My poor little five month old grandson, Phynn, is, as I write, up in
London having a little operation.
Over the months, Phynn has had a problem with feeding. Consequently he
hasn't put on as much weight as other babies his age. Not that he looks
undernourished, and he's doing all the things he should be.
Being petit, with his huge inquisitive eyes and his half
I-don't-know-whether-to-smile-at-you-or-not grin, he's like a mischievous
pixie, especially when he has on his green pixie hat and red booties that curl
up at the ends (so cute!). But his mummy, Kat, who's persevered with breast
feeding, felt there was something not quite right. Mummy instinct. She
suspected he had a tongue-tie, a real and troublesome problem, not just a
euphemism for being too shy to speak. The NHS site describes it as 'a tight
piece of skin connecting the underside of the tongue and the floor of (the
baby's) mouth.'
Kat mentioned it several times to various health professionals, who
seemed to have little knowledge of it, or just dismissed her worries.
Finally, a paediatrician took her suggestion seriously and did a little
investigation - not easy when all a baby
that age wants to do is suck everything that goes into his mouth! Sure enough,
Phynn had a little tongue-tie, the least serious of the three types.
Kat and I wondered how many mothers have given up breast feeding through
a perceived failure, when maybe their babies simply couldn't suck properly due
to this easily remedied problem.
Just recently, with diet changes (meat and an increase in dairy), more
rest for Kat (usually a whirling dervish), and feeding Phynn expressed milk on
a little wooden spoon, he has started to put more weight on. Hopefully his
little 'snip' (no anaesthetic involved, just a brief 'ouch!') will make feeding
a little easier for him.
PS Just had a phone call from Peter. It's all done and Phynn is quite content,
so no big trauma, thank goodness.
