Tongue Tied Infant - Help!

I was tongue tied as was my eldest.. I had mine clipped and while I know my son needed to have his done -- I couldn't do it (SOOOOO I had my mom take him) it was just a 2 second procedure and she said he didn't even bleed. He had it done at 2 years...but if I'd have known earlier, I'd have had it done earlier...

I would definitely not recommend having it clipped at this age. Sometimes kids grow in to things and just b/c it looks small now, doesn't mean it actually is- EVERYTHING looks smaller (and is smaller!) on a baby. Unless the doctor really thinks that is the problem and u actually have a problem w/ his weight gain etc, I would wait. However, if this pedi just now noticed, I might find another pedi and get a second opinion first before I would do something that drastic on the suggestion of a doc who didn't notice in the first place! Not sure I'd be ok trusting them...in the mean time, just pump and dump if u have to, to keep your supply up. You can always pump and freeze it for later or even donate it! I might also go see a lactation consultant, we had one assigned to us whether we needed her or not at the hospital, and it was free. It is possible that even w/ a short frenulum that there is another problem w/ his latch on that's actually causing the big problem, or that if the SF is the problem entirely that she can show u some things to help w/ out having to go to the extreme of having it clipped at all!

My brother was tongue tied and I believe they used a laser to "clip" him. This was done in Colorado and as I remember it was very easy for him, it healed right away to because they used the laser. My brother's procedure was done about 10 years ago so maybe check on the internet for new info on how this simple procedure is done. My mom also nursed while my baby brother was tongue tied she said it was difficult at first but she just kept up with it and it got better.

My son has it, too. He had problems feeding at first, but he was fine after about a week. His ped doc said to keep an eye out on it. I talked to an ENT, & he said the only reason that they clip it is if it's interferring with speech or feeding. My son's did neither, so I never did anything to it. He still has it.

Another thing to think about is that when you get it done, the child still has to do exercises for it to not grow back. They have to do tongue excercises, so that's just something to think about. Go to a specialist to get it checked out. Good luck!!

OK--this was 20 yrs ago--but I was 10 years old and I remember like it was yesterday. My baby brother had this--and when he was 2 wks old, they had it clipped. He had disslovable stitches and you cannot even tell he ever had it done. He too was a nursed baby and had no problems nursing after the procedure. I am sure it is even easier on babies now than 20 yrs ago so don't wait to get it clipped! They said he would've had speech problems later if they hadn't done it. Good Luck!

When my son was born, he was my third child and I couldn't figure out why he was having such a hard time nursing. He wouldn't latch on, he just swallowed the milk after let down occurred. I had already nursed 2 other children so I knew how it was supposed to work. We went in for the 2 week check up with the pediatrician and I mentioned how much trouble he was having and she looked in his mouth and said we was slightly tongue tied. I had never heard of it. I ask the pros and cons and how to correct it. She didn't say anything negative about it so she clipped his tongue tie in the office and by the end of the day he nursed perfectly. I'm so happy I said something and I'm lucky he wasn't born first or I never would have known something was wrong with the way he nursed.
I haven't even thought of it until I saw your post. I hope hearing from all of us makes you feel more comfortable. I think it is a safe procedure. My son didn't get any stitches and there was no bleeding.

Get it clipped ASAP. My son was tongue-tied and had such a difficult time nursing. For the first few months, I spent a lot of time nursing, pumping and using a bottle. We didn't catch it unitl he was about 6 months old. The APA has suggested that you don't clip it unless there is a problem with speech in the future. Personally, I think that is BS. My sister has a master's in communicative disorders and she said why wait. The speech problems they develop in the future are more difficult to correct than just clipping it when they are babies. Out pedi didn't want to refer us to someone, but we don't need a referral with out insurance, so I told him that he could recommend someone or I would just find someone. He did refer us to an ENT MD. When we met the ENT MD, he was so angry that it wasn't done as soon as he was born. The longer you wait the worse it is to do. He said that once they reach a certain age, it becomes surgery and not just a simple procedure. With that said, I couldn't watch and my husband stayed with him while it was done. There was some blood, but I honestly think it affected me more than him. And the next day, he nursed like he hadn't eaten in forever.

My son was born tongue-tied too! I might not have noticed it, but my mother in law (who worked as an Ear Nose Throat nurse for 25 years) brought it to my attention. We weren't having any problems breastfeeding but I thought I'd ask my pediatrician about it at his 2 week appointment. Her comment, "well he'll most likely have speech problems, but a good speech therapist will be able to help him stretch it." What?! All of a sudden I was concerned! Do I wait 3 years until he starts talking to see if he has problems? And if he does, what then? My amazing MIL reassured me that she has done dozens of them (frenulum clipping) in her career and that it was a simple procedure. So we went to an ENT doctor at 3 weeks. He took one look at my little guy's tongue and said "that's thick, it's not going to stretch". Of course I was anxious about the procedure and glad that grandma held him while I paced the hallway. But it was over quickly, he nursed right away. We had a fussy night but then that's it! I'm SO glad we did it! Every time he sticks out his little tongue at me now, I know I did the right thing!

