Tongue ties are not a MYTH or a TREND

Tongue tie, or ankyloglossia, can affect babies by restricting the movement of the tongue due to a tight or short band of tissue (lingual frenulum) underneath the tongue. This can lead to difficulties with breastfeeding or bottle feeding, as the baby might struggle to latch properly and effectively extract milk.

For some babies it can pose no functional problems with feeding or structural tension, however for others it can cause tremendous challenges with feeding and body discomfort, filtering into the family unit creating avoidable stress.

It’s believed that tongue tie can impact approximately 3-16% of people.

It can also be a strong causative factor for:

• Colic
• Air intake whilst feeding (aerophagia)
• Tummy upsets due to gassy build up and poor quality feeding mechanics
• Jaw restrictions
• Poor feeding patterns due to fatigue and falling asleep mid feed
• General unsettled nature
• Discomfort laying on their back
• Nervous system overstimulation
• Mouth breathing
• Nipple damage due to altered latch
• In some cases, tongue tie can also impact speech development and oral hygiene as the child grows.

Some of the more subtle signs you may witness in your baby include:

• Mouth breathing
• Lip blisters
• Constant clicking whilst feeding
• Milk spillage when feeding
• Falling asleep whilst feeding therefore requiring feeds every 1-2 hours
• Cry whilst or after feeding
• Fussiness and pulling away whilst feeding

A common misconception is that if a baby can protrude their tongue beyond the lip and even move their tongue laterally (sideways) then they don’t have a tie, however the issue lies within the degree of elevation of the tongue rather than the degree of protrusion. When the posterior (back) tongue cannot elevate enough it leads to poor cupping of the nipple or teat of the bottle, leading to clicking sounds, gulping, air intake and poor control when feeding, not to mention sore, cracked and misshapen nipples for Mama.

A tongue tie is part of a centralised strain pattern for baby which can lead to an overstimulated nervous system, causing irritability, poor sleep, difficulty soothing; tension through the body which may show up as a banana pattern through the baby’s body when lying flat and difficulty burping or passing wind.

This is why it’s so important to pursue more thorough assessment, either with a trained therapist, lactation consultant or specialist dentist.

Our recommended trio of professionals for adequate assessment and support include:

• Dr Brigid Sandell, Alchemy’s resident Osteopath. Brigid can assess and diagnose tongue or lip tie and any oral restrictions alongside assessing the entire body for possible strains/discomfort for your baby related to or unrelated to a tongue tie. She offers ongoing support through bodywork for babies and families.
• Kelly Rechtin, Alchemy’s lactation consultant. Kelly can support in assessment and diagnosis of tongue tie or any feeding concerns, help find a feeding rhythm and method to best serve you and your baby.️
• Dr Wei Shen at @wattlestreetdental is our recommended dentist for safe and effective tongue and lip tie release and care. Dr Shen has extensive knowledge and experience in such releases.

Together they work to ensure all babies are given the opportunity to have pre and post Osteopathic care around their tongue tie release, establish a strong feeding method and a soothed mother/baby unit.

Brigid has studied in Paediatric Osteopathy and has worked in specialising care and treatment for babies, with and without tongue ties.

If you feel you need some support with your wee one please don't hesitate to call the clinic to book in for an assessment with Brigid.