Feeding

• Feeding (breast and bottle) is great therapy and should resume as normal

• Baby’s feeding should be at least as good as it was before the procedure if not immediately better in some ways

• IMPORTANT: If feeding is reluctant or worse, it is likely that your baby is in pain even if they are not fussy. Consult your pain management instructions and increase tylenol and soothing ointment within the ranges given to you on your aftercare sheet. EMAIL us if you need a new copy of your aftercare sheet.

Inside the mouth

• Frequency & Timing

  • 4-5x a day for 2 weeks

  • You can associate a time to do aftercare with routines such as diaper changes, feeding times, or set a reminder on your phone.

  • Baby can be awake or asleep during aftercare

• Let baby engage their mouth and relax

  • Slowly and gently rub your fingers along baby’s lower gums

  • You can let baby munch on your finger

• Cheeks

  • Sneak your finger into the inside of the cheeks and rest on any tight areas

• Mouth Floor

  • Slide your finger onto the floor of the mouth (the space between the gums and the tongue). Imagine that your finger is melting butter in a pan. Go slowly, at a pace that is comfortable to your baby.

    • Rhythmic motion/bouncing while holding you baby can help keep baby calm during aftercare

• Tongue Tie Clip Site

  • Use coconut oil, olive oil, or the prescribed soothing ointments on your finger or Q-tip. We will give personalized directions at the time of the appointment for any ointments given. Use the ointment at least as many times per day as suggested by Dr. O’Hara up to as often as needed to control pain caused by inflammation.

  • Slowly and gently slide your finger under the tongue and all the way back to the clip site and rest there for the length of a short kids song.

    • You may need to ease your way in (expect to spend a few minutes on this step)

    • The wound site should feel fairly soft and supple. If the wound feels firm or tight, the wound may be closing too much and may not be retaining the full benefit of the clip. Email the clinic to schedule a follow-up ASAP.

• Upper Lip Tie Clip Site

  • Use coconut oil, olive oil, or the prescribed soothing ointments on your finger or Q-tip. We will give personalized directions at the time of the appointment for any ointments given. Use the ointment at least as many times per day as suggested by Dr. O’Hara up to as often as needed to control pain caused by inflammation.

  • Rest your finger on the clip site (betwen the lip and outer gums) for the length of a short kid’s song

Helpful extras

• Gently touch, wiggle, massage, snuggle and kiss your baby around the upper lip, cheeks, jaw, lower lip, chin and forehead

  • Have fun with it and do what come naturally to you!

• Mimicking

  • During baby’s quiet alert period, stick out your tongue and open your mouth wide—your baby has reflexes to copy your facial expressions

    • this is a great job for an older sibling

  • Make silly noises that encourage tongue movement and exploration

• Playing

  • Encourage your baby to mouth objects (hands, toys, food). See our link about oral tools.

• Pacifier

  • a good pacifier can be used therapeutic for suck training

  • For most babies we recommend the soothie, wubbanub or gumdrop

• Lollipop/Agave therapy

  • Sugar is a pain modifier for infants

  • Use a lollipop to play with your baby’s tongue

    • Try holding the lollipop outside the baby’s upper lip and see if baby will stick their tongue out to reach it

  • a drop of agave nectar can go a long way for aftercare “buy in”

  • You can also use fruit leather or a peeled piece of fruit that is too big to fit in baby’s mouth

    • example: an apple with the side cut off.