Go have it clipped! I cannot tell you how much this will help! My son was born the same way and I noticed it when he was a couple days old - still in the hospital. I had them check it out and asked them to clip it. They said it's really quick and about as painful as having an ear pierced - meaning it's fast and over with. They took him and came back 10 minutes later and he was awake and just fine (I couldn't go with him because they wouldn't let us otherwise I would've). It used to take him over 10 minutes to latch on and then his suck was weird, but once they clipped it, it took a few nursings and he got used to the way his tongue was different and he nursed so much better. I HIGHLY recommend getting it clipped. I had other people tell me otherwise, and I am so glad I didn't listen to them.

Hi S....
Congratulations on your new baby! Both of my sons were tongue-tied, and I, too, had difficulty nursing. Until you can get him in and get it clipped, you should pump to keep your milk supply up. That is what I did. I took both boys to my ENT (and this was 8 1/2 years apart), and he clipped it right there in the office - by the next day nursing improved 100%. If you need a recommendation, his name is Dr. Jeffery Adelglass, and he is in Plano. He's been around for a long time, so he knows what he is doing, as does all of the docs in his office. And he is on every insurance in the world I think. Hopefully you can get it taken care of soon and he can enjoy his feedings! Good luck!

S.,

I am a pediatric dentist & the procedure to clip the frenum is very easy. I do feel that it is best to have it done at an early age because the child is not aware of what is going on & is not scared of the procedure. In my office when I clip the infant's tongues, I simply use some strong topical anesthesic & scissors or a very small scalpel & there is very little bleeding or pain. My husband said that the first thing I noticed about my child after she was born was that her tongue was tied. I clipped it myself one day at my office. She had no problems feeding so I waited until she was about 6 months old & I clipped hers & she only cried because we had to hold her head still in the dental chair. That evening she ate & drank normally. I would strongly advice talking to an ENT, oral surgeon, or a pediatric dentist. It is a very routine procedure & usually only takes a few minutes.

My son was born tongue tied. Although the pediatrician we originally had never caught it. A complete stranger pointed it out to us when he was 9 months old. It did explain why he would not breastfeed and preferred a bottle. Anyway, since he was older he actually had to have surgery and it was more sever than most cases of tongue tied. We were pretty frustrated that our pediatrician never caught it and that was the deciding factor of finding someone who was more detailed in their check ups. That being said we saw an immediate difference in our son trying to talk and babble. I say you are very blessed if you can have it clipped in the office, it is the worst thing in the world, as a new mom, to watch your little baby put to sleep and wheeled off into surgery, and this all could have been avoided if it was caught earlier. I say get it done before they are too old or it gets worse and surgery is required.

I endured two weeks of excruciating pain trying to nurse my first before we found out that he was tongue tied...Ears nose and throat Dr put a little numbing agent on the tip of a q-tip to numb the area and a quick snip with some scissors and it was over in a second. My son cried for about half a minute. The difference in nursing afterwards was night and day! My daughter had the same problem and I had to ask the Pediatrician to do it that time...He said that he had done it countless times but I couldn't guess it by watching him...looked more like his first time to me...no numbing agent, strapped the baby down wrong and had to redo it, didn't get the tie cut the first time (a 1 min procedure turned into a 15 min). But considering all the complications it was still well worth it ; ) Hope this was helpful.

Absolutely, get it done quickly. Both my children were tongue tied. My first had it done at 3 days old and my 2nd immediately. My first born was in pain for several weeks and had to be fed with a tube so that I could nurse as soon as it was healed. I have known people with this problem as adults and it does affect their speech.

My son too had this and we had it clipped when he was about 3 wks old. He too had problems breastfeeding. The whole thing took about maybe 5 mins and he NEVER had any pain or problems with it. So my advise is to get it clipped now. At first the ENT didnt want to do it, he said if it became a bigger problem then he would but we made him do it then! I didnt want him to have a speach probelm later and then later have to have a bigger surgery. So I would do it now and when they really dont know whats going on. Good luck and congrats on your baby boy.

S.,
Get it clipped ASAP! It is a simple and relativly painless procedure. He should be able to breastfeed immediatly after getting his frenulum clipped. Get a hand pump (pretty cheap) and pump every two hours until you are able to breastfeed as this should preserve your milk supply. If, by chance, you are on WIC, they will give you a breast pump...possibly electric free.

My son, too was "tongue-tied". He did have a problem breast-feeding at first, but eventually got the hang of it. We were told it might affect his speech and it may need to be clipped, but he's 4 and I nearly forgot about it until I saw this message! He has absolutely NO problems from it at all and breast-feeding was no more a problem from that than me just being a new mother. I'd never even heard of this prior to having my first baby and am not sure it's as big an issue as it's made out to be. I wouldn't do any "clipping" on him just yet...give him some time and he'll probably do fine w/some more "practice"...just my thoughts.

I am a dental hygienist and a Lactation consultant. I often see tongue tie people in my chair whose speech isn't effected but they still have troubles manipulating there tongue in to all areas of their mouth. This effects their ability to use their tongue to clean their teeth and have more dental problems as a result.
A frenectomy is a very simple procedure (no anesthetic and nostitches) in a infant child a breast feeding immediately after is usually enough to comfort baby and get them happy again.
It always baffles me that many people/MD's think nothing of circumcising a baby but hesitate to clip a tongue.

hello well i have very personal experience with this i was born tongued and back then my mom didnt want 2 do it freaked her out i struggeld all my life with and was teased and it got 2 the point that when i was 24 it was swollen and i had probs talking so i found a ent and he use a numbed and cut it off in like 2mins it was quick and painless with babied i thank they do a little more but i sugesst doing it now and not putting him through it when hes older just my advice on it!!!