TTMA lip ties

[tee]

I suspect my DD has a pretty bad lip tie. I just talked to my aunt (an LC) & sent her a picture and she confirmed (as much as she could from a picture) - she referred me to an ENT doctor who specializes in it.

DD is 6 days old. Nursing is going alright - she is getting enough (lots of wet & poopy diapers) but did some damage to my nipples from a shallow latch, but that's healing now. She has a hard time staying latched.

Anyone have any experience with lip ties? Can you tell me about your experience?

Thanks!

[ShtsNGiggles]

DS2 us 9 months and still has a lip tie. I talked to his pedi about it when he was 2 months old. By that time i had figured out how to nurse without it hurting. He told me that as long as i want in pain and ds was having enough wet and dirty diapers that he didn't feel anything needed to be done.

It wouldn't hurt to talk to an ENT, but maybe go see an LC in person first. She may be able to help correct LO's latch.

[mapetitefamille]

DD2 has a mild upper lip tie. We had issues with a shallow latch-- lots of pain and cracked, bleeding nipples-- so I took her to a pediatric dentist recommended by the LC to get it checked out. He found that she had a posterior tongue tie that was only palpable (not visible) so it was missed. The dentist felt that was a bigger factor than the lip tie in causing the poor latch and repaired the tongue but left the lip alone. It's been a week now and I agree with him; her latch has gotten better by the day, though I still needed some pointers from the LC to help break the habit. I'd recommend at least getting LO checked in person, whether by an ENT, dentist, or LC, to see if there are any other issues as lip & tongue ties often go hand in hand.

[scooter028]

I suspect that if you're looking for advice it's significant enough to be uncomfortable for you.
My LO had an obvious upper lip tie. My pedi said it's no big deal, however I took it upon myself to go to an ENT. He determined a tongue tie as well. So we had both snipped at around 6 weeks. A few weeks later and things weren't any better. I found a recommended pediatric dentist who uses laser for revisions. We went to him at 12 weeks and he confirmed a posterior tongue tie and upper lip tie still intact. He let us know that posterior tongue ties often go along with upper lip ties and are not as easy to diagnose. After revision with the laser, things have been great! I suggest asking around at local BFing support groups or visiting the tongue tie support group on facebook to look at their recommended doctors. If you decide to forward with a revision, I'd highly suggest going to someone who uses a laser. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt to go for an exam with someone who knows what they're doing to see what you're dealing with. That's awesome your aunt is a LC, what a great resource!

[bonnesetter27]

My DD had a posterior tongue tie and a lip tip. The pediatric dentist said they go hand in hand. DD was growing well at 1 week and then by 2 weeks she was a pound below her birth weight. I had to go to just pumping. Her latch was terrible and I had to use a nipple shield, which caused transfer issues. I has happy eping until at 12 weeks her weight had slowed. She was having trouble latching to a bottle as well. We had a pediatric dentist laser her tongue and lip. It took a few weeks but we got back to breastfeeding. Now she is gaining well and her latch is great. I joined a facebook group called Tongue Ties Babies support group. They have been extremely helpful. Ties can cause speech problems in the future too.

[Deleted]

We experienced an upper lip and slight posterior tongue tie which we had clipped by an ENT during our consultation appointment. What led us to believe it was how his lip skin went all the way down his gum line, BFing was excruciatingly painful for the first 30 seconds or so, his lost over 10% of his birth weight, and I had deep cuts for a couple months. It's not always just about BFing issues. There are dental and language development issues than can occur down the road depending on the severity of the tie if it is not taken care of. It was a quick procedure and I am so thankful we did it.

[jennybeans]

I don't normally post on this board, but saw this question and wanted to chime in... DS has an upper lip tie and pretty sure he has a posterior tongue tie. BFing was rough early on but I found ways to nurse that were more comfortable and since I went back to work at 12 weeks it never became a huge deal since he was taking bottles through the week. I think It really just helped my confidence to know that it wasn't me doing something wrong. He is almost 9 months and his mouth is bigger and we both know what we are doing now so its much easier.
When I was considering what to do about his ties, I had a friend in a mommy group recommend a group on Facebook with a lot of very experienced parents and lots of resources. It's a closed group but if you search "Tongue Tie Babies Support Group" you should be able to request to join. Their public page is here: www.facebook.com/TongueTieBabies
And here are additional resources you can look at: ttbsg.weebly.com/basic-information.html

Good luck!

[tee]

Thank you all - I'm glad to hear everyone's stories!

mapetitefamille, @mamak1218, bonnesetter27, scooter028, - How was your pain management for LO?

We met with 2 different LC's and they both confirmed a really tight upper lip tie that is completely restricting her from flaring her lip out. Our ENT apt is next Tuesday, so the LC's helped me with latch to get us through to the appointment. She will be 2 weeks old at the time of the appointment.

Thanks for the suggestion of the FB group! I'll check it out. I've joined a local one already.

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2015 22:47:09 GMT -5 tee said:

Thank you all - I'm glad to hear everyone's stories!

mapetitefamille, @mamak1218, bonnesetter27, scooter028, - How was your pain management for LO?

We met with 2 different LC's and they both confirmed a really tight upper lip tie that is completely restricting her from flaring her lip out. Our ENT apt is next Tuesday, so the LC's helped me with latch to get us through to the appointment. She will be 2 weeks old at the time of the appointment.

Thanks for the suggestion of the FB group! I'll check it out. I've joined a local one already.

We weren't given anything for LO.  He didn't really seem to be bothered by it but I made sure to allow him to go to breast as often as he wanted whether for nourishment or comfort.

We had the same thing where LOs lip wouldn't flare out.  I am so happy I had it taken care of.  My LO was probably 2/2.5 months or so when we caught it.

[bonnesetter27]

Feb 12, 2015 22:47:09 GMT -5 tee said:

Thank you all - I'm glad to hear everyone's stories!

mapetitefamille, @mamak1218, bonnesetter27, scooter028, - How was your pain management for LO?

We met with 2 different LC's and they both confirmed a really tight upper lip tie that is completely restricting her from flaring her lip out. Our ENT apt is next Tuesday, so the LC's helped me with latch to get us through to the appointment. She will be 2 weeks old at the time of the appointment.

Thanks for the suggestion of the FB group! I'll check it out. I've joined a local one already.






We weren't given any meds either. I did give her tylenol that night. The day of the appt she was really cranky but that might also have been a 4 hour car ride home from the dr. She really seemed fine the next day. Good luck!

[Deleted]

Usually it's a simple fix. If they use a laser it's pain free for the most part. Most babies are a teeny sore like if you bit your tongue but it's some if the fastest healing tissues in your body so it should be very fleeting pain. Most babies cry about bearing held still with their mouth open and stop as soon as that part is over. You can ask for Tylenol dosage if you are worried