I think its tongue tie...

[~clover~]

Tongue-tie can be hard to diagnose in newborns – it is important to consult with your doctor or lactation consultant if you are having trouble breastfeeding. Signs that a baby could be tongue-tied include:
Mother has sore nipples during and after breastfeeding
Mother has squashed nipples after breastfeeding
Mother has a white compression mark on the nipple after breastfeeding
The baby has difficulty latching on to the nipple
The baby often loses suction while feeding and sucks air
The baby’s mouth makes a clicking sound while feeding
The baby fails to gain weight.

Problems latching, clicking noise with every suck, gulping air with every suck, not getting a decent latch, but cracking me (happened again yesterday).

I want to cry. What do I do? Hope it gets better or see if we can fix it?

Your stories please?

[onthefly]

I dont' know, it probably just depends on your DD - perhaps ask the LC about it?
My DS had a slight tongue tie, which we did not get snipped (we were told it was unnecessary and never really chased it up). I used a shield from 4-11 weeks due to cracks and pain etc then it resolved itself once he was bigger. There may have been other issues involved, btw, I'm not 100% certain it was tongue tie (or not solely anyway).
Really sorry to hear you're still having problems - things were looking up

[~clover~]

I'll ring the LC tomorrow. You're right. Things are getting better. There aren't as many cracks. But she can't get a good latch & is constantly coming off. She is gaining weight though.
I don't know anything about this stuff.

[LisaBear]

My 10 month old has a tongue tie.
I got help from an Lc. Exact same issues as you.

He wasn't getting enough in his mouth. Had to literally shove it in

I recommend calling one

Im still feeding him. No snip

[~clover~]

Hmm, I try shoving more in. Either makes no difference or she gags.

[skybie]

DD1 had areally bad tongue tie, within 24hrs my nipples were bleeding! dd2 had a minor one and it didnt affect bfing at all.
if u rub ur finger on her tongue can she stick it out very very far?? also a dent in the tip of the tongue (making it looking sorta heart shaped) is another indicator

[~clover~]

Well, see when I first saw the LC she asked about all that. Well asked if she stuck her tongue out & the answer was yes, it was the first thing we noticed about her. Her tongue was never in her head, lol. So I think that was her first thought.
But she hasn't done it much since then. I just ruled it out coz of that. Its not heart shaped that I've noticed.

I was just trying to find a reason that she was making so much noise & never having a good latch. None of the others were ever like this. All the things listed above explain it all.

[Ryatha]

Yep, DD2 had a tongue tie and it was causing damage to nipples and really really long feeds. Even though the MW's said it was great attachment I knew due to the pain that something wasn't quite right. I got a paed to come and check it out when I was still in hospital and confirmed it immediately. He snipped it straight away and instantly there was better attachment, no noises and feeding became quicker. Fred didn't even mind cause I fed her and she was happy to get a nice big feed. There are other ways to manage a tongue tie but snipping it was quick, easy and worked. I would do it again in a flash if it ever happened again.

[onthefly]

Sometimes you never quite figure it out - well we never really did. It did resolve itself however. I hope that things continue to improve for you guys and with a bit of time it's all smooth sailing. She is not even 2 months old yet - sometimes it just takes a bit longer to sort it all out

[AndiE]

Think I mentioned in an earlier thread to you that my DS2 had a severe tongue tie which we had snipped when he was 5 days old. In our case he appeared to attach properly, but I had shocking nipple pain the moment he went on the boob. It would ease as he fed, sort of, but was intensely toe curling at the start of each feed. DS2 couldn't extend his tongue - that was why bfing was painful for me. I was cracked and bleeding ... it wasn't fun at all. But he obviously couldn't draw the milk in properly, as would a bub without tongue tie. Still ... he always managed to have a good feed.

I can't honestly say I noticed any of the "symptoms" you've described as DS2 didn't show any of those signs. No clicking, no air gulping and he stacked on the beef. We knew from the minute he was examined post birth that he had a bad tongue tie, and I was told if bfing was "abominable" we should have it snipped. In his case, if we lifted his tongue up a little we could clearly see it was attached to the bottom of his mouth. The snip was done in less than 30 seconds and as he didn't cry and/or bleed, it was painless and bloodless. We too, had an immediate improvement in bfing and to this day we've never looked back.

I truly hope you get some help from an LC or doctor - you're doing a good job to keep it up when it's obviously causing you so much pain

[Lisa]

Both DS2 & DD2 were tongue tied. DD2 was EXACTLY as you're describing - clicking, unable to latch on & stay on, gulping in air, my nipples were a total mess etc... I knew she was TT from the first time she tried to feed but I was told otherwise. A LC was the only other person aside from the GP who agreed with me. Both of my kids got snipped and it made a world of difference. DS2 didn't gain weight properly but DD2 did.
Feeding after the snip was wonderful. In the mean time, if you're too sore, I would recommend using shields.

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

First you need a diagnosis - you need to see an experienced lactation consultant. If it is a tongue tie then it is very simple to treat it - and worth doing. If it's not a tongue tie it sounds like you are still experiencing significant problems and you do need some-one to assess the situation and help make a plan for you. I may be able to recommend an LC

[~clover~]

Thanks everyone. Most of the nurses at my hospital & my CHN are LC's. CHN see's people Thursday & Fridays, so I'll give her a ring & get in tomorrow.
Can't leave the house today... gotta wait for chrisco

[skybie]

get in as quick as u can hun, if ur reffered to a GP to have it cut (if thats what u choose to do) they dont like to do it after 12 weeks because the skin flap becomes quite thick and can bleed excessively

[~clover~]

Ok, thanks. I should be seeing the gp in the next week anyway for Jaz. Will be ringing them today.

[Lisa]

Clover, when I lived up that way we found it nearly impossible to find someone who would snip the TT. We had to get a referral to Port Macquarie hospital to see the visiting paediatric surgeons from John Hunter and one of them snipped DS2's TT. Be aware you might have to do something similar, but probably at Coffs hospital.

[~clover~]

Really? My gp is pretty good, so I guess we'll see. Coffs isn't too far from me though. There is no kids ward here, so thats where we get sent (though it is an hour away!)
Going to ring the LC now.

[Smoke Jaguar]

DS had TT and we snipped it as soon as we could after diagnosis - 4 weeks. No hesitation after we learned about the frenulum. It's painless and allows mobilisation of the tongue for other things, like speech.
It's not worth persisting without a snip if it's causing you pain! It's just a simple cut that bothers them more for the interruption to their day than anything else, and midwives have been performing it for centuries
Really, there is nothing 'unethical' about the snip, it is nothing like genital mutilation or ear pearcings. DS was asleep before the snip, cried out to be woken for the snip and was asleep within a minute afterwards - of course, putting him back in the HAB helped, too