Why don't MW/HV's routinely check for lip/tongue ties?

[T-Bex]

There are so many babies that have them, and cause the mums so much pain because of them, but a lot of the time, it's never even looked for! I had such pain with feeding Bethan until she was about 3/4 months, and it wasn't until I actually did my Peer Supporter training when she was 10 months that I realised she had a tongue tie. And now, in the last few weeks, I've realised she has a lip tie as well! If the bloody HV's had checked, and had it sorted when she was little, I could have saved months of bloody agony. The only time they seem to really get checked, is by ones that are really up on their breastfeeding infomation, and when they're explicitly asked to by mums. It doesn't take long to check for, so why isn't it just part of the baby check at hospital?


ARARRARRAGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

 

[fifi-folle]

I agree, ARGHHHHHHHH

 

[pachamama]

I agree!! I've been expressing for over a year cos my lo had a posterior tongue tie and lip tie. Why oh why didn't anyone know? or even look?

They had a cursery glance for a classic anterior tongue tie - but my midwife and HV had never even heard of a posterior tongue tie...

x

 

[pictureperfec]

when saskia had her check in hosp yesterday the midwife was muttering the things to herself and i heard tongue tie mentioned but she never actually said it to me.. now ive made sure i mention it to everyone who sees her incase noone else bothers looking for it.. once ive been told its okay then itll be okay, but surely if that mw had noticed it she should have mentioned it?!

 

[clarebear2010]

I think it's because they haven't needed to train in it for a long time because so many people bottle feed which means it doesn't usually cause the same issues as it does with breastfeeding. I have been told though that knowledge is slowly improving as breastfeeding rates increase. I do hope things improve though as I have known so many people who have struggled with tongue ties and one friend who ended up paying a private consultant to get it cut as the NHS were totally useless.

 

[todteach]

I'm really sad to read this. Ours was found at the hospital after LO was born. I was having excrutiating pain & the nurse checked. Special care came to the room within the hour and clipped it. Thought this would be done in all countries. It wasn't really a big deal & afterward he latched on like a champ.

 

[summer rain]

The main problem is that most MWs/HVs and most doctors are not trained how to spot tongue ties, my son was checked for a tongue tie after he was born very thoroughly by both the midwife and paediatrician and they emphatically declared he didn't have one-I didn't ask them to but it was routine at the hospital I had him at. I also feel in some areas such as where I live where there is nowhere locally that snips tongue ties and the NHS trust will not refer anywhere else in London unless there is failure to thrive, that the staff that are trained are either pressured not to say there is a tongue tie when there is one; or maybe they feel disheartened and don't look too hard because if they did the likelihood would be it couldn't be treated anyway xx

 

[DarlingMe]

In the US lactation consultants are not allowed to diagnose anything, only a physician can diagnose. In the US it seems that any problem BF is blamed on tongue tie. I can honestly say 90% of girls I know who have BF were told their LO has a tie. I had one LC tell me LO had a tie and that was what was wrong. I had another one tell me that LO had no tie and we were doing everything right and latch was perfect... I spoke with my pediatrician about this and she agreed that this is definately overdiagnosed right now and over treated. That many times babies who may have a mild tongue tie, do not need treatment.

So just an opposite end of the spectrum in my opinion, but both are very frustrating!!

 

[austinsmom]

I'll have to agree with DarlingMe. My LO was a lazy/sleepy latcher in the hospital... and the LC gave me a booklet about her being tounge-tied because she 'didn't touch her toung to the roof of her mouth when she cried'. I asked the pediatrician before being discharged, and she shook her head and was very frustrated that the LC told me that, then went on to tell me that LC's are constantly throwing out 'toung tied' when LO's won't latch in the first 24hrs. Truth is, MOST newborns (first 24 hrs) are very lazy latchers.
Turns out, my LO is lip tied But it is mild, and we've never had a problem with it.

 

[T-Bex]

I think then, given what people have said, if you are still in pain with feeding, and your latch has been checked, look for a tongue tie. Either way, I suffered for so long, and the fact that something so easily fixable was available, but wasn't checked for, gets me really angry, as Bethan has quite a severe tongue and lip tie.

 

[austinsmom]

I think then, given what people have said, if you are still in pain with feeding, and your latch has been checked, look for a tongue tie. Either way, I suffered for so long, and the fact that something so easily fixable was available, but wasn't checked for, gets me really angry, as Bethan has quite a severe tongue and lip tie.

I do agree... it should be something commonly checked by someone who is qualified.

 

[cat lover]

Youre totally right its Fing ridiculous!!!!!

