Our tongue tie experience

When Lottie was about 10 days old and I remember clear as day we were driving to my parents house and I turned to Todd and said how thankful I was and how blessed I felt about our little girl. God had blessed us with the natural birth we prayed for, I was recovering well and feeling great and she was nursing well and gaining weight. My exact words were "I'm so blessed and thankful she is nursing well and doing so great. So many women have troubles with breast feeding and I feel so lucky that this isn't painful and she is doing so well."

Well...that week things dramatically changed. I started noticing that she was fussier than normal, especially in the evenings. She would latch on and immediately let go and would get so worked up. In the evenings she would want to constantly nurse but never acted full or satisfied. Being a new momma, I thought this was normal, that babies just took awhile to eat and that 45 minute to 1 hour feeding sessions were normal. Then the pain came. It felt like she was chewing on me and I would cry when I nursed her. I knew this was not normal and I needed to see someone and quick. I made an appointment with a local lactation consultant to see if she could help us adjust her latch or make some suggestions to reduce my pain.

We met with Ashley on Saturday January 10th. She said that her latch looked okay, but made some recommendations to improve. She also immediately noticed that she had what is called a tongue tie and upper lip tie. I had heard these terms before but didn't know what it was. Basically a tongue tie is the vertical piece (frenulum) that attaches the bottom of your tongue to the bottom of your mouth and it can reduce tongue mobility. The lip tie is a frenulum between your lip and gum. The lactation consultant said these are pretty common and that Charlotte's wasn't the worst she has seen but it was definitely affecting her ability to nurse and she was compensating by using her jaw more. That explained why I felt like I was being chewed on! She also pointed out to us that Lottie's tongue couldn't make its way forward to meet her lips and that all the white stuff on the top of her tongue was dried milk because she couldn't get her tongue to the roof of her mouth to clean it off. She said we had a couple options, we could probably see improvements by adjusting her latch and doing what she calls "suck training". Which is basically using a small tube attached to your finger that milk can flow through and teaching the baby how to suck properly by maneuvering your finger. Our other option was to contact a dentist to see about having the ties revised via laser frenectomy. We decided to try the things she suggested over the weekend and call the dentist on Monday when they opened to at least check availability since it could sometimes take weeks to get an appointment.

As the weekend went on, I was in even more pain and wasn't seeing much improvement yet from the changes Ashley suggested. By the time Monday the 12th rolled around I couldn't wait to get a hold of the dentist. I called right when they opened and thanks to a snowstorm and terrible weather, there was a cancellation that afternoon! I called Todd at work right away and asked if we could make the trip to Dayton that afternoon to meet with the dentist to discuss the revision. Neither of us were thrilled about making the 45 minute drive to Dayton, especially in inclement weather and since we didn't know how Lottie would handle the car ride, but I was desperate for relief.

When we met with Dr. Notestine and he explained the procedure and after care and shared success stories, we decided to go ahead with the procedure. The advantage of a laser frenectomy over using a scalpel or scissors is that it is cauterized right away so there is no bleeding and the wound will heal faster. It was an instant procedure. It only took a minute and afterwards Charlotte nursed right away. I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made already. I wanted to cry I was so happy my baby was able to eat better. The next few days she was a little more sensitive than normal, but we had lots of skin to skin and snuggles to soothe her.

We made a follow up appointment with Ashley that week. She helped us with the after care exercises and gave us pointers that would help Charlotte learn to use her new tongue and increase mobility while also improving her ability to nurse.

It has now been almost 3 weeks since her revision. The exercises are hard for us to do, but they are important so that the frenulum doesn't regrow. She is nursing so much better than before and is gaining weight. She is now able to stick her tongue out beyond her lips and all the dried milk on top is long gone. Her overall temperament has changed too. She is more relaxed in the evenings since she is able to eat more effectively and fill her belly easier. She is calmer and easier to soothe and is in an overall great mood most of the time. We have one more week of exercises to do with her, but her tongue and lip have healed great. We had another follow up with Ashley and she said she looks great and she is so pleased with how quickly Charlotte has learned to use her new tongue. We haven't introduced her to a bottle yet as we didn't want to confuse her. Now that she is nursing so much better, we plan to have Todd give her a bottle soon as I will be going back to work in a couple weeks and she'll need to learn to take a bottle as well.

