Tongue-tied babies: Procedure to help infants breastfeed 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.