Milk supply after tongue/ lip tie cut?

[jconney80]

My friend has been nursing her 4 month old. She was having problems with gaining weight and being fussy. I had her go in to get her lip tie and tongue looked at. Sure enough she had a severe tongue tie and also a lip tie. Two days ago she had them both cut.

She's almost exactly 4 months old (I know this is a big time growth spurt time). She's only gained 6 oz in the last 2 months. She messaged me saying she doesn't know what to do but now that her daughter can nurse properly and her stomach has stretched she thinks she isn't keeping up with her appetite because her milk supply was affected by the ties. She said she can hear her stomach growling.

This friend is dedicated to nursing so she's not just looking for an excuse to give formula or a bottle. She said if she has to supplement with her she will but I see it not really helping the situation. I've told her about fenugreek, Mother's Milk tea, lots of water, real oatmeal, brewers yeast, etc.

I don't really have any experience with after lip/ tongue tie cut milk supply issues so I want to give good advice. Especially since she hears her belly growing and its upsetting her. Obviously nursing on demand is the best.

Or is this a coincidence and it's a growth spurt?

What I want to tell her is..... No supplementing but instead nursing around the clock and lots of skin to skin. Also lots of water, fenugreek, Mothers Milk tea, and whatever else she wants to add to it like oatmeal etc. Is this correct though? I don't want to tell her the wrong thing and her baby is actually hungry lol. I wish I could tag people on here! Lol

[gdiamante]

You're telling her all the right stuff. And four months is just the latest in a progression of bad ages. (No, there are no good ages in year one, just varying degrees of irritation! **wink**)

There's a supply regulation AND a growth spurt. Tell her to get in bed today do NOTHING but nurse. EVERYTHING else can wait; exceptions granted for toileting and heart attacks.

[MommyO2-6631]

What gdiamante said. A nursing vacation!! And a great time to catch up on sleep :)

[jconney80]

Awesome thank you! I was looking for your response =)

Quoting gdiamante:

You're telling her all the right stuff. And four months is just the latest in a progression of bad ages. (No, there are no good ages in year one, just varying degrees of irritation! **wink**)

There's a supply regulation AND a growth spurt. Tell her to get in bed today do NOTHING but nurse. EVERYTHING else can wait; exceptions granted for toileting and heart attacks.

[LucyHourglass]

she should try go-lacta... also, my son got his ties revised a month ago, and hes still kinda making up for it. he just now started to really gain. is she taking him to get cranial sacral therapy? is she doing the stretch excersizes? because that is really important

[Eliots_momma]

My little guy had tie. I had it fixed about a month ago and now he is nursing really well. It took my supply about a week to catch up to his appetite but eventually it did. I drank mother's milk tea and ate oatmeal but I'm not sure it did any good.

[maggiemom2000]

It has only been 2 days, he is trying to increase her supply. I would suggest everything you did (basically a nursing vacation) but skip the fenugreek and tea. I don't think she needs it. That is for when increased nursing does not work. Info for her:

Before working to increase milk supply, make sure there is a true supply issue first! Take a look at these articles to first see if you have low milk production:

• Help, my milk supply is low! Or is it?
• I’m Worried My Milk Supply is Drying Up, What Can I do!?

The golden rule of milk production: The more frequently and completely the breasts are drained, the more milk will be produced: How Mother’s Milk  is Made

Increasing milk production:

• offer both breasts two times at every feeding
• use breast compressions
• nurse frequently (at least 12-14 times in 24 hours)
• increase skin to skin contact
• rest, and stay hydrated

What this looks like:

Offer baby the first breast and allow him to nurse as long as he likes. When he starts to slow down on his sucking/swallowing start doing some breast compressions. When you squeeze your breast you should see baby respond with an increased sucking/swallowing. When baby is finished with the first breast (breast compressions no longer get baby nursing more, baby falls asleep or lets go of the breast) offer the second breast. Repeat the above steps with breast two, then repeat again with both breasts. If baby is still hungry after taking both breasts two times, then you can continue the process until he is full and/or falls asleep.

Mom resting with baby after nursing with a starter SNS

Spending lots of time with baby skin to skin can boost your milk production and encourage baby to nurse more frequently. This also is a great time for mom to rest, with baby napping on her bare chest. When working to increase milk production, increase milk intake, or work to eliminate supplements, spending as much time as possible resting with baby skin to skin on your bare chest, encouraging frequent nursing, can make a big difference in a short amount of time. It can be a great time to have a movie marathon. If you have older children they can be movies to entertain them while you and baby rest and nurse.

[Gruntlings]

It can take a few weeks for your supply to rebound after the baby learns how to latch again after a tie clipping.

Is baby making enough wet diapers per 24 hours? Wait it out.

Is baby not making enough wet diapers per 24 hours? She might need to consider supplementing while she works with an IBCLC to get her supply up to where it needs to be.

You don't need to supplement a growly tummy. You only need to supplement too-few-wet-diapers. Diaper count okay? Nursing vacation. Diaper count slightly down? Try a nursing vacation first.