+16 votes
by (2.6k points)
My daughter was born 5/4/20 and determined to have 2 tongue ties ("4" on upper lip and "3" under tongue) anyone else have experience with this and take their child to a pedi dentist? we did and had the ties laser removed by the dentist-who was amazing-but we are overwhelmed with the after-care with exercises/stretches/massage we have to do with the speech therapist. we see speech multiple times a week and its really interfering with life and my mental health to do all this for her while feeding. changing. etc and maintaining the house! Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!  
My daughter was born 5/4/20 and determined to have 2 tongue ties ("4" on upper lip and &qu

16 Answers

+5 votes
by (880 points)
 
Best answer
My LO had his tongue tie released when he was around 6 weeks old. We did the exercises/stretches for 4 weeks after the procedure but that was all. He is 3 now and has no issues with speaking or eating. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe take a break. Your well-being is just as important.  
+3 votes
by (280 points)
I took mine to an ENT, who removed the upper lip and under tongue and I did the exercises. Never went to a speech therapist at the time (my son was 3 months). The ENT did say my sons were not too severe. Good luck!  
+2 votes
by (450 points)
We did both via laser procedure and did not followup with any therapy, only the stretches. Two years later no issues. Is the therapy necessary? Is feeding still very poor? If the answer is no, perhaps take a break.  
+1 vote
by (620 points)
My daughter had tongue and lip ties laser removed after birth. We had to do the exercises/massage to treated areas but never had to see a speech therapist. Not sure the rationale behind the speech therapist at this point?  
+14 votes
by (430 points)
All 7 of my kids had tongue tie. We had the ENT release it for all of them shortly after birth and never have they told us we needed to do stretches. Kids have met all milestones, no delays with speech. Not sure why the stretches are deemed so important? None of our ENTs ever mentioned them. But I have read about them on my own.  
by (8.9k points)
My daughter had her tongue tie corrected shortly after birth and was never told about stretches either. Never even heard it was a thing until this conversation!  
by (2k points)
@jackknife Nicole ditto
+11 votes
by (2.3k points)
Hang in there and take care of yourself and the baby. The house will still be there.  
+8 votes
by (390 points)
It is so hard but just a few weeks! Try to just fit in 10 sec of the stretches anytime you think - at a diaper change, anytime you move to a new spot, etc. Breaking them up through day vs trying to do them just once or twice a day helped us manage it. The newborn days are tough in the best of circumstances so great job mama!  
+13 votes
by (6.5k points)
It sucked, we did 6 weeks and met with a specialist once a week but our little guy was 2, it was terrible, but our Dr had patients that didn’t do the stretches and had to have the procedure redone. I just kept that in mind every time we had to get up in the middle of the night to stretch, hang in there!  
+13 votes
by (820 points)
I would highly recommend Dr. Manali Amin with DuPage Children’s ENT & Allergy!  
+13 votes
by (2.6k points)
Thanks ladies! the exercises are getting overwhelming as i try to get her to latch/breastfeed, top her off with bottle and pump as i’m producing lots of milk! i need another 10 hours in the day! My husband is working out of the house everyday so it’s up to me. Thanks for the advice and encouragement-that’s what i need as a new mom with th a 16-day old!  
by (5.2k points)
@nudism I had to do the triple feeds because of a tongue tie, too. It's exhausting! But it does get better! With that many ties released I would definitely keep up with the stretches, they keep the ties from re-adhering. But it does get better! I think it took about 2 weeks to stop the triple feeds? But my son just had one tie clipped (posterior tongue tie)
by (2.6k points)
Thanks cristina! she had ties lasered monday and i didn’t realize how much MORE work i’d have-the first 16 days if mommyhood have been rough, and this has added some more stress & less sleep! thanks for the positive stories-i know she will be better off now i just have to keep up with exercises and stay positive!  
by (5.2k points)
@nudism I was lucky my husband was mostly home with me for the triple feeding, it's awesome you're able to keep it up by yourself because it. is. HARD! One word of caution is to be careful you don't pump yourself into oversupply like I did. ‍♀️ happy to chat if you need to talk more with someone who's been through it.  
by (2.6k points)
I will PM you as oversupply sounds like it may apply to me! thanks for advice as it is super helpful to hear from those who have been through it-not just the professionals telling you what to and not to do! i need real life examples to get me through and help me process all this!  
+11 votes
by (970 points)
Its good that you got it done now that your daughter is young. We had an ENT that encouraged us to wait and we ended up having to do it at age 3 with anesthesia and very intense therapy bc my son couldn’t eat solid food. So do the stretches and stick to it. From what I’ve heard they can re-tie if you don’t.  
+1 vote
by (250 points)
I’ve done the laser tie removal with all 3 of my kiddos and we’ve done stretching daily for a number of days following which is super important, but we never had to do speech therapy. I would push back and ask about the stretches instead, especially since baby is so tiny still!  
+12 votes
by (2k points)
Confused what a speech therapist can do at 16 days of age. I’d question the need for this. Had surgery for daughter at ~3 months. No exercises; no therapy.  
+4 votes
by (2.4k points)
Sorry you are going through this. The first few months are rough. Hang in there and give yourself breaks. You're doing great.  
0 votes
by (2.6k points)
Thanks ladies! the therapy is supposed to continue to help her mouth heal as well as ensure her terth come in correctly, her breathing improves, her sleep improves, her body relaxes with massage-since it’s all the nervous system that’s been “tied”, all body systems are connected. the info from speech was WAYbiverwhelming so i need to follow your advice and just do the exercises as best as i can! i know she will grow and improve over time and-like many of you said-grow up with speech and a mouth that is just fine
+6 votes
by (2.6k points)
Any of you have issues with latching/breastfeeding? I am producing plenty of milk but I wanted to breastfeed her and prevent the need to be tied to a pump all day. Unfortunately, the 3-feed process (try to latch. breastfeed, bottle to top her off, pump) takes WAY too much time and i am running on a bout 30 min sleep and can't function! I decided to not have her bother to latch or try to breastfeed-just take breastmilk from a bottle while I pump. any ladies successfully have a kiddo breastfeed after tongue-tie issues and waiting for them to get stronger to latch/suck?  
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