Emily Lindsey asks for input/help in advising the mother of a baby whose tongue tie was not clipped until the age of about 6 weeks, because he was being checked for a heart condition after birth.  His mother has enough milk for him but he is not able to take it all straight from the breast and the mother is hoping things will improve.

There are some things I would need to know in order to make an informed guess about how long it may take before breastfeeding is working well.

First, did the investigations conclude with a diagnosis of a heart problem?  If so, that will remain a factor to be considered and may be more important than the tongue tie for his stamina at the breast.

Second, how old is the baby now (i.e. how long has it been since the tongue tie was dealt with)?  It may take him a few weeks to develop strength enough in his tongue to accomplish effective breastfeeding and until then, he will need help to stay nourished.  The best way for his tongue to gain strength is to breastfeed, if he and his mother are happy to do that, and she will then need a plan that takes into account his need for more milk than he can transfer by his own efforts but that leaves the two of them plenty of time to enjoy each other.

Third, how has his growth been since birth?  If he has a significant amount of catching up to do after weeks of ineffective feeding, she should expect his abilities to improve as his growth gets back on track.  His willingness and capability at the breast will both improve and only then will he be able to spend enough time at breast to really get his tongue strengthened.

If she has been able to maintain her own milk supply while worrying about his heart and his feeding, I would be really optimistic about her chances of getting him completely to breast once he is able to be there.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of a plan that focuses on mother and baby together, rather than pumping times or amounts of feeds.  IME mothers in similar situations are at the end of their pumping ropes and the most important thing in helping them keep on trying is to remind them of why they were pumping in the first place, which is so the baby will get plenty of milk when he is able to come to breast.  Nobody can do that reminding better than the baby.

Good luck to her,
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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