"Do you work on babies with tongue ties?"

The answer is YES!

More and more families are needing care for pre and post tongue tie release, for babies, as well as older kids and adults.

In my practice, I work on all age groups (admittedly, 18 months-3yrs can be the most challenging, but I am wiling to try!) So it was a natural progression to work with these groups when presented with the needs of pre and post op for TOTs (tethered oral tissue) releases.

When my 2nd child, now 7 years old, was born, he had a classic type I tongue tie, right at the very tip of his tongue, and he had almost no range of motion. I got to learn first hand the importance of TOTs release and the bodywork needed. I continue to learn more and more about this often overlooked, yet VERY important condition.

It's All Connected!

This image illustrates the fascial connection from the tongue to the feet. THIS is why bodywork is so important when it comes to tongue tie repleases - IT'S NOT JUST THE TONGUE that is affected! It's the entire body.

Common Symptoms of TOT in babies:

difficulty latching
painful while nursing for mom/cracked or flattened nipples
milk running out of sides of mouth
disorganized suck-swallow-breath coordination
crying and pulling on and off, but clearly still hungry
falling asleep at breast before eating enough & waking up 30mins later still tired and hungry
hands in fists and elbows tight to body
zig zag toes
tight neck/torticolis
gassy/boated
constipation
poor weight gain/failure to thrive
poorly shaped head/flat spot/cranial bones that override/plagiocephaly
recessed lower jaw
mouth open, tongue down posture
frequently stuffy nose due to high arched hard pallet and narrow nasal passageway
stiff body/does not go into fetal position easily
arms and legs out and up when in tummy time (looks like a skydiver)