Tongue-tie and bottle feeding
Tongue-tie is when the strip of tissue attaching the tongue to the floor of the mouth (called the frenulum) is shorter than normal.
Tongue-tie can sometimes make it harder for babies to feed, and it can affect both breastfeeding and bottle feeding.
Symptoms of tongue-tie
Tongue-tie can range from mild to severe. In severe cases, the tongue may be completely fused to the floor of the mouth.
You may be able to see if your newborn or baby has tongue-tie by looking into their mouth when they're yawning or crying, although it's not always easy to spot.
Signs of tongue-tie in your baby might include:
- your baby's tongue not lifting or moving from side-to-side
- their tongue looking heart-shaped when they stick it out
- difficulty sticking their tongue out
How does tongue-tie affect bottle feeding?
You may notice that your baby:
- has difficulty feeding
- gains weight slowly
- has frequent, long periods of feeding – but they seem unsettled and unsatisfied
- pushes the bottle teat out
- dribbles a lot during feeding
- can only manage a teat with a very slow flow
- chokes on feeds, even when you are feeding slowly
Sometimes, babies with tongue-tie have no problems at all. They may still be able to feed well – so not every case of tongue-tie needs treatment.
If your baby does have tongue-tie, it will hopefully be picked up in the first routine check by your midwife.
However, tongue-tie is not always easy to spot and may be discovered at a later stage (usually after feeding issues become apparent).
Did you know?
Not every baby with tongue-tie needs to be treated – they may just grow out of it.
Treatment for tongue-tie
If treatment is necessary, your baby will have a straightforward procedure called a frenulotomy.
This is carried out by specially trained doctors, nurses or midwives and is very quick (it takes a few seconds).
The surgery simply involves snipping the short, tight piece of skin connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Generally, no anaesthetic is used.
As soon as it's done, you can feed your baby, which helps to heal any bleeding.
Help and support
Read more about tongue-tie on the NCT website.
The Association of Tongue-tie Practitioners (ATP) has a directory of NHS tongue-tie practitioners.
Sign up for emails
Our emails include NHS trusted advice and support, tailored to your stage of pregnancy or baby's age.
