Nursing Evelyn, and Omri was as natural and effortless as it could be, but with severe reflux, and a milk drying medication, my nursing career was cut short with both girls. EBF Omri was ended at about 6 months, while partially nursed Evelyn went on till 9 months. I've always wanted to nurse my children till they decide they want to stop, or till at least there first yr of life. So being that this was the 3rd baby, i thought to myself, this should be cake!....but boy oh boy, was that the farthest thing from the truth....
There was nothing more joyous than nursing my baby after an empowering VBAC, and i though to myself , put her to the breast and let nature do its thing. Everything seemed to be smooth sailing...that was, until i got home and my milk came in. Luna started to not only 'click' during her nursing sessions, she gulped large amounts of air, choked often, was breathing funny and would pass out after only 4minutes of nursing. Needless to say she was at the breast quite frequently, it became an all day everyday thing. I was told that she is "new" and that she will out grow it and to give her time, but i knew something else was wrong! that funny breathing, it was odd to me & even my husband found it to be very wacky. Luna continued to gain weight and my nipples weren't sore (common complaint from mom of tongue tied babies), but she constantly had gas and was crying in pain. I took her to an LC at 3 1/2 wks old and after accessing her i was told the same thing the pediatrician . said.."no, shes not tongue tied, but you might have an over supply", so after showing me a few nursing positions to help with flow that leads to her choking, i go home and continue to nurse every 15mn ....STILL...just as i did from birth.
It wasn't until i was inspecting her mouth, that a light bulb went off! Earlier in the month, June 30th to be exact, while i was still pregnant with Luna, i had gone to a friends Facebook page (LeTara Davis) and was commenting on pictures of her daughters mouth. It was then and there out of curiosity i asked "what am i looking at?"...and she replied "a tongue& lip tie". We continued the conversation, and after her thorough explanations she had given me, i remember saying "oh wow! yes i never had a baby with this but whos to say the bub wont. just good info to know".
posterior tongue tie
Restriction of tongue movement or function by a persistent lingual frenulum. A restricted tongue can cause the following:
(just to name a few)
~COLIC
~REFLUX
~POOR LATCH
~GAGGING
~POOR WEIGHT GAIN
~SPEECH ISSUES
labial frenulum (lip tie)
What is a labial frenulum?
A membranous fold of skin or mucous membrane that supports or restricts the movement of a part or organ.
Abnormal maxillary or labial frenulum can cause the following:
~ LATCH PROBLEMS
~ POSSIBLE DECAY IN UPPER FRONT TEETH
After discovering Luna's ties, LeTara went on to explain how her daughters tongue tie was released by Dr. Kotlow, in Albany NY, by laser. She advised me to look him up online at www.kiddsteeth.com. It may have been a hike, but it was worth it, as he didn't just "know how" to perform the procedure, but SPECIALIZED in tongue & lip ties. Dr. Kotlow performs up to 13 releases a week, on newborns and children from days old and up, from all across the world. What to do next ? get a diagnosis. Since this was overlooked by not only her pediatrician, but hospital LC's, LeTara pointed me in the direction of an IBCLC who lives in France, named Jennifer Tow. This wonderful women in previous years had worked with Dr. Kotlow & is also a member of IATP ( International Association of TT professionals, so i went on to email her the pictures of my little Luna's mouth & in return she emailed them to Dr. Kotlow. The following Monday i called Dr. Kotlows office, he confirmed he received the photos and set me up with an appointment for that following Wednesday.
I chose to go with Dr.Kotlow, due to his experience, as well as the fancy features of the laser, rather than clipping which i find to be more invasive and more painful. I also didn't want her tiny 4 wk old body going under either. The procedure was done with no general anesthesia or local anesthetic and took all of 13 mn, and she was back in our arms with no blood and minimal tears.
After
NOTE: (In order for the surgery to be a success depends on you! mouth exercises
are important for proper healing & to ensure nothing re-attaches. Pushing the lip up 4-6
times a day, or as often as feeding, is required. As well as pushing tongue back with
enough force to keep wound open, as seen above.)
6 weeks ago
although i dont have supply issues. nursing luna does pose challenges of its own :*( i cried in frustration on and off for days wondering why is she screaming? is it something im doing? something i ate? is it cause shes still gulping air? but wait, the tongue tie was already released with the lip tie !! will she out grow it? is it due to her high palate that she cant seal a great latch? oh great!.....she has reflux!! is it my fault...is it cause by the problems i cant fix ? i have anxiety everytimeIM JUST HANGING ON :/ such a vicious cycle :*(
Since the procedure was done when she was 4 weeks old, i was told it could take time for her to learn how to suck properly, and the seeing an IBCLC (internationally board certified lactation consultant) to help get the suck training in order. Luna is currently a week shy of being 3 months old and and the more she grows into herself, her high palate becomes less of an issue. Luna has been diagnosed with reflux and is currently on medication, while i continue to rid my body of anything i think will make it worse, so far excess sugars, caffeine, and dairy. I'm more than happy to say that she is no longer breathing funny while nursing, and went from 3 mn nursing sessions up to 20 mn nursing sessions & gulping air has been cut down drastically!
Thank you for sharing your story.
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