 I once had a life-size, cardboard cut-out of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. I was 18, in college, and I spent every night at 11pm watching reruns of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (or "TNG," as we Trekkies call it) at someone's house -- it capped off every day. For reals, I wish I had a picture of me with my paper Picard -- Flat Stanley's got nothing on Jean-Luc. When I first started with TNG, I was immediately pulled in by Wesley Crusher. Wil Wheaton had been a favorite of mine since the summer I watched "Stand by Me," 500 times between 7th and 8th grades. So imagine my surprise and sorrow, in the 13th episode of the first season, Datalore, when Captain Picard yelled, "Shut up, Wesley!" to my favorite teen in space. In this scene, it can be heard uttered by three different people, including his mom, Dr. Beverly Crusher: I love to make memes -- they are a fun way of offering a small spark which might ignite one's full curiosity.
For this meme, I extrapolated what I knew of Wesley and what people think of him -- both on and off the screen (the characters and the fans). Although brilliant, he didn't always escape the naivety of childhood -- hence his smiling face and eagerness to believe the professional who states, under no circumstances, can a tongue tie affect breastfeeding. Of course the insinuation here is, the professional hasn't been trained to properly assess, is likely choosing one or two pet methods of "examining" a tongue tie (one being simply looking at it, the other perhaps seeing it extend over the gum line), to decide -- despite the mother's and baby's issues -- it isn't the tongue's fault. If you are told your baby has a tie but it isn't causing your feeding issues, you may want to seek out a professional who knows proper assessment and evaluation requires more than just taking a peek into the baby's mouth. The best list I can suggest is held within the files of Tongue Tie Babies Support Group on Facebook. These are often called preferred providers, but that term is inaccurate; these are professionals who have received enormous amounts of positive feedback from families. TTBSG goes on to research these providers in-depth before choosing whom to add to the master list. This doesn't mean there aren't other capable providers out there -- in fact, if you know of someone who is not on the list, contact an admin to let them know. And if you still don't see someone near you (and by near, let me share we traveled 4 hours away to see a listed provider, and I am counting that as "near"), be sure to see if there is a local state/region tongue tie group for your area. With the addition of these smaller, more specific groups, families have more precise information to share, and often they know of providers who haven't gone through the review process to be added to the TTBSG file. There are often suggestions for IBCLCs, body workers, and other professionals who can help you with the assortment of problems that surround tongue tie. UPDATE 12-30-15: TTBSG will no longer be maintaining and updating this list of providers. Instead, ATTE will be responsible for keeping lists of local providers in the State/Region groups. I am so grateful in my area we have an incredible dentist in Bakersfield who treats tongue and lip ties -- thus eliminating the lengthy travel some families have to make (she wasn't offering this service back when we had our baby treated). Dr. Dana Yeoman has studied under two excellent doctors experienced in tongue tie issues and utilizes that knowledge to help families in the Central Valley. The addition of the face-smacking captains is just a bonus.
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 Did you know upper-lip ties are frequently present when there is a tongue tie? And either or both may make breastfeeding difficult? If you suspect a tongue-tie, flip the lip! The presence of a thick labial frenulum could indicate the need to check under the tongue.
-For real-life help, contact an IBCLC in your area who has experience with lip and tongue restrictions, for a thorough history and assessment. -Want virtual support and help? Visit Tongue Tie Babies Support Group. -To see how upper lip ties look, check out Dr. Kotlow's handy chart (scroll to page 22). -Don't miss Dr. Ghaheri's excellent article explaining how upper lip ties can affect breastfeeding.  Much appreciation to Dra. Kelly Marques Oliveira, IBCLC, for translating this into Portuguese.
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Stacie Bingham, LCCE, CD(DONA), CBS(LER)Calm, comfortable Lamaze education & experienced support for pregnancy, birth, & breastfeeding serving Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, Porterville, Tehachapi, Tulare, Visalia + the World
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