Our Experience With Tongue Tie

As most of you know I breastfeed my beautiful Freddie, a few of you may  know the challenges I’ve had feeding him. I’m not writing this for sympathy or recognition but in hopes that maybe another struggling mum will see my story and it will inspire her to carry on and seek help.

I’ve had mastitis over 8 times since feeding Freddie, for those who don’t know, mastitis is an infection and inflammation of your breast and it makes your breasts red hot, lumpy, incredibly tender and you physically cannot do anything as the symptoms that come with it are horrendous.

If it goes untreated then it can quickly turn to an abscess which then can turn to septicaemia. Feeding through mastitis 8 times has been the most excruciating, soul destroying and the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

In early December, we finally saw a lactation consultant who diagnosed and snipped Freddie’s tongue tie on the spot. The same tongue tie that all those midwives and health visitors missed 8 months ago.

Tongue tie is quite a common thing in babies since the rise in mothers taking folic acid during the first trimester and is easily treatable on the NHS for young babies or privately for older babies.

Tongue and lip ties are a major reason so many mums give up as it can cause dodgy latch/no latch, weight loss in baby, pain, nipple damage and mastitis if it is not treated.

So please, if you are struggling then seek help. So many Drs, health visitors and midwives are poorly trained in breastfeeding and will often give incorrect advice. Help is out there if you want it.

I have been so close to giving up. Yep, Eve who is incredibly passionate about breastfeeding was close to giving up.

So if you’re reading this and you’re in a similar situation to what I have been in then don’t lose hope.

If you feel like you have no reason to carry on then just take a look at your beautiful baby and you will find all the reason and courage to carry on, I promise.

Seek help, unfortunately the help won’t come to you, you need to go after it. If a midwife, Dr or health visitor tells you that your pain is normal or there’s nothing wrong then ignore it and contact a specialist. Thanks to everyone who has read this and most importantly thank you to everyone who cheered me on and supported me at my lowest points when I was up at 3am sobbing through the pain, when I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. Thank you so much to all my beautiful and wonderful booby friends who secretly funded my consultation with the lactation consultant, you are all incredible and have given me the best gift ever; the determination and support to carry on feeding Freddie. I had plenty of opportunity to give up but I didn’t and I have all of you to thank. Please share, even if my story helps just one person then I will be happy.

Happy Boobin’ ❤

 

 

 

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