Photo by Janelle Aby, MD. Tongue-tie occurs in approximately 4 – 10% of newborns.

Tongue tie is when the bottom of the tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth, restricting full movement.

The medical name for tongue-tie is ankyloglossia, and the piece of skin joining the tongue to the base of the mouth is called the lingual frenulum.

Tongue tie can sometimes affect a baby’s ability to breastfeed making it hard for them to attach properly to their mother’s breast.

Experts estimate four to 10 per cent of babies could be affected by this condition and it is more common in boys than girls.

How does tongue tie affect a baby’s ability to breastfeed?

A baby needs to latch on to both breast tissue and nipple, to be able to breastfeed successfully. The baby’s tongue also needs to cover the lower gum so his or her mother’s nipple is protected from damage.

Babies with tongue-tie are however not able to open their mouths wide enough to latch on to their mother’s breast properly. Rather, they tend to slide off the breast and clamp on the nipple with their gums.

This can be very painful to the mother and can cause her nipples to become sore.

Most times babies with tongue tie feed poorly and get tired.

This condition is a well-recognised cause of breastfeeding problems and if untreated can cause nipple pain, trauma, ineffective feeding and poor infant weight gain.

What is usually done to stop this problem?

Most mothers give up on breastfeeding because they feel that there is no solution to their problem.

In the western world, however, a minor procedure called a tongue-tie division or frenulotomy is performed in a hospital.

This involves cutting the short, tight piece of skin that connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth.

This relatively simple and painless procedure helps resolve feeding problems straight away.

Before this procedure is recommended however, a doctor or expert in breastfeeding would watch feeding to see if the tongue-tie is causing problems or if the baby is losing weight.

For parents who would like to know more, this website offers information on this condition.