Don’t Get Frustrated. Breastfeeding & Your Tongue-tied Infant

It can be very frustrating, especially if you have visited several doctors and done research to help your baby, to run up against a wall. Some medical providers have a very difficult time reommending surgery on a posterior tongue-tie because they don’t believe that it exists and because they may not completely understand the anatomy involved with a breast feeding baby.

Dr. Strutz suggests, “Not understanding how your baby breastfeeds can lead people to believe that a posterior tongue-tie is attached at the back of the throat by the tonsils. This however, is not the case. Understanding the anatomy of a posterior and an anterior tongue-tie can help you and your baby get all you both deserve from the breastfeeding relationship.”

Tongue-tie is rated on a one to four scale, but it does not necessarily describe the amount of trouble or pain that your baby is in when they are breastfeeding. It is a description of where the tongue attaches in the mouth. While some babies may be able to eat with a tongue-tie position of one, other babies who have a tongue-tie position of two or three can experience a very difficult feeding situation.

Dr. Judy Strutz and her team recommends, setting up an appointment with a dentist who is trained in tongue-tie laser surgery in order to get the best treatment.