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Are you worried about your slow weight gain for your baby? Are you experiencing pain while breastfeeding? Then it’s time you take the matter seriously. Generally, most breastfeeding problems get resolved by adjusting your position and adjustment but it may be something more i.e a tongue/lip tie
What is a Tongue/lip tie?
A tongue/lip tie also known as ankyloglossia is caused due to a tight lingual frenulum (lingual frenulum is a membrane that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth). Generally, this membrane becomes thin and recedes before birth. This is the same in the case of a lip tie that happens between the gums and lips. However, when it doesn’t recede this restricts the tongue movement for the baby.
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How can you identify Tongue/lip tie?
In order to identify a tongue/lip tie check the following things
- If there is a tongue tie then when your baby tries to lift his/her tongue or move it forward, it may appear misshaped, short and you would see the frenulum pulling its centre down and restricting the movement.
- You can identify a tongue tie as you will be able to see or feel a firm tissue where his/her tongue touches the floor of the mouth.
- The problem is that it is not quite easy to diagnose, so make sure you check these when you are facing a problem with breastfeeding your child.
- If you feel that your baby is facing a lip tie, then you can check this by carefully opening up their lips, check for any resistance between lips and gums. If you feel the tissues between lips and gums are thick then a lip tie is present.
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What are the issues faced by an infant or mother if the baby has a lip/tongue issue?
- Generally, the infant faces several issues like poor latching, problem in weight gain, clicking or smacking noises, milk leaking, etc.
- In case of a lip or tongue tie, the mother can also experience certain discomforts like sore and blanched nipples, poor breast drainage, plugged ducts, or mastitis.
How to breastfeed your child if they have a lip tie/tongue tie?
- Drinking milk from the bottle: A baby with a lip or tongue tie generally will be comfortable to drink from a bottle. So, try to pump your milk in a bottle before feeding it to your child.
- Soften your breast: You can also try to moisten your breast by baby’s saliva before attempting to latch. This helps the baby to latch to the breast fully.
Apart from this, you can also contact your gynaecologist or lactation consultant who can assist you with more ways to effectively breastfeed your baby.
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Treatment for lip/tongue tie
There are certain therapy techniques to loosen a lip or tongue tie. We will break it down into parts
Level 1 and Level 2: These types of lip/tongue ties require revision. However, if there is a tongue tie and a lip tie equally present, then in most cases the paediatrician would recommend getting it released by a small procedure.
Level 3 and Level 4: In this case to remove the tie a small procedure is required to be performed which is known as a frenectomy. It can be performed for both a lip and a tongue tie. It is generally performed by using a laser. In such a procedure no anaesthesia is required as it causes very little pain to the baby.
So, there are surgical procedures available for a lip and tongue tie. However, if there is only a lip or tongue tie, in most cases paediatricians will recommend you to nurse it naturally.
Summing up
Well, a lip or a tongue-tie may be difficult to spot at first, but once you have identified it, make sure you talk about it with your paediatrician and have a proper line of treatment for it. You may feel that it is quite a minor issue, well if there is a simultaneous lip and a tongue tie, and it is not treated properly then the child can have eating and speech problems while he grows up. So definitely have a look.
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