This might feel hard (and that’s okay!)
You and your baby can do hard things. This page is here to support your journey.
I want in on the 2024 Tongue Tie Parent Support Project
More and more I see that parents and babies aren’t being taught pre and post after care to help their babies MOVE their tongues, lips and cheeks in effective ways. The tongue release is just a PORTION of the “fix” for tongue tied babies…the exercises afterwards (not just stretching) is vital.
Angela Das is working on a project in 2024 to film supportive exercises for parents to refer back to when they’re helping their baby heal and recover from a tongue tie.
Models’ parents will sign a release of content stating they understand that the video and photographs taken of their child during this project will be used by Angela Das of Motherhood Untamed Lactation & Education for educational purposes including but not limited to: social media channels, professional courses for lactation and adjacent fields, and parent-focused educational products.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?? 👇
What I wish everyone knew.
Three things are key with tongue and lip tie releases:
Making sure you keep a strong milk supply - if it was lower before the release, focusing on increasing your supply and if it was solid prior to the release, focus on keeping it strong!
Keep stretching as fun/playful as possible - AND keep stretching effective. Stretching the wounds is key to giving baby the flexibility of their lips and tongue, which is the whole point.
Follow up support is vital; the release gives your baby the ability to MOVE, but it doesn’t teach them HOW to do it - working closely with me post release I will coach you on how to help train your baby’s new oral function to work for them!
Make it fun, but effective.
Stretching should not be torture for you or your baby - yes, they do not like you being in their mouth, but it is fast and IMPORTANT.
Tips:
Exam gloves make your fingers glide
Breathe and come to the exercises with a calm heart - you can do this, and regulating your anxiety helps your baby be calm too!
If you are not seeing a diamond, but a triangle, you are not getting a full stretch
Did it reattach?
It’s common for parents to be concerned about this and part of why GOOD stretching is important. If you are worried about whether your stretching is sufficient, look for these things:
Are you seeing a diamond shape under the tongue with each stretch?
Are you getting full mobility of the lip - up to the nose with your lip stretch?
If the answer is no, and your baby is less than a week from release — watch the video to the left for an example of how to get the deeper stretch to ensure full mobility.