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From:
Rachel Myr <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:05:23 -0400
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I can't find any mention of incidence or prevalence in Cathy Genna's section on tongue-tie in her book 'Supporting sucking skills in breastfeeding infants'.  But what I recall from at least one article was a figure of about 5 per cent with visibly 'restrictive' frenulums, and half of these infants had difficulty feeding.  Note that equally many had no trouble, which is why we don't use visual assessment to determine who might benefit from frenulotomy.  Then there are the babies whose tongue-ties are not apparent from a traditional visual assessment, the posterior and submucosal ones.

I don't know whether they are included in the 5 per cent figure, but I think not.  

The group of babies whose tongues do not 'perform' effectively during breastfeeding because of birth interventions or neurological compromise or congenital anomalies other than tight frenulum are not included in the 5 per cent with tongue tie.  

I seem to remember, too, that the proportion of tongue-tied babies attending clinics to treat breastfeeding problems was much higher than the 5 per cent found in an unselected population.  This is exactly as one would expect, if one accepts the premise that tongue-tie, and tongue mobility, affect breastfeeding.  

Some weeks I dream of chartering a plane to fly to NY and taking all the babies I am struggling with because their posterior tongue-ties are causing their mothers so much anguish, along with their mothers, and going to see Dr Coryllos to get them dealt with.  I would be SO happy if there were somewhere I could get help for these babies!  Somehow, being able to treat the really obvious ones only makes it more frustrating than ever to have no such offering for the rest of them.

The more I work with breastfeeding problems, the greater my appreciation for the obstacles comprised by anatomical quirks.  Now if I could find a quick fix for the problem of inexplicable and seemingly intractable nipple pain I would be perfectly content :-)

Rachel Myr
glad she is not flying anywhere through volcanic plumes, in Kristiansand, Norway 

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