3 Reasons Why Lip Tie Procedures Are Hard To Diagnose

 

Lip tie procedures used to be completed by a midwife as soon as the baby was born. The midwife would use a long pinky nail to cut and separate the frenum from the lip. Now days updated laser technology allows the procedure to be completed relatively quickly and with minimal pain. Even though there are better techniques, thousands of parents and their babies suffer for months before someone realizes the problem. 

Here are 3 reasons why Lip Ties are hard to diagnose in babies.

1.     Lip tie problems are difficult to diagnose because there are a variety of variations of lip tie. Sometimes the frenum is very thick and other times it is thinner, but still causing a problem for your baby to latch on when breastfeeding.

2.     When your baby first begins to have a problem breastfeeding it may be the last thing you or a doctor looks for. Thus assuming your baby’s problem when latching on to eat is caused by an improper breastfeeding technique or because you are stressed, rather then because of a lip tie.

3.     Most babies are born with some degree of lip tie, but it may not be clear right away how that is going to impact you and your baby until you begin to breastfeed.

While it may be the last thing someone looks at, if you are having trouble breastfeeding rule out a lip tie first. Contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team for more information on what to look for when determining if your baby needs a laser procedure for lip tie.