Posterior tongue tie support, symptoms: Don't give up!

This post is also from our posterior tongue tie mom Erin. She recently gave us her breastfeeding and donor story. See that post here.

Gryphon suffered from a tight posterior tongue tie in which many medical professionals have a hard time diagnosing or even refuse to acknowledge exists. It is a very real issue and can definitely impact the health and well being of a mother and baby. Here is some more information on a posterior tongue tie, some signs and symptoms and links to reputable sources about PTT. All of this is complied by another local mother who also has a PTTed baby.

Posterior/submucosal tongue tie is not as easy to diagnose as a classic tongue tie. It appears there is sufficient lingual tissue. Most doctors glance at the frenulum, see that it looks "normal" and say there is nothing wrong. That is not always true. Sometimes there is still an excess of tissue, making it difficult for the tongue to operate properly.

What are the symptoms of posterior tongue tie?

• Inability to achieve latch to bare breast
• Clicking noises while sucking, more notable during bottlefeeding
• Loss of latch on breast or bottle nipple
• Loud gulping noises
• Choking on milk or gasping for air mid-feed
• Short and frequent feedings (grazing/snacking)
• Noticeably strong suck
• Decreased saliva production
• Inability to effectively remove milk
• Milk dribbling out of the mouth during feeds
• Low milk supply in mother
• Nipple pain, sometimes with blistering from friction
• The baby's tongue may feel like sandpaper and/or feel as though it is "humping" the nipple
• Flattened/misshapen nipples following feeds
• Excessive fussiness
• Reflux, especially reflux that gets worse with medication
• Anxiety at the breast
• Weight loss/few dirty diapers
• Strong preference for bottles
• Chiropractic adjustments and other muscular therapies may not "hold"
• Sounds like classic tongue tie, doesn't it? Well, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck....

Posterior tongue ties often accompany a maxillary lip tie. If your baby is having difficulty breastfeeding (or bottlefeeding) and you suspect this problem, please have him/her evaluated. It may be HARD to find a practitioner who is familiar with posterior tongue tie. DO NOT GIVE UP.

My list of complete symptoms came from here

Here is a list of well known doctors who deal with ptt:

Here are two medically reputable sources that talk about ptt:
Congenital Tongue Tie & Its Affect on Breastfeeding - American Academy of Pediatrics

Neonatal tongue-tie: myths and science - National Center for Biotechnology Information