Tongue Tied Part 3

Tongue Update:
That night we got a long piece of gauze and wrapped it around our fingers before we attempted the tongue stretches. This made a huge difference. We were able to get a grip on that slippery tongue and pull it up into position.

She had two feedings the next day that were great and then she had  a huge meltdown and refused to drink from the normal nipple. I texted the dr and he said it was ok to use the smaller nipple as needed to make sure she got fluids but I had to try and transition her. During that week, she seemed to be ok during the day but at night she would have a meltdown with the regular nipple. At least it was expected and I knew it was ok to let her have it. We had some good days and some bad days with feedings, but it kept getting better.


I took her back for another follow up a week later and she was doing great! Now she uses the regular nipple about 99% of the time. We still have some days where she needs to move around and find that position, but overall things are looking great. She increased her amount of formula since her surgery. She was taking about 5 oz and now she takes about 8oz. She is also 12 weeks old now and goes much longer between meals.


She has been sleeping on her back in the crib every night. She is now able to roll herself over onto her side and back. She likes to sleep on her side often. She is developing a drool rash on that side.

Adoption Update:
The SW came to our new house to update our home study. Everything went well since we just had a house party and the house was very clean. It was quick since it was just a house inspection.

We had to get a bunch of papers notarized and sent back to the lawyer along with a certified copy of our marriage license. We just finished the 3 month waiting period set by our state. Now we are waiting for the SW to finish her paperwork so the lawyer can file for a court date. At this point everything seems to be ok, but we won't know for sure until we go to court.

Tongue Tied Part 2

I had a real hard time doing the mouth exercises. The dr was great and even had videos online to show you, but I just felt awkward. Her mouth was very slippery since she started to drool a lot. She would cry in pain after I did it. I was so uncomfortable doing it. I knew it had to be done, and I feared that it would stick back together so I just did it the best that I could. I had dh do it at night to make sure that it was being done hard enough.

At first everything was great. She was eating from a normal bottle and was sleeping on her back. Then things started to change. She was doing that head shift thing again. She didn't want to eat in a normal position. She wanted to eat lying down. She would get really frustrated and scream when she could not latch. She is old enough that when she saw the bottle coming toward her she knew what it was and would freak.

Feeding her became a nightmare. I had to keep trying different positions and bottle angles. I finally gave up on the silicone nipples and went back to the rubber. That seemed to solve the problem for a few days. Then she had the same reaction with those.

She would get so worked up that I had to walk away. I would cry bc I knew she was hungry but she could not eat. I thought to myself what did I do to my baby??? I tried more of the mouth gel and that seemed to help.  Finally we called the dr. He said that the baby might be congested and to try the nasal aspirator. I got some good boogies out which did seem to help. She was fine the next day. I would suction her nose before feeding and she was ok.

Today I went to feed her and it happened again. I started to cry in frustration bc feeding her used to be easy and fun. Now it was torture. I finally got her into a position where she was almost standing up and she latched on and finished the bottle.

I went for my follow up apt and I told him about the weird feeding position. He said that she should be feeding at the same angle as if I were breastfeeding.  He took a look. The top lip was perfect. The tongue was bad. The tongue had stuck back together and that is why I was having feeding issues. He pulled on the tongue and it started to gush blood. It poured out of her mouth and all over her shirt. She started to scream.

I started crying bc I did not pull hard enough. I thought the tongue was fine bc it did not look tied down. I guess the tip was fine but she was also tied down underneath and that is was stuck.

He asked me to get out a bottle. I only had the small rubber nipple. He told me it was too small. I explained how I started with the large silicone but then she would only eat with the rubber.

ERGHHHHHH so  now I have to keep doing the mouth pulls for another week and pray that this time it does not stick again. I also have to use the silicone nipples.

Tongue Tied

She was diagnosed as tongue tied at birth. I could see it myself. The hospital said to have it snipped. I spoke with the pediatrician the next day. He said it was controversial to get it snipped and he recommended to wait and see what happens. He said to see an ENT in the future if needed.

She was gaining weight and growing. She was a really good eater. I did not think there was a problem at first.  She was fond of the smaller rubber nipples and did have some trouble latching on to the larger silicone nipples. I was also concerned that she would develop a speech impediment so I checked the internet to see what other moms did.

I found a great forum and the moms mentioned a specialist. He was a pediatric dentist who worked with breast feeding babies who were unable to latch. I looked up his name and saw that he was close enough where I could drive to see him. We made an appointment but told the nurse that it was not an emergency bc we did not want to take an apt away from a baby in need.  The apt was for 9/30 and she would be  10 weeks old.  My dh told me that it was simple and they would just zap it with a CO2 laser.

