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Expert Q&A

	By Ann Calandro BSN, RNC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant

Can a tongue-tied baby still breastfeed?

In some cases, it does seem that breastfeeding can be successful even if the baby has a tongue-tie. In other cases, the tongue-tie may cause breastfeeding problems. In an attempt to draw the breast into the mouth and "milk" the breast with the tongue, the baby becomes frustrated and may "bite" at the breast or may not be able to fully compress the milk sinuses to remove milk. Baby's tongue normally cushions the breast from the bony lower jaw while breastfeeding, and when it cannot, breastfeeding is painful.

It is important to consider the role of the tongue in breastfeeding. When a baby attaches to the breast, his tongue extends and grooves to cup the breast, removing milk with a rolling motion while lifting up to compress the breast.

A tongue-tied baby may have difficulty extending his tongue over the lower gum line. When Baby's tongue is too tightly bound to the bottom of his mouth, forming a seal and creating a positive pressure can be a difficult maneuver. Mothers may find that their babies do not remove milk well enough to gain weight normally. They may find that the tongue action of the baby causes extremely sore nipples, because the baby cannot correctly attach to the breast.

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