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Saw the CHN today who said she is sure A has a posterior tongue tie, and says it can't be snipped. A is really struggling to attach now and is getting so frustrated.
Has anyone had experience with this? I'm hoping for some good news stories because I so desperately want to be able to feed at least one of my babies :cry:
Is your CHN an LC? Have you seen an LC? I'd be getting a 2nd opinion if I were you.
I'm sorry you're facing a tough time again LuluHB :hug:
I'm going to the open house at SJOG tomorrow, but have also made an appointment for a one on one with an LC at St John's on Friday because I'm fairly sure we're going to need more help than what I will be able to get tomorrow.
It was the CHN that saw her today, so I'm really hoping she's being overly pessimistic.
So, tell us, what is happening - take some time, tell the whole story - or pm me and I will send your phone number and you can ring me. There are some really good LCs in Perth. You will be able to breastfeed with the right help
Her initial latch is ok - not great, but I could live with it. Within seconds though she seems to be unable to maintain the latch and eases off, so all that is left in her mouth is just my nipple. Within a minute or so she ends up just mouthing the tip of my nipple, but then will try and latch on again but only as far as the nipple sometimes - sometimes she seems to not be able to reattach at all. If I take her off and try to reattach her then she either becomes miss cranky pants and won't even try, or is only able to take the nipple again.
The only way I can get any kind of attachment is if say she is on the left breast, I support her head and shoulders with my right hand and hold my breast with my left hand as firmly as I can into her mouth. Any relaxation of either my breast or her head/shoulders results in her coming off. Even doing this though only lasts a couple of minutes at best before she is falling off. She then spends the rest of the feed getting frustrated because she can't get back on properly. The only way I seem to be able to keep her satisfied is to do a couple of minutes on one side, then swap to the other, do a nappy change and start all over again. She's never draining a breast and I'm a bit worried I've already got mastitis coming on - very hot and tingly.
She has been average from the start, but over the last couple of days with my milk coming in she seems to be really struggling with it. She seems a contradiction to other newborns in that she copes a lot better when my breast is really full and firm, but as soon as there's a let down she's struggling to maintain the latch.
She is getting enough eventually - since our discharge from hospital last Thursday she has put on 140 grams, which the CHN said was good. I just can't see how she will continue to get enough, and how my supply will be maintained if this is the way we continue.
Hope that makes sense.
ETA: Thanks MadB
Why can't it be snipped? DD2 had a posterior tongue tie too (which absolutely annihilated my nipples!) and we had hers snipped at Dr Gollow's rooms in Subi when she was 5 weeks old. It was so quick and simple just a little traumatic for mummy!! Thankfully DH was there to help out when they snipped it.
My LC got the appt for us. I had to exclusively express for 5 weeks then slowly reintroduce the breast due to all the issues my poor boobs endured after the damage from DD2's tongue tie.
Sorry for all the negative feedback but I'd highly recommend seeing if you can get it snipped.
ETA if you're seeing an LC at SJOG Subi on Friday then you're probably seeing my LC, Kate. She's awesome!!
Both of my boys had tight, posterior tongue ties, both had them released by an LC who specialised in that area (but Im in Melbourne)
First boy was bf til 6 months and second til 12 months.
Please get a second opinion and see if you can get a recommendation to someone who is knowledgeable in the specific area
The CHN just said that posterior ties can't be snipped :dunno: TBH I already had the appts with SJOG so I didn't go into it with her in any detail - she was incredibly negative, basically suggesting to me that I should just go and buy a pump now because that was the only way I was going to be able to keep her on breast milk.
I'm seeing Vanessa on Friday - spoke to Kate today when I made the appt. Hopefully she's just as good!
Pandora - I would seriously consider getting on a plane if that's what it took! Thanks for the positives
Then you could come visit me :D:
Seriously, Lulu, it is so wonderful that you are determined and persisting, even with a sleepy baby and now tongue tie. Well done you :clap:
Can I just ask you to be super careful about your mastitis concerns - if you start to feel like you've got the flu, off to the GP as soon as you can manage it.
