Push and hold the tip of your tongue into the inside
surface of your lower teeth. Now try to talk and/or eat while holding the tip
of your tongue in that position. You will now have a better understanding of
what a tight frenum feels like. Would you want to spend the rest of your life
with a tied down frenum?
To see if you have a
correct swallow: Place the tip of your tongue at a point just behind the inside
of your upper front teeth (there is a slight bump there called a papilla).
Concentrate on what your tongue is about to do. Now swallow. The tip of your
tongue should remain basically stationary at that same spot and the rest of the
tongue should push up into the roof of your mouth with little or no force on
any of your teeth. This correct swallow is learned during breastfeeding!
This link can help you decide whether or not your baby needs to be seen by a professional to diagnose a tongue tie!
