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We clipped A's frenulum and posterior tongue tie at 7 days old. It was necessary for us to breastfeed. It's a super quick procedure that they do in the office. I would definitely check it out with an ENT! We didn't need a referral, we just made an appt (but maybe bc he was so young? I dunno.)

Good luck! I admire your tenacity. I know how important it is - it took us three weeks to be able to bf at all, and I was not gonna give up either.

ETA: A has also been going to a chiropractor since day 4, which I think helped to release his jaw forward which helped tremendously in his ability to latch.

I had the same exact thing. A "seasoned" (old) pedi said she didn't have a tongue tie. 2 LCs said yes. A week later we went to a younger pedi who said yes, minor tongue tie. We did the snipping and while it was tough to hear DD wail when they did it, she cried for maybe 5 seconds and the doc helped her latch right on. It didn't solve our problems the way I expected it to but maybe it helped. Eventually she needed craniosacral therapy to relieve the tension in her jaw and neck to help her latch better.

My story is just like yours in that LO was gaining fine and was full but I had terrible nipple pain. We were told at birth that LO had a tongue tie but it seemed minor and she latched fine. In hindsight I feel a little let down by my midwives as LO clicked and I was kinda just told to work on my latch, even though they knew about the tie. At 4 weeks I broke down, I didn't think I could BF any longer, it was awful. In a last ditch effort I made an appt to have the tie checked. Not only did she have a tongue tie but a lip as well. We made an appt to have them clipped and I really struggled with going though with the procedure. It felt selfish, doing this to my baby so things would be better for me. I wish I had known earlier that babies don't have nerves under there yet, so while it's uncomfortable and they won't like it it shouldn't hurt them and I wouldn't of suffered for so long.

LO handled the procedure amazingly well. Ours was done by a dentist who uses a lazer. They took LO back, we went outside (they preferred we were not there) and 10 minutes later they called to say all done. When we came back in LO wasn't even crying. The difference for us was immediate. No pain breastfeeding, it was amazing.

I wouldn't be breastfeeding now if it wasn't for having them clipped, I would of given up long time ago.

My LO had his tongue tie clipped, and it was seriously no big deal! It took longer to sign in at the pedi's office than it did to clip. He cried for less than a minute - the second I started nursing him he was fine. It made a HUGE difference in his efficiency in eating, my pain levels, and his ability to latch.

You are doing such an awesome job! Most people would've given up by now, and you're just soldiering on. B is a lucky little boy.

@grizz: I didn't realise you guys had a tongue tie, hope you're nursing is all good now!

Honestly, LO had a posterior tongue tie and a lip tie and we just nursed through. At about 6w, he got better at nursing, despite that we never went through with the surgery. At about 8w, he was a pro.
I didn't do it only because I was scared. Go for it if you want, but we ultimately didn't need to.

@erinpye: Can I say yes to just about everything you said?!

I've actually read about tongue and lip tie causing "reflux" on the Nurshable blog and although my LO wasn't that extreme, she was a very spilly baby due to the amount of air she gulped down while feeding!

N was born with a significant tongue tie. The doctor commented on it right away. His tongue was tied all the way to his gum line. I was told by the doctor who delivered me that the ped would clip it before we left, however that didn't happen. About 11 days after his birth we met with an amazing ENT who clipped the tie and he scream for just a minute but was fine after. It didn't really help our nursing relationship because he also had a pretty big lip tie that we didn't notice until later. Getting his tongue clipped made it so he could eat and gain weight ( nursing was so painful and hard for both of us that I EP) When N was 4 months old we had his lip tie clipped and I wish we would have done it sooner. He doesn't suck anymore air, he doesn't click when he sucks. He can also hold his pacifier so much easier!
Bottom line momma you know what's best for your lo.

@rahlyrah: oh you poor mama, I really do feel your pain. Keep us posted!

I had DS' tongue tie and lip tie "clipped" actually done by laser at 5 weeks. He cried for all of about 5 minutes and had minimal bleeding afterwards. I wish I would have done it sooner. I had it done by a dentist and it was mostly covered by my dental insurance; however I know others who had their LO's clipped by the same dentist and their medical insurance covered it. Pain continued for a couple weeks until I realized that I had a mild case of thrush from the early trauma, once I treated that we were good to go.

@rahlyrah: so glad that you had the procedure done! But sorry to hear that he's on a boob strike? I don't have much advice/experience, but I would say maybe just continue to offer? Before and after bottles.... Will he nurse when he's really sleepy?

Don't give up though! He's still so young that it's definitely possible to fix this. Has nursing been less painful since the clipping?

@rahlyrah: yay! so glad to hear that!!
ETA did they talk to you about doing exercises to help the lip and tongue from reattaching?

@rahlyrah: ok good! I would also run a finger under LO's upper lip, along his gum to prevent that from re attaching...I wasn't told to do either of those things and LO's did re attach somewhat

@rahlyrah: do the exercises quickly and gently a couple times a day for 2 weeks. 1 week isn't enough. Also, get some bodywork done. Ask your LC for a referral for a craniosachral therapist and take your LO to 1-2 sessions. It's imperative to gently release some of the body and jaw stiffness due to overcompensations made while baby's jaw and mouth were so restricted. It will take time for your babe to relearn the correct way to latch- the only way he's ever known, even in the womb, was restricted. Nursing when sleepy, like at night, will be the easiest at first, and just keep trying. It's ok if it's only a minute or two, just keep offering and trying. Also make sure your supply is up enough- moms with TT'd LOs supplies often suffer because they haven't gotten proper stimulation and emptying to know to produce enough. Motherlove makes a supplement called More Milk that helped me (I couldn't take the plus version because it contains fenugreek, and while fenugreek can be very helpful for milk production, those with thyroid issues shouldn't use it). Eat oatmeal, drink lots of water, and pump a few times a day as well, especially if baby isn't nursing enough yet. It's hard work, but you WILL get there. You can also take a bath with your LO and nurse him in there- my LO loved that after her procedure. lots of skin-to-skin contact helped. Good luck, mama, and big hugs.