babies with feeding difficulties

A new baby with a too tight of a tongue and/or lip frenum can have trouble sucking while nursing and may have poor weight gain. If they cannot make a good seal on the nipple, they may swallow air causing gas, colic and reflux or spitting up. You may hear clicking noises when the baby is feeding or even find the baby is unable to hold a pacifier. Mothers who experience significant pain while nursing or whose baby has trouble latching on should have their child evaluated for tongue and lip-tie.

Sometimes a tongue-tie can be “hidden” or “posterior” and can be difficult to diagnose, but still cause the same issues as a more visible to-the-tip of the tongue tie. Issues like painful nursing have lead many to abandon breast feeding altogether but often times, mothers report immediate relief of pain and a deeper latch after treatment. Symptoms such as reflux, gassiness and colic may disappear and weight gain can occur rapidly.

Tongue-ties come in all different varieties. Some are more obvious and to-the-tip while others are more hidden or posterior.

More important than the appearance is the mother’s and the baby’s symptoms.