Suzanne Hiscocks

What happens at a Tongue Tie visit?

I will begin the visit by taking a detailed history to understand your story, then I will examine your baby's tongue function and appearance to assess for tongue tie. I will explain my findings and advise whether a tongue tie division is recommended. The decision to proceed with the division is entirely up to you.

To prepare for the procedure we will need a clean, flat surface to place them on such as changing mat on a table. I will help you swaddle your baby and show you how to gently support your baby’s head.

The procedure itself is quick and straightforward. I will gently lift your baby's tongue and make a small incision with sterile scissors designed for the procedure. Though there is usually very little bleeding, I will apply sterile gauze whilst I bring your baby to you for feeding, which helps to provide comfort and to minimise any bleeding.

Afterward, we will go over advice on aftercare and gentle exercises to promote healing and tongue mobility. After the visit, free follow up via Whatsapp is included for any further questions you might have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the symptoms of tongue tie?

For Baby :

· Long feeds

· Very frequent feeding

· Significant weight loss or slow weight gain

· Falls asleep quickly after a few sucks

· Leaking or dribbling milk during feeds

· Unsettled, appearing unsatisfied or hungry

· Clicking during feeds

· Coughing/choking during feeds

For Mum:

· Sore or cracked nipples

· Misshapen nipples at the end of feeds

· Low milk supply

· Engorgement

· Mastitis

Will it be painful for my baby?

It is understood that as the frenulum of young babies does not have many nerve endings in, so the procedure only causes minimal discomfort for babies, therefore no anaesthetic is required. However, they may cry briefly, like reactions after the heel prick test or vaccination. The procedure itself is very quick and we will aim to feed immediately afterward to provide comfort the baby and minimise any bleeding.

Following the procedure some babies may be more unsettled, so skin-to-skin contact and plenty of cuddles can help. Some babies may want to feed more frequently in the hours following the procedure and others may not feed as much. For babies over 8 weeks old, you can give paracetamol, though it is often not needed.

What about any risks?

Tongue tie division (frenotomy) is a very safe procedure that is safe to conduct in the home. However, in rare cases there can be complications such as bleeding, infection, injury to salivary ducts or reattachment of the tongue tie.

Bleeding: Immediately following the division, we often see a few spots of blood under the tongue, this normally stops very quickly by feeding the baby. In the rare circumstances that feeding does not resolve it, gauze will be used to apply pressure to the area to stop any further blood loss. Beyond this any prolonged bleeding is rare (approximately 1:3000-5000) and will be managed safely as per the ATP national guidance.

Infection: Cases of infection are very rare (1:10000). Ways to reduce any risk of infection is to ensure anything going into your baby’s mouth (teats, nipple shields, dummies) are thoroughly cleaned and sterilised before use and that any formula milk is prepared safely as per the instructions on the packaging. Symptoms of infection include raised temperature above 37.5c, increased redness around the wound or discharge from the wound. However, a white or yellow patch may be seen under the tongue and this is a sign of normal healing not infection.

Injury: Injury to salivary glands is extremely rare and it is so rare that it is difficult to quantify accurately.

Reattachment: Reattachment is uncommon but is known to occur in approximately 2-4% of cases. Symptoms of reattachment are usually a return of previous problems which had resolved after tongue tie release. Not all babies with reattachment will benefit from a second division, though some will so if you feel concerned that your baby has a reattachment then please get in touch with me.

Tongue Tie Reviews

Tia

I'm so happy we found Suzanne and would highly recommend her. She was knowledgeable, kind and extremely supportive. She was quick with her reply and arranged to see us on the same day. Since having the snip we are doing really well and our breastfeeding experience has completely changed because of the support and procedure! My baby now gets satisfied from the boob and is able to drain it.

The after care was great too. A huge thank you to Suzanne for really impacting our breastfeeding journey.

Aliza

We want to thank Suzanne for her amazing help! Our baby had a tongue tie, and since her support, we’ve seen big improvements in feeding. The latch is better, I am feeling more comfortable in feeding and our baby is gaining weight. The tongue tie wound has fully healed, too. We really appreciate Suzanne’s work—she made our baby healthier and helped ease our worries. Thank you so much!

Kate

I cannot recommend Suzanne enough. Our daughter was born tongue tied and as we live abroad, it wasn’t dealt with straight away in the hospital, so we waited until we travelled back to the UK to have the procedure done. Throughout the whole process Suzanne was incredibly calm, professional and supportive and gave us all the relevant information we needed plus more. She was incredibly knowledgeable. The whole procedure was very quick and the fact that we could have it done in the comfort of our own home was excellent. Thank you so much for all your help!

Roxy

Suze is just amazing at what she does!
We contacted her for our 3 week old when he had issues with tongue tie. Suze went above and beyond to get to us as quickly as she could to meet our baby’s needs to ensure that he was feeding well.
Suze was informative before, during and after our appointment with her. Being a first time mum, new to breast feeding and pumping, I really appreciated Suze’s encouragement, clear advice and the way she put us all at ease when performing a division. She has also been contactable post-appointment to offer further support.
Our baby now feeds really efficiently. I attribute a lot of the success I have had with nursing to the support and guidance that we had from Suze! Couldn’t recommend her more.

Claire

Suzanne was great, answered all questions, was super knowledgeable and put us at easy straight away. So glad we opted to get tongue tie division done through Suzanne and would not hesitate to call her again for other feeding advice

Rose

I can’t recommend Suzanne highly enough. I found her during a late night google search (something which as a new mum I spend most of my time on) and messaged her on WhatsApp. She managed to fit me in quickly for a tongue tie assessment and lactation help for my baby. Suzanne made me and my partner feel totally at ease, and had a lovely calming aura. She was very professional and provided us with all the details we needed to make an informed decision as to whether to go ahead with the tongue tie procedure. When she handled our baby she did so with care, and made us feel comfortable and safe for our baby to undergo the treatment. She has also offered to provide follow up care if needed which is much appreciated. Thank you so much Suzanne!

Tongue Tie