Our tongue tie story, part 2.

Lanie's tongue and lip tie revision, done on April 9 by Dr. Draper in Apex, NC, was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The staff did an excellent job making me feel comfortable with the procedure and preparing me for what to expect in the days and weeks ahead. For the procedure itself, I opted to be out of the room. It lasted less than 5 minutes, and afterwards, I was led back to Lanie to nurse her. She had been screaming, more from being swaddled and having her head held still than from the laser, which has a natural analgesic effect. But immediately, she latched on for the most comfortable, most quiet nursing session we had ever had. I had nursed her just before the procedure and you could've heard the loud "clicking" noise from 50 feet away. Afterwards, all I could hear was her swallowing milk. The sense of relief brought tears to my eyes. I knew we had done the right thing.

The rest of the day was no walk in the park. Lanie cried incessantly, despite infant Tylenol, breastmilk ice chips (which she hated), a lot of skin-to-skin contact (which she loved), and constant nursing. We faithfully stretched her lip and tongue to make sure that the frenulums did not reattach, and used Hyland's teething gel each time. Still, if she accidentally bumped her lip with her fist in those first few days, it would send her screaming again. She seemed very sensitive, very much in pain, and was difficult to soothe.

Finally (finally!), about three and a half weeks after the surgery, everything seems to be completely healed. Her latch has continued to improve, and while there has still been some clicking, I've seen a vast improvement overall. I had noticed my milk supply beginning to dip just before the surgery, but now it's back where it needs to be.

Most miraculously, she has just started sleeping through the night. I can't even tell you what a victory this feels like! After nearly 4 months of waking up every 3 hours, the first night she slept for a 9-hour stretch felt like a fluke. I didn't want to tell too many people in case it was a one-time occurrence. But the following night, she slept for 11 hours. The night after that, 12 hours. We've now had 5 nights in a row that she has slept at least 9-hour stretches, so I'd say we're onto something. Apparently, the tension in her tongue led to tension in her jaw and neck and back that was painful and kept waking her up. With the healing in her mouth along with regular chiropractic visits, she has begun to sleep. This alone is nothing short of life-changing.

We spent the last two weeks in Nashville with my parents and they were able to see firsthand that she has transformed into a different baby. She no longer has hours-long crying spells, is no longer hard to soothe, no longer abhors her swing. Instead, she chats and smiles up a storm. She self-soothes and is able to fall asleep on her own, in her own crib. It feels miraculous.

I feel so grateful for the revision and I hope this has been a helpful post for those of you who may be considering it or needing a little hope amidst the process. From our experience, it is worth it and things do get better.