I was hesitant to share this part of our story because it is personal and was a difficult time for me to go through, watching my baby struggle to eat and be in pain during the recovery period. I decided to share because there isn't a ton of information out there about infant tongue/lip ties unless you know what to look for. One of the most important things they stressed to us in our prenatal classes was that if you intend to breast feed, you need all the support you can get. If I didn't have Todd's support or know of a local lactation consultant I don't know that we would still be breastfeeding, I may have given up already. It was a difficult decision to have her revised, but I'm so thankful we did. This may not be right for every family or every baby with a tongue/lip tie. It is a highly personal decision and isn't right for everyone. Having her revised was the right fit for our family and has greatly improved our breastfeeding relationship. We are so thankful at how much better she is doing and how she is growing now that she is able to eat easier.

1 Month

My sweet girl,
You are a month old this week. We had your one month check up with the pediatrician and you've grown an inch and a half in length and almost 2 pounds since your birthday. You now weight 8lbs 14ozs and are 21.5" long. I can't believe how quickly you are growing!

I love spending my days with you. I think the dogs love having us both home all the time too. Niah is enamored by you, anytime you cry she wants to check on you and she loves trying to give you kisses. We are always right there with you if her kisses get to be too much for you, but you aren't even phased by it. Your dad is so excited to see you every day when he gets home from work, he wants to soak up as much time with you as he can. I can't believe how quickly time is going and that my maternity leave will be over in just a couple short weeks. I know returning to work will be difficult for me, but I take comfort knowing you will be in great hands with your grandmas taking turns watching you. So for now, I'm savoring every moment with you and loving that I have the opportunity to spend all day with you now.

We are starting to develop a routine for our days, but haven't quite settled into anything yet. You still wake several times a night to nurse or for a clean diaper. I don't mind waking up so many times though. I really enjoy our time together in the middle of the night. The house is quiet and the lights are soft and you and I get to bond. I love how you look up at me with a sweet tenderness in your eyes. You don't cry much in the night and usually go right back to sleep easily after being changed and fed.

When you were 2 and a half weeks old you started having trouble nursing and we discovered you had a tongue and upper lip tie. We were blessed and able to get into a dentist right away and he was able to release them. It was so difficult watching you uncomfortable during the procedure, but luckily it only took less than 2 minutes. We've had to do exercises where we stretch your tongue and lip to help you gain tongue mobility to help you nurse better. Its so hard for me as your momma to hear the frustration in your cries while we do them. Already, you are nursing much better and you are gaining weight which is wonderful. It is so cute to watch you discover how to move your tongue and stick it out. You learned to click it by smacking the roof of your mouth this week, it was so cute watching you discover this new trick.

You are becoming much more alert and aware of the world around you, but you still sleep most of the time. You love riding in the car and it soothes you right to sleep. You love to be held while you sleep and don't like to be set down in your bed. Sometimes the only way I can accomplish things at home is if I put you in the moby wrap. You love being wrapped up close to me and you always fall right to sleep.

You love being held while your daddy sings to you. Your favorite songs are "Away in a Manger" and some lullabies your daddy made up. For the first two weeks the only song that would calm you when you were crying was "Away in a Manger". I hope you always love music and that this sweet bond with your dad continues to grow.

I'm so excited to see you grow and continue discovering new things every day.

Love,
Mommy


Stats:

length 21.5 - 62%

weight 8lbs 14oz - 33%

head 14.75” - 74%
wearing newborn size

A few photos of you at 1 month old. In a few of these you aren't quite a month old, but they are too cute we had to include them. :) 

Newborn Photos

This week Todd's sister came over to take some newborn photos of our sweet baby girl. I wanted to get a few of her in front of our Christmas tree since she was born on Christmas Eve. I'm so thrilled with these photos. We were hoping for a good family photos of all of us, including the dogs, but they were way too excited that someone was over to pose for photos.

 We are just so in love with our little girl and so thankful for these images that perfectly capture her and all her newborn goodness.

It's a Girl!

7lbs 1oz     20" long

time: 11:48am

We received the best Christmas present ever this year! Our sweet baby made her entrance into this world 6 days early on Christmas Eve. We didn't find out the baby's sex while I was pregnant. Everyone (myself included) thought for sure the baby would be a boy based on all the wives tales and how I was carrying, so I am still in shock and total surprise that we have a daughter, but we couldn't be happier.
She is absolutely perfect and we are so in love with her. I've never felt so blessed. We are all adjusting to life as a family of 3 now, well 5 if you count the pups. :) She is doing great, nursing like a champ and sleeping well. I'm doing well, of course exhausted after not sleeping for a few days, and I'm sure there is more of that to come, but overall I feel great. Todd is an amazing father already, he is such a natural and is so great with her. I can't wait to see their relationship grow and develop.
I'm so thankful that the Lord blessed us with the natural birth we prayed for and that everything went well. I'll share her birth story as soon as I can get it all written out. For now, I'm going to soak up these precious moments with our sweet baby girl.

