Tongue-Tie Signs to Look For

When a baby has tongue-tie, a limited range of motion could make it more difficult to feed, particularly right after birth. If left untreated, tongue-tie can affect eating and speech. 

At Abdow Friendship Pediatrics in Rockville, Maryland, our pediatricians check for tongue-tie as part of our care for your newborn. If there’s a problem, we can correct the issue with a simple procedure. 

Tongue-tie may not always be immediately obvious, so it’s good to know the signs in case symptoms emerge later. 

What is tongue-tie?

The lingual frenulum is a band of tissue that attaches the bottom of your tongue to the floor of your mouth. For some children, this band can be short or thick, interfering with the normal movement of their tongue. 

In newborns, restricted tongue movement can make latching on to their mother's breast difficult. While bottle feeding is usually easier, the condition can still reduce feeding efficiency. 

We can help with lactation consultations that may make feeding easier. In more severe cases, we can perform a frenotomy in our office to remove the restrictions on tongue movement caused by a thick frenulum. 

Many babies with tongue-tie adapt to the condition without surgery, and if surgery is necessary, there’s little risk involved with this minor procedure. 

Tongue-tie signs to watch for

The frenulum can cause problems toward the front of the tongue, called anterior tongue-tie, or toward the back of the tongue, called posterior tongue-tie. Sometimes, posterior tongue-tie is harder to recognize, so we look for symptoms to help with the diagnosis. 

Signs that your baby is suffering from tongue-tie include: 

Poor weight gain

This is a common concern for parents that’s generally a non-issue, but tongue-tie can interfere with consistent feeding and slow weight gain may be a sign.

Colic and digestive problems

When your baby can’t latch on to your breast, they may swallow excess air, leading to gas pain, a common cause of colic and irritability.

Clicking sounds during nursing

These clicks come from suction breaks caused by poor latching.

Pain during breastfeeding

If you’re suffering pain, something is wrong, as breastfeeding isn’t meant to hurt, and tongue-tie may be contributing.

Bleeding, cracked nipples

Poor feeding causes friction with your baby’s hard palate, rather than their soft palate, creating nipple problems.

Frustration during feeding

Your baby could be fussy with the feeding process when tongue-tie causes problems.

Heavy suction

Normal feeding creates a wave-like sensation, while tongue-tie leads to suction that’s uncomfortable for the mother and frustrating for the baby.

Clogged ducts or mastitis

If you suffer from frequent clogged ducts, which can cause a painful infection called mastitis, it may be due to poor milk transfer because of tongue-tie.

If you suspect tongue-tie or other feeding problems, call or click today to book your appointment with our team at Abdow Friendship Pediatrics.