It is described as overly tight tongue frenulum (the band of tissue between the tongue and the floor of the mouth) that restricts the mobility of the tongue leading to impaired feeding, speech and other things.

Apart of latching on and breastfeeding, it can actually impact bottle feeding too and cause issues with weaning to solids, milestone development, breathing, sleep, oral health, weight gain, speech etc.

Nipple soreness and trauma are the most common issues for the mum. However the inefficient milk removal from the breast can also lead to blocked ducts, mastitis, issues with supply etc. Frequent feeds lead to lack of sleep and exhaustion.

No. They will compensate to an extent for the impaired function but they will not grow out of it. Often things seem to be going well at the beginning but as the baby grows and reaches their compensation limit, issues might arise. 

It greatly depends on the type of the tie and severity of symptoms. Sometimes a comprehensive management that includes ongoing feeding support as well as body work, can be sufficient. Sometimes also the issue is not the tongue frenulum but rather a muscular tension resulting from birth or other stressful events during pregnancy, birth or early infancy. These babies will benefit more from a bodywork such as craniosacral therapy. Thorough assessment of the tongue function as well as the whole body is needed to identify the best strategy for every individual baby. 

Tongue tie division is a minor procedure however it requires some level of preparation and extensive aftercare to optimise the tongue movement and improve feeding, sleep, eating solids… This often involves ongoing feeding support by lactation consultant as well as bodywork, stress and tension release. I can help with all of these.