Tongue-tied babies: Procedure to help infants breast feed may not be necessary, say some experts

Many parents across Canada struggle with breastfeeding, and in some cases, new mothers are being told to utilize a procedure to fix tongue issues in their infants -- a treatment that experts say can be unnecessary.

Six months ago, Shadi Toloui-Wallace became a new mother. And like many, she found breastfeeding difficult.

“He's not eating, he's losing weight,” Toloui-Wallace said. “And it's quite painful, and he's not taking my breast.”

A lactation consultant said her son Ezra had a condition called ankyloglossia or “tongue-tie.” Although everyone has a frenulum, which is a ribbon of skin connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth, sometimes infants are born with a frenulum that is too tight, or too far forward in the mouth, limiting the movement of the tongue and sometimes interfering with breastfeeding.

Anterior -- or classic – tongue-ties are where this ribbon of skin near the front of the tongue is snipped, often in a doctor’s office.