Why Tongue And Lip Tie Often Go Unnoticed

It is unfortunate but research and new moms tell us that despite the information available on lip and tongue tie they sometimes go months without help. When they are struggling to breastfeed there may be other things that are suggested before someone determines it is not the mom or the baby that is causing this problem. That the baby may not able to breastfeed properly because they are impacted with a lip or tongue tie.

Being a new mom has its fair share of problems. When you are first breastfeeding it can be difficult to relax and allow your baby to latch on properly. Sometimes, breastfeeding takes time and work in order for both baby and mom to be comfortable. This adjustment period can be difficult and often times, when your struggling to breastfeed during these first few days, other problems are looked at first.

Lip and tongue tie, cause a problem for your baby to be able to latch on to the nipple properly. They may latch on to the side, or they may eat for a short period and then become full due to an intake in air, only to be hungry a few minutes later. When your baby is not latching on to your breast correctly, it can then lead to sore or bleeding nipples inhibiting the breastfeeding process further.

If you are breastfeeding and it is not going as planned, Dr.Strutzhttp://www.drjudystrutz.com/meet-dr-strutz/ recommends having your baby evaluated for a lip or tongue tie in order to see if there is something more going on. For more information about lip and tongue tie laser procedures contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team today.

Signs And Symptoms Of Lip Tie In Children

Your baby may be a few weeks or a few years old. They may have struggled to breast feed and now that they are older, sticking their tongue out and saying certain sounds may be difficult for them. “There are multiple signs and symptoms of a lip tie in Children and knowing these signs,” says Dr. Strutz, “can help you get treatment instead of waiting and wondering why your child is struggling.”

Lip tie, can make it difficult for your baby to latch on properly when breastfeeding, which can lead to your baby being fussy and inconsolable. Without your baby being able to get the proper nutrition they need, their belly cannot fill up, which then can impact how content they are. A fussy baby can make it difficult for them, and for you, to sleep.

Excessive gas in your infant may be a sign of lip tie. When your baby is latching onto the nipple, it is important that they have a proper latch in order to not suck in too much air when they are trying to eat. Babies who have lip tie, are unable to latch on properly which then creates an inadequate suction. This suction then causes them to take in excessive air, which creates gas.

If you are noticing an improper latch, or your baby seems unusually fussy, contact, Dr. Judy Strutz and her team today for more information.

5 Signs Your Child May Have A Tongue Tie

Your brand new baby may be struggling to nurse and is only sleeping minimal amounts. They may latch on during breastfeeding sessions only to let go within a few short seconds. If your frustration is mounting and you think it is something you are doing wrong, stop! Take this short quiz to evaluate whether your baby is struggling with a tongue tie that is inhibiting them from latching on correctly during breastfeeding sessions. Here are 5 warning signs,

1.     Is the skin that attaches the tongue to the lower jaw thicker then what you would normally see.  Everyone has a piece of skin that holds the tongue to the floor of the mouth if it is thicker than normal it may be restricting the movement.

2.     Is your child using their lips to nurse instead of using their tongue? Babies impacted by a tongue tie may be unable to get the tongue in the correct position. In order to compensate they may use only their lips.

3.     Depending on the age of your baby, they may have already begun attempting to stick out their tongue. If they have a tongue tie, their tongue may stay in the mouth and not reach out beyond the teeth or may form a heart shape.

4.     Cracked/bleeding or blisters on the nipples.  If your baby is not able to latch on correctly during breastfeeding, it can cause them to attach to the nipple incorrectly. After time, your baby only latching onto the nipple can cause problems and pain for you.

5.     Sleeplessness for you and them. While having a baby is tiring already, when your baby is not able to get the nutrition they need, they begin to compensate by waking up and attempting to eat more frequently. This can lead to sleepless nights and extra nighttime feedings.

For more information on Tongue tie and how to get help, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team today!

Does your Baby Flange When Breastfeeding?

In order for breastfeeding to be successful it requires your baby to be able to latch onto the nipple correctly. When your baby has an upper lip tie it can prevent your baby from being able to flange. While they struggle to pop open their top lip and be able to successfully latch on during breastfeeding a lip tie inhibits this. If you have looked for help and are still struggling to determine why your baby is not successfully breastfeeding, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team today.

When your baby is properly breastfeeding the mouth opens wide and the upper lip flange’s up. This allows the baby to latch onto the breast and not just the nipple. It can be frustrating when you are a new mom and your baby is trying to eat and they cannot flange and attach correctly. While you may attempt to physically move the lip up with your finger, some moms have said this does not work and the lip will just move back into the incorrect position or the latch will break completely. You do not have to live in a frustrating situation get help today.

For more information on lip tie procedure contact Dr. Strutz and her team today.

Lip Tie Vs. Tongue Tie

You may take a look at the piece of skin that is between the teeth and gums in your baby's mouth and believe that it is a lip tie that is causing your breast feeding challenges, but in fact, it may be a tongue-tie. Dr. Judy Strutz suggests, "each one impacts breastfeeding differently and can eventually lead to speech or reading problems, and both may require laser surgery in order to release to the tie." Here are two differences between a tongue and a lip tie. 

A lip tie is the piece of skin that attaches to the top of the lip versus a tongue-tie, which is the piece of skin that attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. When a lip tie impacts your baby, the frenulum may come between the two-front teeth and wrap around, while, a tongue-tie may be thick and inhibit the full movement of the tongue.

When nursing, a lip tie can cause the baby to have an improper latch, because they may not be able to open the mouth wide enough for correct suction to occur. A tongue-tie, can position their tongue in the wrong spot. When their tongue is not able to be in the correct position, they may suck on the side of the breast, take a long time to get any milk and become tired. The tongue is what allows proper pressure to be placed on the nipple in order to release milk properly.

Each type of tie requires a different type of laser surgery and will impact your baby’s ability to properly breastfeed. 

For more information on lip and tongue-ties, contact Dr. Strutz today.

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.

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.