Difficulty latching?

Weak suck?

Colic, reflux, or gas?

Hates the bottle?

Can't clear a spoon?

Biting straws?

If any of these problems sound familiar, your child could have a lip or tongue tie that is prohibiting the free range of movement of their lip or tongue. Ties come in a range of severity from normal and non-impacting to profound negative impact on speech skills and feeding skills.

For infants, a lip tie is one of the biggest causes of difficulty latching, maintaining a latch, and stressful/painful feedings. For children it causes difficulty with drinking and lip movements for speech.

Tongue ties prevent infants/children from moving their tongues up, down, left, and right, which impacts how they latch, move food in their mouths, and make sounds. Lip tie recovery takes a little longer than a tongue tie. The sooner it is addressed the better.

Doctors/Pediatricians have to cover the whole body -- that's a lot of space! Even Lactation Consultants have other areas of concern like stool, mom, and positioning. Ties go undiagnosed frequently... even when asked about.

Repair of a lip or tongue ties is typically a quick, out patient procedure.

Myths... lies about ties

1. They'll fall and it'll break on its own

2. They'll grow out of it

3. It's okay if breastfeeding hurts

4. They're too young for therapy

This might be my child... What now?!

• Don't think you're "worrying too much because you're mom"

• Ask questions

• Trust your instincts

• Get a 2nd or 3rd opinion

• Obtain a screening or evaluation from a feeding trained speech language pathologist

Synergy Family Therapy Specialists has a CCC-SLP with complex, severe pediatric feeding training from Boston Children's Hospital.

Schedule an appointment today! Call us at 937-428-6273 to schedule.

#LipTies #TongueTies #Myths