First-time mom has opened up again about the struggles of breastfeeding. Through her Instagram account, the actress-turned-blogger revealed that her baby underwent a frenectomy to correct his lip and tongue tie.
“We consulted a pedia-dentist to see if Pablo has tongue tie as advised by our lactation consultants. This could be one of the reasons why my breasts hurt even with the correct latch. Turned out Pablo has both lip and tongue tie. We decided to go for the frenectomy, a quick surgery to snip the tie (others don’t have it cut and suffer from breastfeeding pains for months),” wrote Paula in her post.
She also explained how tongue/lip ties can lead to speech delay and dental problems. However, Paula clarifies, she has encountered kids with the same condition, who didn’t need to undergo any operative procedures, but having it done is ultimately a choice the parent will make but it’s not the only option.
“Many say it’s best done when they’re newborns since their nerve endings are not yet fully developed so it’s supposedly painless for them (or sore at most and they recover quickly). As for me and Pablo, I can tell he can latch better (except for the day after surgery where he was still getting used to his new tongue) and breastfeeding pain is nothing like the pain I was having before,” explains the new mom.
She continues to share that both she her little one love their “modified side-lying position” which makes feeding easier. “He would literally fall asleep on my breast after feeding, and hug it to make sure I won’t move. If I do, he will know,” shares Paula.
She ends by giving advice to parents considering having a frenectomy done.
“Make sure you get a lactation guru (consultant/masseuse/peer counselor) after to ensure you’re doing the right latches and positions. Otherwise, it’ll continue to hurt,” writes Paula on Instagram. “Nanay Rich and Ms Tin Cervantes attended to us a day after the surgery and they made sure to watch us do all the feeding positions using one bed. So far, I’ve abandoned my nursing area & just nurse in bed!”
A video posted by Paula Peralejo-Fernandez (@mama_the_explorer) on
The breastfeeding mom previously opened up about underestimating breastfeeding before she experienced it for herself.
“Now I understand why some mothers say breastfeeding is harder than birth itself. I mean, sure, my pain was intense during my labor, but being a milk machine to a baby who’s on a feeding frenzy every 2-4 hours isn’t exactly a walk in the park,” she confided to her readers in her most recent blog entry.
“Like many moms before me have said, ‘breastfeeding is not the easiest journey!’. It can hurt (especially when you’re both learning how the proper latch is – sometimes a success, sometimes a struggle!,” lamented the 32-year-old first-time mom. “It can get so frustrating. But when I see this satisfied look after a good feed, all that frustration is gone. I know Pablo had a good feeding (I always wait for him to unlatch instead of timing his feeding for each breast) once I see him smile after he detaches.”
According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association, Tongue-tie “occurs when the thin piece of skin under the baby’s tongue (the lingual frenulum) restricts the movement of the tongue.”
Lip ties often accompany tongue-ties. Feed The Baby LLC shares ways parents can diagnose lip ties. First, lift your baby’s upper lip and note if the frenulum (small fold under the tongue) is tight or if the gums whiten (or blanch). If this happens, your baby may have lip-tie.
Tongue and lip ties can cause nipple pain, low milk supply, and uneven breast milk drainage, and slow weight gain in babies.
But they affect more than breastfeeding, according to Feed The Baby LLC. Tongue and lip ties can impair dental development, chewing, swallowing, digestion, and even breathing.
It can also lead to reflux, which is a painful condition for babies and may require medication.
How can parents tell if their babies have Tongue or Lip Tie?
According to Feed the Baby LLC, symptoms in moms include:
• nipple pain and/or nipple erosion
• nipple looks pinched, creased, bruised, or abraded after feeds
• white stripe at the end of the nipple
• painful breasts or vasospasm
• poor milk supply
• plugged ducts
• mastitis
• recurring thrush
• frustration, disappointment, and discouragement with breastfeeding
• weaning before mom is ready
Symptoms to note in babies are any of the following:
• poor latch and suck
• fussiness and frequent pulling away from the breast
• clicking sound while nursing (which can mean poor suction)
• unusually strong suck due to baby using excess vacuum to remove milk
• ineffective milk transfer
• infrequent swallowing after initial let-down
• spilling milk during feeds
• jaw quivering after or in between feeds
• inadequate weight gain or weight loss
• irritability or colic
• gas and reflux
• gets tired about 1 to 2 minutes into nursing
• sliding off the breast gradually
• chewing or biting on the nipple
• falling asleep at the breast without finishing a full feed
• coughing, choking, gulping, or squeaking when feeding
READ: Paula Peralejo opens up about breastfeeding: ‘It’s not as easy as I thought’
