A hot topic in breastfeeding circles these days is ankyloglossia, or tongue-tie. This is a condition where the tip of the tongue is tethered to the bottom of the mouth by an unusually short or thick band of tissue on the underside of the tongue. The tongue is visibly tethered.

For mothers, the consequence of tongue-tie can include severe nipple pain during feeding. A newborn may have a poor ability to latch on or feed, resulting in excessive weight loss. A “tied tongue” does mean that a baby will have speech problems in the future.

In my opinion, the diagnosis of tongue-tie is suddenly being made a lot — more often than it is actually a problem. Please talk to us before you are referred by a lactation specialist to an oral surgeon for a procedure on your baby’s tongue.

Your pediatricians at Eugene Pediatrics are here to help you every step of the way. We are trained to recognize which babies are tongue-tied. We can tell you the babies whose tongues we can repair, and the few who need a specialist.