3 Reasons Why Your Baby May Need Tongue-Tie Laser Surgery

When your baby is born with tongue or lip tie it can impact their ability to properly latch onto the breast when eating. At first you may think it is just you and something that you are doing, but before you jump to conclusions, take a look inside their mouth. A lip or tongue-tie restricts movement and is associated with a thick piece of tissue that attaches the lip to the upper teeth, or the tongue to the floor of the mouth. If you think your child may suffer from a lip or tongue-tie, Dr. Judy Strutz recommends giving her a call and scheduling a consult. If your baby is unable to latch to the breast properly, you may want to consider laser surgery. It can be very painful if they are latching onto the side of the breast or only holding onto the nipple.

Breastfeeding is built on a supply and demand system. The more you produce, the more your baby eats, and the more they eat the more you produce. If your baby is unable to latch on to the breast completely, your body can think they are no longer eating and your body may begin to reduce the amount of milk you are producing. Or you may end up with a bacteria infection called mastitis because of your baby’s inability to latch onto the breast and fully drain the milk.

As your baby gets older, a lip or tongue-tie may impact their speech and ability to say certain sounds. Sounds like Th or Wh are said with the tongue in a particular location. The thickness of the tongue-tie will determine how much or how little they are able to move their tongue within their mouth.

It is never easy when you are a new parent and you have to consider whether it is in your baby’s best interests to receive surgery. But laser surgery does make that choice easier. For more information contact Dr.Strutz and her team today.

Breastfeeding Is A Supply & Demand Business

A few days after your baby is born it may feel like you are going to explode as your milk comes in. Your body is responding to the needs of your baby and you want to give them the best you can. But if your baby has a lip or tongue tie it can impact the supply of milk you are producing.

Dr. Judy Strutz suggests, "when your child latches on to the breast in order to eat, the proper attachment is critical to the success of them getting enough milk." When a baby has a maxillary frenum they may latch onto just the nipple. Sucking and then letting go, then re-latching on. This can become extremely painful for the mother and can leave your child feeling frustrated and hungry.

Sometimes the infant may latch onto the side of the breast to compensate for the fact that their tongue does not move enough in the mouth. When this happens, your child may get some of the let down before the milk really comes in. But then because they do not have the ability to stay on the breast, they may unlatch. The process of latching and then trying to latch again can cause breast pain.. Not only that, but while this cycle continues, your supply of milk could be decreasing. Because your child is not fully getting the milk,  your body may think your baby is not wanting to eat and therefore there is no reason to produce more milk.

While this can be frustrating and lead to mastitis there is help you can get.

For other information on Tongue or lip-ties and for support contact Dr. Strutz & her team today.

Breastfeeding & Supply Of Milk

The amount of milk your body produces when you are breastfeeding is based on several different factors. How healthy you eat, the amount of water you consume, your overall stress, and how well your baby is eating. After birth, the goal for your child is to regain their birth weight. Babies often lose about 7 to 10% of their body weight in the first few days after they are born.  Babies impacted by a lip or tongue-tie may lose more weight than that, as they try to navigate how to properly eat.

Once your baby is latched on, they need to continually suck in order for them to get milk. While when they first latch on they get a little bit of milk as you let down, they must work for the milk to continue. Dr.Strutz suggests, “Babies with tongue or lip-ties, may not be latched on properly. This means that they are unable to work correctly to get additional milk after the initial let-down. If your baby does not continue sucking, your milk supply can begin to dry up because your body does not believe that it needs to make more milk.

If your baby is latching on but you are not releasing enough milk it can also lead to mastitis or blockage in a mammary duct. This blockage can be very painful and require antibiotics to clear up the infection. During this time, breastfeeding may not only be painful for you, but can continue to decrease your supply if you are not able to breastfeed through the mastitis.

We now know how to help many mothers successfully nurse. If you have questions, or to have your child evaluated for a lip or tongue tie, contact Dr. Judy Strutz & her team today.