Isn't it funny how a phrase that is so commonly used, can actually denote quite a serious problem for breastfeeding mothers! What is more interesting, is that even though the phrase is used to describe one's inability to speak properly or at all, due to the tongue not able to move, it is still not considered a viable threat to the breastfeeding infant - many doctors shrugging it off as an 'opportunity to move with life and get baby onto a bottle if you can't breastfeed'.

I have seen 4 tongue tied babies this week, with various degrees of the tongue being tied and held down in the floor of baby's mouth, but guess what? Not one of them was diagnosed by either the midwife or paediatrician who checked the baby's oral cavity after delivery. So, I began to wonder, how many mums are out there, struggling to understand why breastfeeding is so difficult, why feeds go on for hours and then baby glugs down an entire bottle of formula, why their nipples are chewed to pieces?

I want to highlight some of the problems a tongue tie can cause. If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, find a breastfeeding specialist who can help you and refer you to the right place to have it divided. It may not be a tongue tie that is causing your problems, but at least you know what to ask for.

Problems a tongue tie can cause are as follows:

Baby
Long and frequent feeds - resulting in an unsatisfied fractious baby
Slow weight gain - or a sharp drop in weight after birth
Spinach green poos - this tells us that your baby is not getting to the hind milk
Breast refusal and fractiousness at the breast due to low milk supply and a hungry baby

Mom
Sore cracked or bleeding nipples - though the positioning and attachment looks right
Full breasts that don't seem any emptier after long feeds
Mastitis
Eventually a low milk supply as your baby has not been able to drain milk from the breast, so the less your baby takes off the breast, the less you produce!

What does a tongue tie look like? When you baby cries, have a look under your baby's tongue. if your baby is not able to lift his/her tongue right up to touch the roof of the mouth, and you can see a membrane that runs vertically, from the floor of baby's mouth to the base of the tongue, your baby has a tongue tie.

It usually runs in families, though it may be difficult to spot now, as many tongue ties were divided by a midwife's long jagged nail many years ago. As it is only a membrane, it has no feeling and having it divided, is a 2 second procedure and is not painful at all.

If you think your baby has a tongue tie, or would like to have one divided, feel free to contact me at blog@letsbreastfeed.com

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program!