Need your help, here ladies...
Baby girl was born at term to a healthy first time mom who was induced for
PIH (pitocin induction). Delivered vaginally without medications or
anesthesia. Weight 6#15oz. Needed assistance latching day one and fed
infrequently day one. Mother described it as "she was fussy and would root
around a lot but not latch." Over the next few days, baby would resist and
arch at breast, then latch better when swaddled (got the flailing arms out
of the way.) Baby now at 11 days, good intake/output, good milk supply, good
weight gain (back to birth weight at 9 days), jaundice subsided, content
between feeds, but mom cries during feeds due to pinching pain. Nipples with
minor cracks at nipple ends, no bleeding. Worked with positioning and latch
to some improvement, but still the pain persists, especially on one side.
She describes it as 'biting'. Did a suck eval: baby has a tight jaw,
slightly recessed chin, prominent 'gumming' motions. Oral check showed a
somewhat short tongue with a heart shaped edge. No obvious frenulum but that
was the first thought when I saw this tongue and the mom's pain. Some tissue
stretched to one side under the tongue, but not sure if that's frenulum. It
does not extend much past the base of the tongue. Tongue does extend just
past the gum line but not able to extrude her tongue much beyond that. Mom
has never seen baby's tongue extending outside her mouth. Mom says the pain
is such that she wants to delay feeds. Takes ibuprofen for pain. Uses
lanolin for small cracks at ends of nipples.  I have read posts re other
tongue ties that I am not personally experienced with: labial tongue tie,
posterior tongue tie, etc. Could this be a sort of aberrant tongue tie and
if so, who/how does it get evaluated/corrected? Live near Sac, Calif. Also:
What to do about clenching/clamping/biting/tight jaw? Seems to be two issues
here: tongue and jaw. Looking forward to your suggestions for this mom/baby!

Marie Farver

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