Tongue tie
Hi there,
My first child had a really tight tongue tie such that the tip of his tongue was so tight behind his teeth he couldn't lick food or clean food from between his teeth. He was slow to utter some consonants clearly and was quite a quiet, unconfident boy. Local policy in Exeter is not to release the tongue tie. I had such trouble breastfeeding (hindered by the tie particularly in the first few months when his mouth was so small he found latching on difficult, therefore it was excrutiatingly painful), that I saw a male consultant who dismissed my concerns saying that breastfeeding can be painful for anyone. I felt humiliated. However, I was relieved at not having to put him under a gen. anaesthetic so young. In my experience, babies with such a tight tongue tie cannot draw the nipple sufficiently into their mouths for it not to be painful. He was unable to sustain sucking and kept having to latch on during a feed, which made me more sore. After 3 months, the pain started to ease slightly, and after 6 months things were generally easier, but it took enormous strength to keep going intially. When he was 4 he saw a different consultant after I mentioned it to the dentist and his tongue tie was released under gen. anaesthetic as the consultant was concerned about his oral hygiene, and he personally thought he might suffer a speech impediment. It improved his confidence enormously, and now he can lick an icecream. Hope this helps!
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