If A isn't feeding properly, it might trigger some blocked ducts which may lead to mastitis. Be kind to your boobs - pay attention to any lumps or hot spots, give them a gentle massage in the shower (if it is too hard while A is feeding) and try and drain the breasts fully. If A isn't quite managing that, get thee to expressing. You need to drain them to try and stop blockages or mastitis.
Take care :hug:
You can get through this for sure! Get an appt with Dr Gollow and get it snipped. You may need to do a bit of pumping to get through it but it's definitely possible. DD2 is 6 months next week and exclusively breast fed (well, breast and EBM :D )
Well i sure hope tsi nurse is just a negative nancy!
I'd second the pumping suggestion if you're having trouble emptying your breasts. You can contact your ABA group for a loaner, unless you're good with hand expressing? LC can help with all that too, of course.
Hope tomorrow is helpful
LuLu - I had a really rough start with both my girls and managed to get through it both times so please sing out if you want any advice, ideas or an ear. Kate was an absolute god send too so you're doing the right thing seeing an LC :hug:
If she's slipping off and struggling with the flow, have you tried feeding with you both lying on your sides (on a towel)? That way the excess milk can just ooze out of bubs mouth, and she may not struggle quite as much.
Get the very best help you can - your chances of winning here are pretty good.
I agree with seeing a LC. When my DD2 first went on my breast after she was born, I knew instantly that she was TT. I mentioned it to the midwife who had a look and disagreed. She got a pead to look who also disagreed with me. 4 days of home visits with 4 different midwives who all agreed that she wasn't TT wore me down. By day 6 when the ECHN visited and referred me on to a LC at a breastfeeding clinic, I was convinced there was something else wrong with the way she was latching. The LC looked DD2 over and spotted the TT instantly. I got a referral to a peadiatric surgeon who snipped it straight away. DD2 was 4 weeks old by then. If I hadn't seen that LC, DD would probably still be TT today.
From my iPhone.
Three out of four tongue tied here (must be Dhs and my special defect talent) and all fed better the very next feed. In fact the snip works so well dd3 was done at 13hrs old. I was not messing around again.
we had immediate success with the osteo! (like within minutes of the osteo starting)
What a really tough time :hug: With the right information and support you can absolutely overcome this. You are doing so well so far.
If I were you, I'd take up Barb's offer and speak to her on the phone. That kind of help is priceless.
All the best hun :hug:
Went to the open house at the hospital today and spent a long time with one of the midwives. She was fantastic and spent ages watching what A was doing, fiddling around in her mouth playing with her tongue, suck reflex etc and giving my boobs a good feel ;-) The end result of all of it all is that she doesn't think she has a tongue tie, although did say that her tongue seemed to be "very secured anchored", but that the problem is more that she has a very small mouth. She thinks that if we can tough it out for the next six weeks or so then A will be bigger/stronger and more able to cope. In the meantime I'll have to get a pump so I can drain my breasts after each feed because she agreed that the lumps I've got are a problem.
I'm still keeping my appt tomorrow with the LC, and hopefully she will have equally positive news for us.
Thanks again everyone for your support and advice. It means a lot.
Great! Hope you get on well again tomorrow. Let us know
That's wonderful to read Lu :)
Let us know how the appointment goes!
typical isn't it. Went to the appt today and A fed like a little champion. The LC doesn't think she has a tongue tie either, although did say that the "f" bit (can't remember what its called!) is thicker than normal but doesn't seem to be stopping her from sucking, tongue movement etc. She did agree that she is a very lazy feeder, and has said that I should keep swapping her from boob to boob quite quickly like I have been doing because otherwise she just doesn't put in the effort once my let down eases off. She also grips my breast with her lips, so I need to flick her top lip out so it doesn't hurt me so much. We weighed her and she's put on just over 100grams in three days so obviously we're doing something right! So the advice at this point is to just keep going
The only downside of the day is that the LC thinks I'm about a heartbeat away from mastitis in my left breast so I'm doing compresses, expressing in the shower etc to try and head it off.
Well done A!
Hope feeding continues to improve and that the mastitis stays away.