Carmen, Brooke and Dexter

I was fortunate to be referred to Sarah after the birth of my daughter in 2012 when she was a few weeks old following a desperate visit tothe breastfeeding clinic where I pretty much broke down in tears. Unfortunately by the time Sarah diagnosed a posterior tongue tie, we were at our wits end and had spent many a night with an unsettled baby, countless visits from midwives and health visitors who had advised on my positioning and feeding schedules and what seemed like non stop use of lanolin and even a trip to hospital. The surgeon there told me that Brooke didn’t have ‘anterior’ tongue tie (we had figured that much as we knew anterior meant it was much more visible). There was not not one mention of a posterior tongue tie however despite the limited weight gain of my daughter and my soreness. I think my lowest point was throwing a nipple shield across the bedroom at 3am in sheer desperation and pain….we just didn’t know what to do and against everything I had wanted, I had to resort to formula and bottles to top her up. When Sarah rang and spoke with me for the first time, I finally had a sense that someone actually might have an answer to our problems and her calmness and confidence in her approach was really reassuring.

Sarah diagnosed a posterior tongue tie on our visit and snipped it there and then. There was almost an instant change in my daughters feeding and coupled with 3 visits to a cranial osteopath to deal with her tight jaw, I’m pleased to say that Brooke and I were able to re-establish breast feeding and did so successfully for 18 months.

When my son was born a month ago I didn’t hesitate to ask to see the lactation consultant at the hospital to look for a posterior tongue tie. He was also diagnosed and although we could have got an NHS referral, we decided we would prefer to see Sarah again and I rang her even before I’d left hospital. Thankfully in just 3 days, I had a very content little boy who was feeding happily after his procedure and has continued to gain substantial weight (and sleep well at night) ever since.

I can’t thank Sarah enough for her support and guidance and hints and tips with all things feeding related, it has been absolutely invaluable. I just wish that all new mums going through the same issues were able to be properly advised about posterior tongue tie and access the advice needed straight away however it just doesn’t seem to be recognised by all professionals under the NHS.

For anyone reading this and experiencing similar issues, I would highly recommend meeting Sarah- even for an initial assessment as it might change yours and your baby’s lives for the better.

Thanks again Sarah