Tounge Tie

[Allthingsgirly]

Advice please my little boy has a 100% tongue tie & I still don't know what to do about it & it seems to just have been brushed under the carpet by midwives & health visitors. It's really confusing for me as I'm being told different things from different professionals so doesn't help. Ive never heard of a tounge tie before so I have no idea what to do! I'm scared ive now left it too late & that he will feel it more now if I get it done than if I had had it done @ 2 weeks. It's starting to make me anxious as I just want to make the right decision for my little boy & I don't want him to have any pain which I feel he may have now unlike if I'd had it done earlier! Really beating myself up over it.

 

[MrsS143]

He'll feel it but it heals relatively quickly
It can affect his speech and feeding
If its 100 % i dont see why they wouldn't just push for it unless theyre waiting to see if its affecting feeding or just waiting til hes bigger to do it x

 

[Allthingsgirly]

The midwifes on delivery ward advised it could be done whilst I was in the hospital as they had a doctor there who did them. She came to see me next day & said that because he was still only like a day old etc & establishing feeding that to give it 14 days and then see I wasn't given much advise or help on the matter! I just assumed I would be able to get it done straight away as they say the sooner it is done the more likely hood he wouldn't be able to feel it as he's so young! He will be a month old Monday so I feel like I should have done it a lot sooner so he had less chance of feeling anything & knowing what they were doing. His feeding got a lot better the day he left the hospital so he hasn't a problem but as I say I keep getting different advise from different professionals so it gets confusing! He may only be three weeks old but my little guy is so strong already that Im thinking I should have had it done 2 weeks ago now as he is such a wriggler & can really lift/move his head.

I'm just beating myself up over not having it done sooner as he wouldn't really have known @ 1 day old or even 14 days old really what was happening whereas now he will have more of an awareness & try to wriggle away & the last thing I want is to put him threw pain it will break my heart!

 

[MrsS143]

Thing is though aswell sometimes even after the cuts been done the tongue can sometimes reheal to the way it originally was
I dunno how likely that is though

It can be done when theyre toddlers etc
Its not a huge deal really
I think for them its more a newborn won't try and resist them whereas the bigger they get theyll try fight them off (if its done awake)
I'd imagine the bigger they get theyd need to put them under x

 

[MrsS143]

Is he formula fed?
Its normally only an issue initially when breast feeding as they cant open their mouths wide enough to properly latch on
As he's bigger he might struggle eating from a spoon and might need to do it upside down etc
Its easier when little purely from a quickness where no anaesthetic is used
A teeny bit of blood at best and theyll resume feeding etc straight away
It generally fully heals in 24 to 48hrs
Extra cuddles is generally enough
when they get teeth is when they put them under, the anaesthetic being the bigger risk really
but realistically as he grows it might never cause him any issues and he'll grow around it x

 

[tinselcat]

I remember being told that after 3 months they do it with Anaesthetic but earlier on the nerve endings there aren't many so it's relatively painless. My baby had it done at 11 days old and it was over quickly and didn't seem to cause him any particular anguish after 30 seconds. I know you're saying you're a bit further on but if you're going to get it done, I'd say the sooner the better. Xx

 

[Allthingsgirly]

I'm thinking he needs to have it done really? I wasn't given much information about it but I would rather get it done whilst he is still small than later on or else I'll end up beating myself up even more! He's formula fed as I tried to breastfeed but It just wasn't happening my nipples were too badly inverted & he was getting too anxious so decided to formula feed.

I really just do not know what to do it's causing me stress & I'm trying to not cry over this as it's not a big deal but it's just the thought of him being in pain that breaks my heart he's my little boy who means the world to me I'm just sensitive

 

[MrsS143]

The 30 seconds (at best) of pain will totally outweigh the frustration it could cause when hes bigger
Not getting the hang of cutlery, drooling, speech etc
If its 100% I'd say you'd be better feeling regret doing it now than leaving it and looking back and having to do it later anyway when its even sorer and hes more aware x

 

[Allthingsgirly]

I remember being told that after 3 months they do it with Anaesthetic but earlier on the nerve endings there aren't many so it's relatively painless. My baby had it done at 11 days old and it was over quickly and didn't seem to cause him any particular anguish after 30 seconds. I know you're saying you're a bit further on but if you're going to get it done, I'd say the sooner the better. Xx

I told the doctor I wanted it doing straight away but she told me to wait until 14 days then go back! I really should have been firmer & said I wanted it doing now or if she really advised against it till 14 days then for her to book me in. I do feel bad that ive left it till 2 weeks after the 14 days as he will feel it more now than if it was done then so I feel like a bad mom now! I'm hoping that I can get an appointment pretty quickly then I can get over this!

