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Tongue tie release (otherwise known as a frenectomy.)

A congenital issue that limits the mobility of the tongue. If the frenum is too short, attached in the wrong place, or too thick it can cause restriction to the range of motion of the tongue. It has been researched that amongst other things tongue tie can negatively impact breastfeeding.

Twenty years ago my son was diagnosed with a pronounced tongue tie. Breastfeeding was a huge challenge, for both of us. Clumsy ni**le guards, various lactation techniques/advice, and then finally at the eleven week mark the devastating resignation that the only way my beautiful boy was going to thrive and enjoy the feeding experience was for me to stop breast feeding and transition to expressing and supplementing with formula. For us the whole breast feeding experience was nothing short of dreadful.

We didn’t know anyone who had experienced what we were going through. Living remotely at the time, we were advised by our wonderful country GP that taking invasive action (lasering the tie whilst under general anaesthetic) before our son was twelve months old was not recommended. True now as it was then, lasering a frenum is a great alternative to the two other options, scissors or scalpel. Light energy is used when lasering, removing the soft tissue rather than cutting it. In our case and based on the advice to wait until our son was over a year old, and with the feeding complications dealt with we decided to persevere with the tongue tie. Fast forward several months with a growing concern regarding future speech development, we committed to the frenectomy two weeks after our son’s first birthday. Our experience, like many, of having a child have a frenectomy was straightforward. Still nothing had up to that point of being this gorgeous boy’s mum tugged on my heart strings more than when I carried him into the operating theatre for his anaesthetic to be administered, and having to then leave him there unconscious, limp and being prepped ready for this procedure. These days laser surgery is a relatively straightforward procedure, not requiring general anaesthetic, thank goodness.

When your baby is diagnosed with tongue tie, research your options, educate yourself, seek out viable solutions that match your baby's unique situation, and get multiple professional opinions before making any decisions regarding medical intervention.

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Safety and Awareness -
Because every household and its members have their own particular standards and style of living, sometimes customs, general knowledge, lack of experience, common sense and family input can influence the type of information a first-time mum is exposed to.
This is why one of the many topics a new mum can select when she's contemplating what to include in her custom-made Mothering Heights Bundle is Safety and Awareness. Current and fact-based knowledge will build parental confidence and give peace of mind that enlightened, and safe decisions are being made.
As the primary caregiver and protector of your precious newborn, you are responsible for what's safe and age-appropriate for them to be around. Every devoted new mum anticipates that she will have suitable knowledge on what it is she needs to know regarding keeping her newborn safe. But what if she doesn't know what she doesn't know? The onus is still squarely on her to stay current with the ever-changing and improving information that spews forth from product advisors and suppliers.
For those mums whose knowledge doesn't simply avail them through osmosis, one of the most beneficial resources they can tap into is Kidsafe WA.

Kidsafe WA Kidsafe WA is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting safety and preventing childhood in