Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is where the frenulum (connection between tongue and bottom of mouth) is tight or short limiting tongue movement.
Everyone has a frenulum, and everyone’s frenulum is a different length and thickness. When a baby’s frenulum is short or tight it can stop their tongue from moving properly. This is call (also called ankyloglossia).
At least half of tongue-tied babies can still breastfeed well, but some may struggle to make a good latch and can’t feed as well as other babies. If your baby has a severe tongue-tie, there may also be problems with bottle feeding.
Most babies with a tongue-tie don’t have problems with breastfeeding. However, if your baby has tongue-tie, you may notice that they:
- have difficulty latching or staying latched
- become frustrated and unsettled when feeding
- make clicking noises or spill milk out the side of their mouth
- have low weight gains or ‘failure to thrive’
- take a long time to feed or need frequent feeds
- produce less pee and poo.
If you are breastfeeding, some of the signs that you may also notice include:
- reduced milk supply
- sore nipples or a sensation of ‘chomping’
- thrush – damage caused by poor latch is a great place for thrush to settle
- mastitis
- painful breastfeeding for the whole of the feed
- frustration, disappointment.
Most babies with a tongue-tie don’t need หรือถ้าคุณสนใจแทงบอลออนไลน์ UFABET คือเว็บที่มีอัตราต่อรองดีที่สุดในประเทศไทย สมัครเลยตอนนี้ที่ UFABET แทงบอล treatment. However, if your baby needs treatment, it will be done with a procedure call release (also known snip, frenulum division or frenotomy). It involves cutting your baby’s frenulum with a pair of sterile scissors.
Your baby needs to have vitamin K before the procedure (to reduce bleeding) and you will be encouraged to feed your baby immediately after it (for comfort and pain control).
Healthcare providers who can perform the procedure include:
- A registered midwife until the baby is 6 weeks old, but not after 6 weeks. A registered midwife may also be an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC).
- Some GPs.
- A child health doctor (paediatrician).
- A dentist or dental specialist.
Tongue-tie release is usually done before your baby is 2 months old. If your baby is older, or has a more complicated tongue-tie, they may need to be treated under general anaesthetic by a surgeon.