 

[indigo_fairy]

I totally agree with OP, and to anyone who thinks their baby might have a tongue tie even if it is mild don't take 1 persons word for it if they say they don't think it should be causing a problem.. I went through numerous NICU staff, 3 HV's, 3 MW's and 1 BF councillor who all said similar things to "they don't think it is/very mild and probably wouldn't snip if referred" I kept pushing to see specialist and he agreed that it would benefit from a snip and to help with BF would be worthwhile. From then pain started to decrease a little but the nipple damage repair and time for my son to relearn BF took weeks, but now completely painfree.

If I'd not pushed I still be in pain and might have not continued BF which would have been the last thing I wanted to do.

 

[mum2be2011]

my daughter has a tongue tie and the drs dont treat them in my area unless they cause a problem with feeding or speech. Hayley breast feeds no problem but struggles with a normal bottle and cant suck on a dummy. She wont eat puree food she will only eat finger food so h/v has told me to just offer finger food and feed her what my 2 year old has.

Hayley was checked for a tongue tie the day after she was born very thoroughly by both the midwife and 2 paediatricians and they declared she didn't have one. Like summer rain didn't ask them to but it was routine at the hospital I had Hayley at. When the health visitor did their 10 day check she had a good look in Hayley's mouth and said no cleft palate or tongue tie despite me saying that she doesnt move her tongue as freely as her older sister does, and cant feed from a bottle. The tongue tie wasnt picked up until our 6 week baby review with the Gp and she noticed it straight away. Hayleys tongue tie is so obvious and i cant understand why it was missed by so many people.

I agree some babies are treated when they dont need it and Hayley wont be having hers treated unless it affects her speech. My best friends little boy has a severe tongue tie and it hasnt stopped his speech development

 

[summer rain]

my daughter has a tongue tie and the drs dont treat them in my area unless they cause a problem with feeding or speech. Hayley breast feeds no problem but struggles with a normal bottle and cant suck on a dummy. She wont eat puree food she will only eat finger food so h/v has told me to just offer finger food and feed her what my 2 year old has.

Hayley was checked for a tongue tie the day after she was born very thoroughly by both the midwife and 2 paediatricians and they declared she didn't have one. Like summer rain didn't ask them to but it was routine at the hospital I had Hayley at. When the health visitor did their 10 day check she had a good look in Hayley's mouth and said no cleft palate or tongue tie despite me saying that she doesnt move her tongue as freely as her older sister does, and cant feed from a bottle. The tongue tie wasnt picked up until our 6 week baby review with the Gp and she noticed it straight away. Hayleys tongue tie is so obvious and i cant understand why it was missed by so many people.

I agree some babies are treated when they dont need it and Hayley wont be having hers treated unless it affects her speech. My best friends little boy has a severe tongue tie and it hasnt stopped his speech development

Thanks for sharing your experience; sounds like our NHS trusts have very similar policies.

Also I think for those other posters living in an area where they do refer for tongue tie quite routinely, it can be hard to understand that in other areas its actually the NHS trust that set the policy of not referring unless its causing no weight gain at all; and individual health professionals cannot really do anything about this, so its not always possible to push for a referral and you'll eventually get it. xx

 

[fifi-folle]

Just thought this would be a good thread to share this list of consultants who treat tomgue tie, as listed by Unicef: list

 

[ChocolateKate]

Wow I have to say despite the problems we've encountered, our hospital were fantastic at not only spotting my daughter's tongue tie but then supporting us to breastfeed. Unfortunately we only have the occasional latch and I am exclusively expressing but I can't fault the care we received. I was alerted to the fact she was severely tongue-tied within hours of her birth and on asking for support from midwives to help her latch, was referred not only to our local breast feeding support team but also back to the hospital where there is an infant feeding team. After consulting them for two weeks, we decided to have the tongue tie snipped (on the NHS) and although this hasn't provided us with a miracle cure to breast feeding, I feel the procedure could only benefit my daughter. She in fact causes more fuss being changed than she did having this snipped!

How very disappointing that not all hospitals and trusts are the same, I really can sympathise with what you must be going through and hope this improves soon. X

 

[T-Bex]

I think I just found it quite a difference in living where I used to (admittedly, where they have the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, so it's no wonder the HV's gave both crap advice, and didn't look), and then moving here, where they have a midwife run clinic that seems to almost specialise in tongue ties (but, isn't on the UNICEF list, interestingly...). Crazy the difference

Bethan's now speaking, so I've keeping an ear out for any problems. They have to go under anaesthetic once their over a year, though, to get it snipped...