LO is just over a day old and she's gotten a lot better at nursing but we're still figuring it out. Both the lactation consultant and pediatrician pointed out a posterior tongue tie and upper lip tie, but both said only to have them clipped if they were affecting breastfeeding. So anyone figure out good latches for dealing with tongue/lip ties?
Neither one is horrible, though the upper lip tie seems to affect nursing (or at least pain for me) more than the posterior tongue tie.
apricot / 319 posts
D has a class 1 tongue tie, where it attaches at the tip of his tongue. We were told the same thing, in term of whether to clip or not, so we decided to wait and see. In the beginning he had some latching problems, but the LC basically told us to just get him latched as best as we could, then manually adjust him. So I would get him to open up as wide as he would, which usually wasn't very much, then quickly bring him into the boob. Once he was latched, usually pretty shallow, I would use my thumb to push down his chin and get more boob in. Then I would flare out his lips to finish the better latch. After awhile I didn't have to do that, but in the beginning it really helped. At 11 weeks, his frenum has seem to actually stretch out some and he's an expert latcher. I hope you get some advice in regards to the liptie/posterior tie and everything works out for you!
pineapple / 12053 posts
LO had a tongue tie and it didn't effect BFing for us, but everything I was told/read said to get It clipped sooner than later. It was a super easy procedure and I'm glad we did it rather than waiting to see if it got worse or effected her speech later on.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
Mine had the same--ULT and PTT. Both ties ended up really, REALLY affecting her feeding in the long run: colic, vomiting, arching, reflux, cracked and bleeding nipples, flat out refusal to nurse, biting while nursing, constant hunger, gas, wouldn't sleep without being held, nursed every 1.5 hours, severely impacted milk supply, etc. None of those symptoms (besides the cracked nipples) showed until she was about 5 weeks old, and then, life with a colicky, hungry baby was misery. But until then, I thought we had it down. I honestly, recommend getting it treated sooner rather than later, and am already planning on having this baby I'm currently expecting in Feb., checked immediately at the hospital. I would never want to go through the anguish we went through dealing with my DD's ties until she was 6 months old, and I don't wish it on anyone else! The procedure is much easier the younger they are, and really, takes seconds and you can nurse right after. In my mind, knowing what I know now, getting baby clipped/ lasered is totally worth it.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
@Maysprout: read the articles on this website: http://www.kiddsteeth.com. There is SUCH good info on how all the different kinds of ties affect a baby, the mother-child breastfeeding relationship, and how they continue to affect an adult. The PTT is going to affect baby's ability to properly stimulate your nipple and allow for adequate milk production once it's fueled by supply and demand rather than hormones (after roughly 14 days). It affects it because baby's tongue is anchored down and can't lift enough to make the proper latch and wave function needed to nurse efficiently. The ULT is going to primarily affect latch, although can cause tooth decay later.
Sorry to go on and on--I'm really passionate about this topic and have seen SO many mothers and babies suffer until they are treated.
squash / 13764 posts
@Maysprout: my Lo had the same ties and I got them clipped at 2 wks. Best decision ever. There is really no reason NOT to do it. Also a couple of things:
If its hurting now, that's not good. My Los latch was mildly Painful the first few days and then became excruciating due to his ties. So the longer you wait the more you risk that. And if it hurts bc of the ties then they are affecting nursing.
Also not to be a fear monger, but if baby's latch is not good due to the ties, it affects baby's ability to remove milk properly which can lead to a low supply, mastitis, etc.
The procedure is SO easy when they are that little...as they get older it becomes more of a "procedure". It will take about 2 seconds for them to do it now. Sorry dont mean to pressure but like @erinpye: I feel very strongly about it!!
Eta and of course congrats on your new baby!! 
papaya / 10473 posts
We had my son's lip tie and tongue tie clipped, and I knew what to look for thanks to the two previous posters on this thread It changed our whole breastfeeding relationship. I was no longer in pain, my baby was no longer starving, reflux-y, and miserable. It took two seconds at a pediatric ENT.
persimmon / 1153 posts
J has a pretty tight lip tie, but it has never affected breastfeeding. We've gone back and forth on whether we should have it clipped, but we haven't decided on anything yet.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
@emg86: if your LO has an upper lip tie, have him/ her thoroughly checked for a posterior tongue tie- it's extremely rare (as in almost never) to have one without the other. However, a lot of peds don't know anything about PTTs and won't catch it. Ours told us LO had no TT and her obvious LT "shouldn't cause feeding problems." He was wrong, and the common thought that lip ties don't affect feeding is now outdated. You may be affected and not notice, or it may become a complication later on. Occasionally it stretches enough that you might be OK, but there are other risks besides feeding like milk pooling leading to cavities, speech issues, a gap between the two front teeth, swallowing air while eating, etc, that might be worth considering. Read Dr. Kotlow's articles at kiddsteeth.com- they are so super informative!
persimmon / 1153 posts
@erinpye: Thanks, I'll look into it. The pedi ENT wasn't concerned & only found the top lip tie...my husband has one, his brother & mother...they were never clipped. I have wondered how much it would affect speech. The ENT suggested we speak to a pathologist & dentist.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
DS had an ULT and PTT - we had them clipped (via laser) at 5 weeks because he just couldn't get a good/deep latch and my nipples were ultra damaged. Even having it done at an early age his front top teeth came in with a gap; although I'm hopeful that will close once more teeth come in.
pomegranate / 3706 posts
@emg86: definitely get more opinions! I didn't stop until I had about 6! The other thing about PTT, which your LO may have since there is an ULT, is it can restrict jaw and facial development, how far a person can open his/ her mouth, and cause a high arched palette which affects sinuses and teeth alignment. It also can cause oral aversions and picky eaters. Runs in my family too, and quite a few of my fam members have gaps in their teeth, are picky, and say a few things in a funny way. Not a horrendous life sentence by any means, but it's so very easy to treat, and so worth it to really look closely. Very best of luck to you
persimmon / 1153 posts
@erinpye: Good to know! Thank you! No one is my husband's family has ever had problems so I never really thought much about it.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
Both my kids have both lip and tongue tie! Neither had problems latching so we never clipped any of them.
grapefruit / 4800 posts
@erinpye: You didn't have signs in the early days? Was she always colicky or it just started at 5 weeks?
@hilsy85: Yeah I thought oh we'll just clip them but the pediatrician at the hospital seemed against it and the LC just said it was an option but to see how things go. Was the latch painful the whole time or just initially, right now it's only painful at the initial latch.
My milk came in yesterday at less than 48 hours after birth, so I think she's a decently effective nurser, though some of that may be that this is my 2nd and I just stopped nursing the older one 6 months ago.
squash / 13764 posts
@Maysprout: it started out with te latch only hurting initially and then getting better and then as he damaged my nipples and became used to nursing incorrectly, the whole nursing session was painful
I have no idea why a pedi would be against the clipping when it's seriously the easiest thing. Have you seen your pedi? I would so maybe meet with an ent to get an opinion.
Honestly though, there's no reason not todo it...it's so much easier to deal with it now than risk it becoming a greater issue in the future.
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