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Tongue ties, lips ties, oral restrictions and tied up mouths. Huh?

rldaly77

With the increased awareness of all the ways in which oral ties can interfere with breastfeeding (and a number of other functions), it seems like when there is breastfeeding trouble, tongue ties, lip ties and buccal ties are one of the first things that comes to mind. They're at the top concern for families and oftentimes, the top concern for practitioners. The band of tissue that connects your top lip to your upper gum is called a labial frenulum and the band of tissue that connects your tongue to the floor of your mouth is a lingual frenulum. Everybody has frenulums. Look in your mouth. You have them too. They are important. They give stability to the structures in your mouth. Sometimes, our frenulums are a little to tight or short. When this happens, it is called a tie. Those that are too short or tight may cause difficult or impossible breastfeeding. You see, frenulums are not abnormal or unique, but they are a thing and they can be pesty.


I see hundreds of families every year and one of the first questions I'm often asked when moms have nipple pain or difficult breastfeeding is, "Does my baby have a tongue tie?" The fact is, everyone seems to know someone who had breastfeeding trouble due to one. I make it a practice to examine each baby's mouth and oral function, both when there is and is not a concern. Maybe this practice leads to the reinforcement that oral ties are THE cause of breastfeeding trouble, when really breastfeeding trouble is most often a combination of factors, including those which happen before or during birth, just after birth and within the first few weeks. These factors involve both moms and babies and they create a complex puzzle that is often not solved during one visit, or by clipping or lasering a tongue tie. And many times, it takes a team, to get moms and babies breastfeeding comfortably and effectively.


Tongue ties can also be confused with muscle imbalances which may happen in utero due to positioning. Or perhaps, a baby clamps down on his mother's nipple, causing pain and sores, because her milk flow is a little too fast and he has not yet learned how to cope with this. On the other hand, a baby may not be getting the nipple back to his comfort zone, where comfortable and effective milk transfer happens, because his chin is set back a little too far. Well, we can work on these challenges with creative positioning and techniques. Did you know that breastfeeding helps develop and shape your baby's mouth and all of his oral muscles too. You see, baby's feed with their entire body, their torso, their neck, and mouth, from their toes to the top of their head. So we can't assume that breastfeeding trouble is always only a mouth problem because baby's do not breastfeed with only their mouths, and also, we have to consider the anatomy and milk supply of her mother. I find that oftentimes, the trouble comes from a combination of mom and baby. Because let's face it, the breastfeeding couple is a unit made up of two separate entities which must work together as one to be successful.


It can be really helpful to work with a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) when you are having breastfeeding trouble. The trick is, you need support when the problem starts, and I would argue, before the problem starts. Tiny problems become mountains when they persist. Oftentimes, early detection and support, smothers the problem before it becomes a habit or an impossible. Your lactation consultant is trained to assess you, your baby and breastfeeding, to figure out where the trouble lies. She will also get you to the right place when the trouble lies out of her scope or ability. Research shows that planning for and lining up support, before your baby is born, increases the chances of breastfeeding success and ease for you and your family.


You are doing awesome,

Ruth

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