About Me

Phoenix, AZ, United States
Brian and I met in early 2003. We were married August 6 2011 and we are expecting a baby boy named Macoy in October 2013. Life without love like ours just wouldn't be worth it!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Macoy has Tongue Tie??!!!


Time for truth. I have been in excruciating pain and under an extreme amount of stress for two weeks and two days (since Macoy was born) due to breastfeeding. I have considered giving up and switching to bottles every day.

I met with two lactation consultants in the hospital and told every single doctor/nurse (about 12) that checked me and Macoy over the last 2 weeks that something was "off" and that the pain was nearly unbearable. Everyone kept telling me to stick with it but I just knew something was wrong. I have felt so alone. Like I'm screaming in a crowded room and nobody can hear me.

It's really important to me to do right for this baby so I dealt with it - gritting my teeth, clenching my fists and fighting back tears (sometimes just crying) through EVERY single 15-30 minute feeding (8 - 10 times per day). I love my son very much and felt so much heartache because I knew that he could sense my frustration, stress and pain and that it was no doubt having an impact on our mother/son relationship.

Although I have been completely emotionally and physically exhausted (and barely hanging on by a thread), I did 15 or so hours of research over the last week and attended a La Leche League meeting yesterday to try to get some answers. The meeting itself was a useless disaster (that's a blog post all on it's own) but it made me take the final step…calling in a specialist for a home visit.

A lactation consultant came to my house today. She is the third one I have met with but the first at my home. She watched him latch and after less that 2 minutes, she told me to unlatch him. As she put on a glove, she said that although I was doing everything right, he just wasn't latching deeply enough. Without delay, she swiftly swept her finger in Macoy's mouth. She looked at me (3 minutes into our time together) and said…"Well momma...He's tongue tied."  I started crying right away.

The emotion came from two places. One from relief that I finally had my answer and that there was something "broken" that could be "fixed". The other came from my extreme disappointment that I had to endure two weeks of hellish pain for something that could have been fixed on day one of Macoy's life. I can't even tell you how disappointed I am with the doctors, nurses, hospital lactation consultants and all four pediatricians who have examined Macoy multiple times in the last two weeks. My son was NEVER checked for tongue tie despite all my recurring claims of breastfeeding pain. Not one person even brought it up as a possibility. I read about it in my research (causes trouble with feeding and speech impediments later in life) but I passed it by on my hunt for answers because I figured that there was NO way all these "professionals" would have missed this. Well… they did. From my perspective, it's absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable.

I want to post this so all you pregnant gals out there can demand that your baby be checked for this. Do not leave the hospital without this exam. In addition, always trust your instincts and never give up looking for the answers. You will KNOW when something is wrong and even if EVERYONE around you tells you to just stick it out and/or that everything is ok…you WILL know better and it's our job as moms to be our own advocate and seek help for ourselves and/or for our children.

Macoy is now scheduled for a frenulotomy consultation today (to confirm everything and learn what to expect) and for the actual operation early next week which should correct the issues. Although Macoy will experience some pain from the surgery, the first feeding sessions immediately after frenulotomy's are known to be successful and comfortable for both mom and baby. 

...Huge THANK YOU to Rene Moore (www.firstfoodforbaby.com) for doing what you do. This will no doubt change everything for me and my little family. 

3 comments:

  1. Breaks my heart to read this! But I am so so happy you finally got an answer!!! Good luck with everything, love ya!!

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  2. I'm so sorry. :( so thankful you kept at it. Good job momma, you're a smart cookie.
    I love you and am here anytime. I had heard about tongue tie, but have never met anyone who had a baby that had it.
    Here's lots of love and well wishes for a scary time and for a happy time. Loves

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  3. Oh no, I have heard the phrase tongue tied but i don't know anything about it. I'm proud of you for sticking to your guns on this till you figured out what was wrong. Good job mama!!

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