It was the day after I had given birth and I was enjoying the postpartum home visits by my birth team, as I lay in bed resting. My midwife was inspecting my newborn and said “she has a tongue tie”. You might want to have her checked out”. “Tongue what?”, I thought. Here’s our story to determine if the tongue tie release in baby was for profit or purpose.
What is a Tongue Tie?
A tongue tie or lip tie is a short, tight band of tissue that tether the tongue or lip. It restricts the tongue’s range of motion and can affect feeding, speaking, etc. There are more than 3 million cases a year so it is very common. They believe the cause is that the band of tissue called the frenulum failed to separate from the tongue before birth. Usually, a release is recommended, known as a frenectomy or frenotomy. I also later learned that in India, a midwife will simply cut the tie with her nail!
We were besides ourselves and I promptly called a well-known lactation consultant in the area, who confirmed my midwife’s suspicion. The LC talked to me and my husband at length about what it meant and how it could and was affecting my baby’s ability to breastfeed. My daughter had the classic signs like the clicking sounds made when she was nursing, white lesions on her lips, etc. The lactation consultant said she only recommends three practitioners in the area, two of who were pediatric dentists and one was an ENT. Since this was an issue affecting my daughter’s feeding, time was of the essence and we scrambled to find help while also recovering and caring for a five year old.
How We Responded
First step was to determine if an ENT or a pediatric dentist would be better. An ENT will typically perform a manual cut of the tie with scissors, known as a frenectomy, which can be painful but has a quick recovery. A pediatric dentist will use a laser technique, known as a frenotomy, which is less invasive but can have a longer recovery. In either case, a team of support is needed including a lactation consultant, the release provider, and a someone to do the body work.
My husband and I called all of them, researched their methods (best you can with a newborn during a pandemic), weighed the pros and cons of each procedure, considered time to be seen, costs, and so on.
The Waiting Game
We were able to get an appointment with an ENT at Georgetown University Hospital but not for another week. One week to resolve my baby’s feeding issue was an eternity yet the pediatric dentist waiting list were even longer. We were so anxious and worried.
I immediately reached out to my network and secured two breast pumps after realizing the one I had in storage no longer worked and the new one I ordered still hadn’t come in yet. My baby had arrived two weeks early so we were a bit unprepared.
So, I started pumping incessantly every few hours as my little one was still in the sleepy stage.
We took her to Georgetown the next week for a long registration but quick procedure. I couldn’t stand to be in the room so I turned around to leave and before I knew it, it was over.
The doctor and assistant were very nice and knowledgeable. They recommended oral exercises to do every day, which we did, with the help of our lactation consultant. We did this for many weeks though the lactation support was virtual and not in person, as I would’ve preferred. They also identified infant reflux in our daughter, which I write about here and share in a video below.
Did it Work?
Sadly, my daughter still never latched. The procedure did not work for us. I exclusively pumped for 7 months despite being at home almost all the time due to the pandemic. As many of you know, pumping is exhausting and demoralizing. My goal was to get to the solids to reduce the amount of formula needed. I wholeheartedly believe breastfeeding is amazing and the best option for baby, when possible. I am also so grateful for formula after I felt like we tried everything we knew of at the time. I’m especially grateful that I was able to access options that are less toxic and void of things like arsenic, such as Hi Bobbie and Holle and Hippe.
In hindsight, I wish we had gone the route of pediatric dentistry, such as Strong Ties, but the waiting list was long, at the time. I don’t know if it would’ve changed the outcome but we were doing everything else we were told to, including having a comprehensive care team. To this day, I regret not being able to breastfeed her and my lactation consultant also shares her disappoint.
Tongue Tie Release: Profit or Purpose?
In recent months, a New York Time article reports that tongue tie releases are over prescribed as lactation consultants seek to profit from them. I’m sorry but birth workers and birth adjacent workers aren’t exactly profiting off families and getting rich. I work with them often in my business and had my own experience to know. I usually prefer holistic solutions and low interventions so performing surgeries on babies, even if they’re minor, is not what I would typically prefer. However, this I feel is different.
The frenectomy, unfortunately, did not work for us but I know families, for whom it did work. Perhaps there are dentists and medical equipment manufactures who are making money off of these frenectomies but that was not our experience.
Determine if it’s Necessary
If multiple professionals have a confirmed tongue or lip tie that this is getting the way of growth, I recommend seeking out these approaches along with a other care such craniosacral, chiropractic, and lactation support to increase the changes of baby’s feeding successfully. If it is not affecting feeding, skip the procedure! In some cases, an unaddressed tongue or lip tie can lead to speech impairment and full range of the tongue as they get older.
If you are in the area, here is a list of a few providers that I would recommend.
