Tongue Tied

About 4 or 5 weeks ago I noticed that Colin could not stick out his tongue or move it very well.  Chris and I talked about it and decided that I should mention it to the doctor at his 4 month check up.  Well, I couldn't wait that long.  It was driving me crazy!  I felt frustrated for the poor kid.  He was tongue tied!  All sorts of thoughts went through my head about him not learning to talk and speak correctly, lick an ice cream cone, etc.  Was this the reason that he wouldn't suck a binki well or sleep through the night???  I started researching on the internet and found this definition and picture.  "The medical term for the condition known as tongue-tie is "ankyloglossia". It results when the frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short and tight, causing the movement of the tongue to be restricted."

"To tell if your baby is tongue-tied, look at him and stick out your tongue. Even tiny babies will imitate you. If he is unable to extend his tongue fully, or if it has a heart shaped appearance on the tip, then you should have him evaluated by his doctor."
This totally described Colin's tongue!!  I called his pediatrician the next day and they referred me to an ENT. 
At the appointment (Oct 14th) the doctor began the visit by explaining the condition to me and telling me that most of the time nothing needs to be done.  He said he usually gives parents the option to clip the frenulum or to leave it and see if it will correct itself over time.  After taking a look at Colin's tongue, he said it was attached at the very end of his tongue and that the frenulum was quite thick.  No choice necessary...it needed to be clipped!!  The doctor made the comment that he had not seen a tongue this attached in a long time and that he was surprised he was latching on to nurse as well as he had been.  I was surprised as well, especially with all that I had read online about tongue tied babies and all their troubles with nursing. 

So, after a quick clip with the scissors (and lots of bleeding and crying) Colin's tongue was free.  The doctor had me apply some pressure for a few minutes and then left the room so that I could nurse him to clot the bleeding and calm him down.  The doctor checked it again one last time before we left to make sure it looked good and gave me instructions on what to watch for during the healing process. 

Wow! Mouth sores heal fast! It looked like this for 2-3 days and then totally normal. 

His tongue is free!!  But, it will take him some time to learn how to use it and stick it out. :) 

It's now a little more than a week later...he is sucking his binki MUCH better (we don't have to hold it in anymore), he is moving his tongue around and smiling like crazy, and I can definately tell a difference in his latching on and nursing abilities.  Wish we would have discovered it earlier, but still...Life is good!! :)

Colin with his "My Mom ROCKS" binki