He was totally fine with his vitamin K & heel prick test he didn't cry at all which is why I should have had it done a lot sooner as he may have not felt it or cried but I can't beat myself up over this because I don't know what may or could have happened im just assuming & who knows he may be just fine having it done 14 days after I should have done it

 

[Allthingsgirly]

The 30 seconds (at best) of pain will totally outweigh the frustration it could cause when hes bigger
Not getting the hang of cutlery, drooling, speech etc
If its 100% I'd say you'd be better feeling regret doing it now than leaving it and looking back and having to do it later anyway when its even sorer and hes more aware x

I'm probably just being an over sensitive mom right now & he could be absolutely fine I think they recommend to have it done before he is 6 months old! Just I can't believe ive not got him the appointment to have it done sooner just had so much going on I forgot which is so bad of me ive to book an appointment threw my local baby cafe which seems madness why I can't book it via the hospital I had it in! I just wish Id remember to phone them when he was 2 weeks old & booked him in to have it! Fingers crossed I won't be waiting too long for the appointment.

 

[Bellarina]

Jake had 100% tongue tie and I received no help on nhs....we ended up getting his cut privately when he was 6 weeks old. We were told by the Dr that did it, bcoz it was 100% tied it would have definetely affected both his speech and eating solids....he's now 21 months old, eats perfectly fine and chats away without any speech probs...and I still have a tear in my eye if he sticks his tongue out as he coukdnt do it before.

I suggest getting it done sooner rather than later. They should also give u exercises to do with him once it's cut to prevent it fusing back together.

Also did u know it's hereditary? I have it, my brother, my aunty and my grandpa!

Xx

 

[Mummybexee]

My sons tongue tie was snipped in under 10 seconds and he didn't even cry

It helped him breast feed but I was more concerned abit the link to tongue tie and reflux aswell as speech

If he's got it - get it done

 

[MrsS143]

Dont beat yourself up
Its not affected his eating etc so theres been no immediate rush
If youd been breastfeeding then fair enough as latching would be difficult or impossible
Youre sorting it now which is what counts x

 

[clairebear22]

My Son's partial tongue tie went undiscovered until he was 21 months. We actually spotted it in the end watching him poke his tongue into a glass. At the time was assumed it was the reason he wasn't talking so had it cut under a general anaesthetic. Turns out he has autism which is the reason for his no speech.

If I were you I would do it now while it's not a huge deal because believe me having a child with no speech is not fun at all and avoiding an anaesthetic if he has to have it done later is always a good thing!

 

[Hutchy]

My Son had his tongue tie cut at 2 days old! He wasn't feeding at all which I why they did it a bit quicker - but the midwife did say it's best to have it don't as it can rip on its own or can create a lisp!
It didn't even bother him - there was a bit of blood and it was over in seconds xx

 

[Allthingsgirly]

I'm having it done the health visitor is seeing if she can refer me or I'll go via the doctors I really should have had it done sooner but hopefully he won't have any problems because ive left it later than 2 weeks to do it!

I really wish she has just done it at the hospital then I wouldn't have had all this undue stress, it would have been done & he wouldnt have really known about it!

I really wanted to BF but he wouldn't latch on I thought the main reason was because my nipples are badly inverted which could be the cause but no one mentioned that him having tounge tie also wouldn't be helping! Why they didn't just do it there & then I don't know what! Maybe I should have said im wanting to breast feed & maybe she would have done it but the doctor was useless & told me to establish feeding first & that was all she said!

I'm not running the risk of him not eating properly or speech problems when he's older as the thought of me preventing him having to undergo general anthestic for something he can have done now without it fair outweighs that for me.

 

[kanga86]

Both my boys have had tongue ties and had them snipped. Harry was 6wks old as the hospital took forever to refer us and then there was a wait. They took him away so didn't see it but he was already crying because he was hungry and I bf straightaway. James was 7wks as it went undignosed until I went private. I held him whilst the lady snipped it and again he was mainly upset because he was hungry and he didn't like being held still.

Definitely worth doing in my eyes.