Home Tour: Nursery

The baby's nursery is finally completed. Our little one is due in just 2 weeks. Part of what has taken so long to finish the room is that the crib has been on back order. It finally arrived this week. Once Todd finished putting it together, I was able to put the finishing touches on the room. I would say I helped assemble it, but really, in my 9th month of pregnancy I mostly sat in the rocker reading directions aloud and keeping him company.

Since we want to be surprised and haven't found out the baby's gender, we went with a pretty neutral color scheme. I'm not big into themed nurseries but I couldn't resist giving this sweet babe's room a coastal feel.

The room was already this color when it was my sewing room. We love the color and its calm vibes so we kept it. Todd painted the ceiling since it had several scuffs and we wanted to go with a more durable paint so that we could wipe any marks off the ceiling easily. Todd also spent many hours sanding and refinishing the dresser, which we set up as the changing table. He also replaced the hardware.

My DIY contribution to the room is the baby's quilt. I went with a disappearing nine patch pattern in slate blues, grays, white and mustardy yellow. I love quilting and hadn't made one in awhile. It was so fun to make something for our sweet little one knowing he or she will use it as a playmat on the floor while little and as a blankie on their bed or for family movies on the couch as they get older.

I am so pleased with how the nursery turned out. The colors are so relaxing to me and I can't wait to sit and rock our sweet babe in there. I think if we have a boy I'll add in more touches of navy or mustardy yellow and if its a girl I'll throw in some touches of coral.

Source List: 
Paint - Sherwin Williams Halcyon Green
Crib - Buy Buy Baby
Dresser / Changing table - Craigslist
Dresser handles - Hobby Lobby
Rocker - Pottery Barn Outlet. It is the Comfort Swivel Rocker.
Rocker Slipcover - Pottery Barn Kids
Ottoman - Restoration Hardware Baby and Child
Drapery - HomeGoods
Drapery Rods - old from Bed Bath and Beyond
Hamper - West Elm
Starfish Pillow - Pottery Barn Outlet
Gray Crib Sheets - Buy Buy Baby
Sailboat mobile and mobile arm - baby shower gift, Pottery Barn Kids
Sailboat Nightlight - Pottery Barn Kids
Baby Quilt - made by me
Bookshelf - Old, this was in my room as a kid
Whale - The Summery Umbrella on Etsy
Lamp - Target
Clock - Ikea
Crab Artwork - Boutique shop in Baltimore, I can't recall the name.
Beach painting - purchased on our babymoon at an art show in Hawaii
Pier photograph - Taken by us on vacation in Michigan
Artwork Frames - Michael's and Pottery Barn Outlet
Lantern and Sand Art Print- My parents picked this up for us on a vacation in Maine a few years back

If I missed anything and you want to know where it is from, please comment below.

Maternity Photos

When I was 32 weeks pregnant with little one we decided to document my pregnancy and have some maternity photos taken. I am so thankful that we did because I just love these photographs and that our photographer was able to capture such a special moment in time. This unique time when our family is still just the two of us and the anticipation of our little one joining our family so soon brought so much excitement and joy to us. We had our photos taken in mid-November, my belly was nice and round but I wasn't huge to the point where I was so uncomfortable and feeling terrible. We definitely lucked out with the weather, it wasn't too cold and there was still plenty of Autumn leaves on the trees.

Monica with Monica Marie Photography took our photos and she did an amazing job. If you are in the Cincinnati area, definitely look her up. She does a great job at capturing the moment and making you feel totally comfortable having your photo taken. Todd hates having his picture taken and he felt very comfortable and said how much he loves these photos. Plus any photographer that can capture a photo of BOTH of our hyper active dogs looking at the camera at the same time gets an A+ in my book. :)

Sweet little baby,
We can't wait to meet you. We are so thankful for these photos to capture this special moment with you still growing in my belly. It is hard to believe in just a few short weeks we will be holding you in our arms.

Love,
Mom