Tongue tied

Today we endured Hank's first medical procedure, and it went very well - as the old adage goes, it was probably harder for us than it was for him. He was born with a tongue tie, or in medical terms, ankyloglossia. It means that the little bit of tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth - the frenulum - is either too short or is connected too close to the tip of the tongue (in Hank's case, it was both). Hank's tongue tie was pointed out to us in the hospital, but we didn't think much of it. In infants, tongue ties often cause problems with breastfeeding. Though Hank has certainly shown no difficulty putting on weight (he gained another 11 ounces in the past five days!), nursing has consistently been painful for me. After working with a lactation consultant and ruling out several other possible causes, we decided to address the tongue tie.

We met with an ear nose and throat doctor at the beautiful new Children's Hospital here in Pittsburgh today, who confirmed Hank's tongue tie and suggested clipping it. Everything we'd read and heard about the procedure was that it was really no big deal for the baby, comparable in sensation to getting a vaccination. The doctor just lifts the tongue and snips the tissue underneath. Back in the day, apparently, midwives used to snip it with their fingernails after birth! Sure enough, the procedure took about thirty seconds, and Hank cried more when the doctor looked in his ears with the scope than he did when they clipped his frenulum. He was able to nurse right away, and he has been playing with his tongue all evening. We're hopeful that this will enable him to nurse more effectively, and cause less pain for me, as well as preventing any difficulties in the future - and now he'll be able to stick his tongue out at us when he gets mad.

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