Breastfeeding

The football/rugby ball hold can be good for tongue tie babies. It feels weird at first, but once you get the hang of it the angle can help them get a bigger mouthful.

Babies don't open the lower jaw downwards like we do, they tend to keep their lower jaw in place and tip the whole head back (think of it like Kermit laughing 😂), so aiming the nipple higher up means they'll open their mouth wider to reach it, and that can create a better latch with more of the boob.

Have a look at the flipple technique as well, rubbing the nip over his lips to trigger his reflexes should help him get that nice wide mouth before you latch him on.

I know it's frustrating, but if he doesn't latch well, keep breaking the seal with your pinky & taking him off the boob fully, then starting again.

My baby had his tie cut at 6 wks, and the pain with feeding was intense. I don't know what I would have done if it went up to 2 ms or more - you're a superhero! I'm still bf at 14mos. Keep going, keep trying. You've got this. ❤️

Adding on, because my essay exceeded the character limit 🤦: I also had some amazing support from a local infant feeding support group which got me through it, & I still volunteer there now. If you have any La Leche League or independent feeding support groups near you, it might be worth popping along.

My baby had so the tie and just had it cut at 5 weeks. Only way I could get him to breast feed was the rugby hold - so I could basically plop my boob in his mouth!! Now he’s so much better so highly recommend getting his tongue tie fixed ❤️