Valerie writes:
I have read several posts regarding short tongues that mention the
possibility of the tongue growing. Has anyone worked with a mom and baby through
this to a resolution? That is, until the baby was able to effectively
latch and suckle?
~~~
Hi Valerie,
There are people who know more than me about this who may speak up, but I
have seen babies whose tongues do not extend effectively enough to latch
themselves on without causing pain and/or cannot transfer adequate milk
efficiently. They don't have the length to work with, possibly due to
tongue-tie, or "short tongue" ( which may be a Type 4 tongue tie anyway). Some of
these babies could latch much better after several growth spurts/frequency
days, anywhere between 3 and 7 weeks or so. I don't know if their tongue
actually got longer, or if they got stronger, or the mouth proportions changed,
or if the entire tongue and jaw got bigger proportionally. I've also seen
babies whose tongues do not seem to have enough "free tongue" after its
attachment to the floor of the mouth who seem to get more range after some
CST. This may be related to tissue tightness due to high or asymmetric birth
forces, especially in augmented labors, and if the neck/shoulder range is
limited, that can affect the tongue as well, through their connection via the
hyoid ( since it attaches to the collarbone and sternum too, as well as
the floor of the mouth on the superior part). Working this tightness or
asymmetry out can help a baby to feed in a way they couldn't before. If the mom
has access to a good CST who knows about breastfeeding ( or is willing to
learn) I've seen it really help some babies.
Peace,
Judy
Judy LeVan Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY, USA
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