Our baby was able to thrive thanks to Tongue Tie Release By Samuel P. Zink Jr., DMD
O
ur first son was born during my final year of dental school in Louisville, Kentucky. We were expecting a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby. He came out with a handsome full head of reddishbrown hair and a quizzical brow. We enjoyed being parents, but sometimes I wondered, is it supposed to be this hard? He had short sleep episodes requiring breastfeeding every 2-3 hours. My wife would tense with severe pain when he attempted to latch, even though she was on pain medicine. He struggled with reflux and spitting up. I would rock him and lay him down to sleep, only to have him wake up screaming as soon as I started to tiptoe away from his crib. My wife had mastitis and plugged ducts. She discovered a lump in her left breast and had a needle biopsy to rule out cancer. The pathology report showed that the lump was extra milk in the plugged ducts. My wife sought out help from a lactation consultant for breastfeeding difficulties and symptoms. They worked on positioning, latching, and a special pillow helped. None of our birth professionals or healthcare providers ever mentioned Tongue Tie, even though my son and wife
had all but two of the symptoms listed on my Infant Tongue Tie intake form. The only two symptoms they didn’t have were colic and poor weight gain. My son was gaining weight through his own tenacity and the dedication of my wife. Somehow, my wife powered through these challenges and nursed our son for over 2 years. Compensations have consequences. When babies require special positioning and pillows in order to feed, oral structures and airways get deformed, which inadvertently sets the infant up for potential airway and breathing issues as they grow into their toddler and child stages.
A glimmer of hope
Our second son also struggled to nurse effectively. He had many of the same symptoms as our firstborn, as well as colic. The constant screaming was unsettling for us all. However, my wife’s experience and expertise made it seem better. After doing some research, my wife came across a technique called Tongue Tie Release and asked me to look into it. As a professional, qualified dentist, I had never heard of Tongue Tie Release as it was never mentioned in dental school; so I called a pediatric dentist to get some more information. I relayed what I was told back to my wife: “As long as the tongue isn’t tethered at the tip, there is nothing to worry about.” Unfortunately this common misconception prevented us from getting help when we needed it most.
Awareness and relief
The day our third son was born, my wife and I noticed he had a prominent lip tie and tongue tie. Ties are bands of tissue that restrict movement and function. We asked the hospital lactation consultant for her opinion about the lip and tongue ties. Her answer: “I’m not allowed to say anything, but you might want to check out Dr. Ghaheri, a well-known ENT and an authority on infant Tongue Tie in Portland, Oregon.” Having read all the information we could find, we decided to have the baby evaluated for lip and tongue tie. At the one-week visit, the pediatrician referred us to the intown, in-network ENT. When the baby was 2 weeks old, we saw the ENT. He said there was definitely tongue tie present, but it was mild and did not need a tongue tie release. We accepted his recommendation – after all, he was the expert. We felt good about our decision, until… At 3 weeks old, my son showed poor weight gain. He was looking shriveled and gaunt and his body was breaking out 8 OCT/NOV/DEC 2020 | Idaho Family Magazine
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