Dear All,
Saw a mom yesterday -- baby 5 weeks old, mom has very sore nipples, baby has
a tight frenulum. It is not tied to the end of the tongue, no heart shape,
but baby has a hard time keeping tongue over lower gum line; frequently pulls
it back, falls off the br, and has to be repositioned. Letting him "suck up
the nipple" actually works better than hugging him to the br quickly, as
apparently he positions his tongue better for longer that way. That brings
up a host of other sore nipple problems, but that's another story. My point
here is that this mom saw two pediatricians, another LC, and a home birth
family practice doctor, ALL of whom said the frenulum was short/tight, but
that "It shouldn't be a problem." I agree -- it isn't a problem for the baby
in that he can now latch on, he is now gaining weight, he probably won't have
speech problems, (though he won't be able to french kiss as much as he
likes), but it IS a problem for the mother! My soapbox today is a reminder
to all that are out there that if something is a problem for one of the
dyads, it is a problem for both. Remember we are dealing with two people
here, and if the sore nipples caused by this short frenulum which no one will
clip "because it isn't a problem" causes this mom to stop bf & go to ABM, thn
it WILL be a problem for the baby!
Argghhh
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h
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Jan Barger, falling off....
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