When
I found out I was pregnant, I never really thought about how I would feed my
baby. I knew I would breastfeed. It wasn’t some goal I set, but I had seen my
mom, sisters, and a good friend breastfeed so it seemed natural. I watched a
1-hour DVD on breastfeeding a few weeks before I was due and thought I would be
good to go!
My
daughter was breech and I ended up needing a C-section since despite our
efforts, she wouldn’t turn. I made it clear to the delivery team I wanted to
hold my daughter as soon as possible and that I would be breastfeeding. I was
able to hold her skin-to-skin within 10 minutes of delivery and she latched on
in the recovery room, exactly 1 hour after she was born. I already had
colostrum and the nurses complimented me and I felt good about how it was
going.
That
night though my daughter seemed to be getting frustrated during feedings and a
nurse suggested I use a nipple shield on one side so that she could latch on
easier, so we did. By the morning, my milk had come in and the lactation
consultant complimented me on that. The latch was painful though and we started
using the shield on both sides. While I was in the hospital 4 days, 4 different
lactation consultants came by who each offered different and sometimes
conflicting advice. I went home and still couldn’t figure out how to relieve
the painful latch.
When
my daughter was 10-days-old, I scheduled a private consultation with a
lactation consultant and there learned my daughter had a lip tie and posterior
tongue tie. I had never heard of that before, but was told this was the reason
for my daughter not being able to latch correctly. The lactation consultant
said that a pediatric dentist could correct it with a quick laser surgery and
that the sooner we corrected it the better so that my daughter could learn how
to use her tongue and suck properly. Lip and tongue ties have speech and dental
implications later, if not addressed. The lactation consultant also showed me
an alternative position so that breastfeeding would be more comfortable.
I
went home from that visit a bit relieved, but also nervous. As a new mom, I wasn’t sure if I was doing
something wrong, so to know it wasn’t “my fault” and that there was a solution
was a relief. However, the idea for surgery, even if minor and quick, for my
young daughter was a bit scary. I told my husband what I found out and he was
very opposed to the surgery since our daughter was little and *perfect*.
Since
the new breastfeeding position I had learned helped with the pain, I was okay
with her not having surgery. (Plus, I
would have never sent my child in for surgery only for my pain.) But as days
and weeks passed, I felt my daughter was spitting up too much, a bit gassy, and
had a lot of hiccups. I found a blog – Mommypotamus – which included several
articles on tongue ties and by the time my daughter was 3-weeks-old, I
convinced my husband we should schedule a consultation with the pediatric
dentist. The dentist we chose is so popular that he had a 4-week wait list!
We
saw Dr. Cole when my daughter was 7-weeks-old. He confirmed the lip tie and
posterior tongue tie and was able to perform the procedure that same day.
Immediately after the procedure, my daughter nursed and in fact, I had to ask
my husband if she was really eating because I couldn’t feel anything – it was
so different! Within 3 weeks, she weaned off the nipple shield. We also noticed
she spit-up less, burped more easily, and in turn had less gas and hiccups. There
was still some pain with her initial latch but adjustments by a neuromuscular
doctor relieved neck and jaw tension. (Before her ties were revised, she had to
overcompensate for poor tongue mobility and that caused some tension that took
a few visits to relieve.)
My
daughter is turning 4-months-old next week and I am so thankful for the
knowledge I gained and that I can now nurse her without pain. I’m also glad
this procedure resolved other issues she had.
I
am normally a very private and modest person but I feel a desire to share our
story. This is in part because a former coworker of mine reached out after Mary
was born to see if I had any questions on C-section recovery and she was
willing to share her breastfeeding experience. I also had a friend from church
and a sister who shared their experiences with me. Without the support I’ve had
from people like them, I may have given up, especially since I didn’t have any
goal set for breastfeeding. Particularly in the days right after my daughter
was born, I took it one feeding at a time (sometimes in tears). We’ve come so
far from that time, it seems like a distant memory! These pictures are special
to me for capturing a moment in our journey. I hope sharing this helps to raise
awareness so others aren’t hesitant to address the issue and so they don’t give
up.
If
you think your child may have a tongue or lip tie, I encourage you to join the Tongue Tie Babies Support
Group on
Facebook and check the provider list. We’ve learned many pediatricians and
lactation consultants may be familiar with ties yet they don’t validate all of
the issues ties cause. We actually switched pediatricians for this reason.
By
the way, I mentioned earlier my husband was initially hesitant for our daughter
to have surgery because she is perfect. I agree that she is, however now that
we’ve learned more, we are both confident that she has a better quality of life
now and in the future without those ties!
…
And next time we have a baby, I know what to check for right away :)
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