Many infants with a lip tie show no symptoms at all. Some of the most common symptoms associated with lip tie relate to their breastfeeding behaviour and the impact of breastfeeding on the mother. Even those breastfeeding-related symptoms, though, are somewhat ambiguous since the presence of breastfeeding-related symptoms may not indicate the presence of any lip tie. Even correcting a lip tie that does exist may not relieve all breastfeeding-related symptoms. Here is a list of potential symptoms of lip tie (including the relevant but not necessarily determinative breastfeeding-related symptoms):
● A clearly tight labial frenulum
● Pain experienced by the nursing mother during breastfeeding
● Poor weight gain by the infant
● An evidently frustrated infant during breastfeeding
● An infant who demands to feed frequently, but only for very brief periods of time
● An infant who seems to prefer feeding from a bottle over breastfeeding
● Challenges in helping the baby to latch onto (or stay latched onto) the nursing mother’s breast
What are the potential complications of a lip tie?
Lip ties that interfere with nursing can cause complications serious enough to warrant concern. Potential complications associated with lip tie include:
● The breastfeeding mother may experience sore, cracked and itchy nipples
● The breastfeeding mother may experience pain while nursing (beyond the adjustment period)
● An increased risk that the mother may develop infections such as mastitis
● The infant may not gain weight at the expected and hoped-for rate
● The infant may experience dehydration or malnourishment
● Breastfeeding may occur in short but frequent and unsatisfying sessions
Should a lip tie be treated? And, if so, how?
The symptoms of lip tie, alone, generally do not warrant treatment unless they produce serious complications affecting the mother or the infant’s ability to gain weight and develop normally. Mothers or caregivers who notice the symptoms of lip tie in an infant affecting their ability to breastfeed should seek support from a lactation consultant through a lip tie center near you. That lactation support may be able to resolve the symptoms and prevent complications without the need for treatment of the lip tie.
In many cases, lactation support is sufficient to develop strategies to compensate for a lip tie capable of avoiding complications. In many cases, infants who have breastfed for several months while experiencing a lip tie develop their own compensation strategies that, when supplemented by lactation support, can ease symptoms for both parent and infant.
There are four common suggestions for breastfeeding infants with a lip tie:
● Breastfeeding more frequently
● Positioning the infant’s chin downward to help them latch more deeply
● Squeeze the area around the nursing mother’s nipple to create a dent under her areola prior to the infant latching (and place the infant’s chin in that dent below the nipple)
● Ensure an adequate milk supply by expressing milk with a pump or by hand
If, on the other hand, lactation support is not sufficient for resolving the symptoms or reducing the risks of troubling complications, a lip tie specialist in Tampa can perform a laser frenectomy.
During a laser frenectomy, a small piece of tissue in the labial frenulum is cut with a laser to loosen it. While the procedure is commonly performed with a laser nearly instantly and without causing any pain, a frenectomy can also be performed under local anesthetic with sterilized scissors or a sterilized scalpel.
Lip tie treatment for children in Tampa is not recommended for newborn infants. Laser frenectomy can cause burns in some infants. In some cases, a lip tie can recur even after a frenectomy has been performed.
If you are concerned about any symptoms of lip tie or about the risk of complications for mother or child, don’t hesitate to contact a lip tie center in Tampa for support, advice and, if appropriate, treatment.