On my way to the appointment, I kept thinking that this Dr was going to send me away bc it was no big deal. OMG I was totally wrong. He looks her in her mouth and the first thing he said was, "I can't believe that she made it this far"  I told him that I was not breastfeeding. It seems that my baby would never have  been able to latch onto a breast. She had a major tongue tie (stage iv) and a major lip tie. I had no idea about the lip tie. I told him that she was a really good eater except lately she has been doing this weird thing with her head. She will turn her head and stop eating. I thought she was just older and distracted. He said that she was breaking latch bc she could not breathe.

That is when I lost it and started crying. He said that the tongue needs to slip under the nipple and since her tongue in not able to she cuts off her air supply while eating. Then he said he was surprised that she was not congested in the morning. I told him how she would not sleep on her back. He said that she would not be able to fully breathe on her back and would have sleep apnea or other issues.

I had to watch a very explicit video on the procedure. I was in shock. It turns out that this is major mouth surgery. I really wished my dh was there. I have to due post surgical care and pull on her lip and tongue for two weeks to make sure that they do not stick back together.

He took my baby out of the room and brought her back 10 min later. She was not crying. He had me feed her and she latched on the larger silicone nipple with perfection. I could not believe the difference. He asked me if her belly got hard after eating....which it did. He said now it will be softer bc her mouth is able to function properly and get less air. He was right I am still amazed and love to feel her soft squishy belly. He said that she will be able to sleep on her back tonight. That night she slept on her back for the first time. I was really amazed. I had no idea there were so many issues related to tongue/lip ties.

I spoke to another mom who was ahead of me. Her baby was 3 months old and much smaller than mine. She was breastfeeding but gave up nursing and had to pump/bottle feed due to latch issues. She came from far away bc she said this dentist was the best around. I was impressed. She said that she had consulted many drs and lactation consultants before they finally figured out the baby had mouth issues. Her baby was able to latch to the breast immediately after the surgery.

The dr said that he gives lectures to try and bring awareness. He said that many drs are not aware and many babies/moms suffer for months with nursing issues. This dr also said not to go to an ENT bc they are not experts in the oral cavity and usually put the baby under anesthesia and cut. He said they don't often cut enough for fear of bleeding complications. He also said that he has had to do many corrections after a baby was worked on by an ENT.

Sleeping

 We met our baby when was she one day old. We were able to sleep over with her in the hospital that night. The next night I slept on the couch and she slept in the car seat on the floor next to me. We were about to move, so most of the house was packed up. We did not have a crib yet, but we did have a bassinet. She refused to sleep in the bassinet so I just went with the car seat since she really liked to sleep in that.

I was able to see her from the couch and rock her as needed. It worked out really well bc I would watch her breathe for awhile. At night when she started to stir I was able to hear and see her so I could get up and get her bottle ready before she started to cry.

We kept this arrangement for two weeks and then we moved. At that point my beloved couch that had seen me through multiple surgeries and had been part of my life for the past 15 years, was deemed unworthy of the new house. We put it in the basement, but probably should have tossed it. It was in great shape to look at but the springs were gone on DH side. He didn't care but it was embarrassing when someone would come over and fall into the couch.

The first week in the new house, she was 3 weeks old. I slept in my own bed and had her sleep in her room. I would get up at night, go into her room to feed her and then go back to bed. I quickly realized that this was not going to work for me. It was really hard not having her in the same room. I know most parents keep the baby in their room, but I needed to be able to move around, and turn on lights etc without having to worry about waking up DH

I went out and bought an Aerobed and placed it in her room. I was much happier bc now I could see her again and rock her as needed. It was great to be able to lay in bed and rock her in the car seat.  I tried to get her to sleep in the bassinet a few times, but she would not sleep in it.

She got to the point where she would only wake me up twice a night usually around 1:30 and 4:30. At around two months of age, I finally got to paint her room. I had to move her out of her room for two weeks. I placed her in another room that I use for my office. There was really no room in there for my bed, so I went back to sleeping in my room.

I painted her room lilac and assembled the crib. I put the sheets on the bed and had it all set up but I was unable to bring myself to put her in it. The crib seemed so big and it was a big step for me. I am not sure why, but it seemed scary. After the room was ready, she went back to sleeping in her room in the car seat.

Now she sleeps through the night and she is 10 weeks old. The first night was scary bc I woke up before her. I panicked and I ran to her room to see her. She has been sleeping through the night for about  a week now. I feel more sane now. Even thought she only woke me up twice a night, I was still not getting enough sleep and it is not good to get interrupted like that. I was really sleep deprived for weeks.

I found out recently why she refused to sleep on her back. I am thankful that I had the instinct to allow her to sleep upright in the car seat. (More on this in the next post)