Tongue Tie and Breastfeeding Pain

I recently wrote about tongue tie for ParentData. I would briefly summarize the main point of that post as there is some data suggesting surgery to fix tongue tie lower breastfeeding pain, but it’s not overwhelming and there isn’t much good evidence of improved breastfeeding.

In response to this a number of people wrote me to say three things. First, they distinguished between “anterior” and “posterior” tongue tie, with the first being significantly more serious. Second, several people contributed their personal annec-data, pointing out that their breastfeeding experience was dramatically different immediately after this surgery. Third, several people pointed out that the evidence in favor of less pain shouldn’t be dismissed. True!

(A bunch of other people wrote in to say that this didn’t work for them, or their professional experience is that it’s pushed on too many women, etc.)

I mention this because, first, this distinction between anterior and posterior seems important. An anterior tongue tie, in which the membrane is attached at the front of the mouth, is both rarer and more restrictive than posterior. At a minimum, if you’re being evaluated for this, it’s worth figuring out what level the tie is at. But, more broadly, it’s clear from the emails I got that for some people this makes a huge difference. The trouble is likely coming when a solution which works for some people in a particular setting becomes a fix-all for any problem with breastfeeding.

Read the post on tongue tie.