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Is your baby ready for a tie release? Here's what you can expect!

Schedule a functional assessment! (1).png

Continue to do any additional therapies such as body work (as scheduled) along with oral exercises and rhythmic movements (4 times per day) before a release appointment. This will help your baby to prepare for their new range of motion following a release.

1. Schedule an appointment with your chosen provider.
Scheduling can be easy and can often be done online or by phone. Once you have scheduled with your provider, let us know, and we will fax over notes from your visit with us. These notes and photos can help the provider gather a larger picture of the current feeding situation for you and your baby.

At your appointment, your provider will evaluate your baby for tethered oral tissues.
A lot of the time, parents anticipate the diagnosis of ties. But what next?

Some providers will release the ties the same day of your evaluation. This can work really well for parents who have had feeding support before the release and whose babies are already practicing for a new range of motion. We will discuss this during your prep appointment.

Other providers may schedule a release at a later date. This can be beneficial for babies who need additional body work, suck training and preparation, or time before a release. This may be the case if you have not yet scheduled your appointment with us.

 

2. Tie release (day of):
Following the release, your baby can breastfeed almost immediately. Some parents do notice a difference in latch from the first nursing session, but many babies do need more time and practice for feeding to improve.

Talk with your provider about pain management for your baby. The first few days following a release, your baby may be sore or uncomfortable. Pain management can be as simple as practicing normal comfort measures such as skin-to-skin, and your provider may also give you age appropriate dosing for over the counter pain meds such as tylenol or ibuprofen or you can use the homeopathic protocol you received at your visit. We also have a full homeopathic protocol for tie release.


Babies are often fussy the evening of release and the first few days. You may also notice that babies will seem to be feeling much more like themselves and then have a day where they are fussy again. This is very common, and we will work with you to understand what your baby is communicating. 
 

3. After release:
Continue to do the aftercare that we showed you during your prep visit. Complete these 6 times per 24 hours. If you feel confused, don't worry. you within 48-72 hours after the release to make sure everything is going well, and we also have same-day telehealth availability if you'd like to check in on the day of your baby's tie release.

4. Evaluate feeding and motion following the release.
Your baby now has the potential to move more freely than ever before, but this can also take extra practice and time to get those movements right for optimal breastfeeding. As an IBCLC, I generally see babies on day 2-3 post release to evaluate feeding and add additional exercises depending upon your baby’s needs and developments. 

5. Hang in there, and know (most of the time), there's not an immediate change following a release. Our average timeline for noticeably and consistently better feedings is about 1-2 weeks after the release. We will let you know exactly how your baby is doing and discuss any improvements or need for improvement at your follow-up visits.

© 2023 East Tennessee Lactation

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