Finding Additional Help
If you decide that you need professional guidance beyond your IBCLC and health care provider, begin with a call to your IBCLC or your health care provider’s office. Share your concerns and ask for a referral to a specialist. These resources might be as diverse as a mental health professionals, ENT specialists, dental surgeons, feeding therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, or people skilled in using CranioSacral Therapy and/or Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT).
If your IBCLC or health care provider does not have a referral for you, you may be able to locate an Early Intervention Program in the USA at NICHCY.
Another avenue is to check with your health care plan to see if there are providers available to you through your health care system.
Each type of therapist and each kind of therapy has a different approach. If you or your child does not click with one therapist, keep looking until you find the right chemistry.
Whichever avenue you explore, look for someone with experience working with infants, and someone who is sensitive to babies and respectful of them in their approach.
If your IBCLC or health care provider does not have a referral for you, you may be able to locate an Early Intervention Program in the USA at NICHCY.
Another avenue is to check with your health care plan to see if there are providers available to you through your health care system.
Each type of therapist and each kind of therapy has a different approach. If you or your child does not click with one therapist, keep looking until you find the right chemistry.
Whichever avenue you explore, look for someone with experience working with infants, and someone who is sensitive to babies and respectful of them in their approach.
ENT Specialist, Dental SurgeonSome babies may have a tight lingual frenulum (tissue that attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) which restricts movement of their tongue. This is also known as “tongue tie.” Clipping the lingual frenulum was so common at one time that most physicians knew how to do it, and had a tool handy in their office. Some still do.
If cutting the frenulum involves interrupting blood flow, treatment may involve more than a trip to your pediatrician or family practice doctor. An “ear, nose and throat specialist” (ENT) or a dentist or dental surgeon are good places to turn if your baby’s medical professional has no referrals for you. The sooner the tongue is freed to function properly, the better for all concerned. Tongue Tie Babies Support Group on Face book was among the first to have a list of providers who are familiar with more than just the basic tongue and lip ties. http://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/8-27%20Newsletter.pdf Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding, Summer 2004 http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/frenum.htm An educational tool by Dr. Palmer's Frenum Presentation, which he has granted permission for anyone to use for educational purposes. Mental Health ProfessionalsHaving a baby changes life in profound ways. Such great changes can bring great stress. Mental health professionals can help families cope at this trying time.
Mothers may be feeling the onset of postpartum depression, which can be triggered or exacerbated when birth and breastfeeding expectations are not met. For instance, mothers may be grieving over unexpected birth outcomes, and/or separation from their baby after birth, and may also be going through disappointments and grief over breastfeeding outcomes. This emotional time, compounded by a fussy baby, lack of sleep, lack of support, and worry about her baby, can be overwhelming. Both consultation and medication can benefit the mother who is feeling blue. Don’t wait to get help. If you feel you just can not cope, you are not alone.
A Licensed Feeding TherapistAfter problem solving with an IBCLC, it may be helpful to consult a feeding therapist (a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist or Occupational Therapist) who has specific expertise in infant feeding.
Feeding Therapists are experts on the structure and function of the mouth and swallow mechanisms. They can work in conjunction with your baby, you, and your IBCLC to help your baby become a more efficient, coordinated feeder. It is always important to inquire about the professional’s specific expertise with oral motor as related to breastfeeding.
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Physical or Massage TherapyLabor sometimes leaves a mother and baby feeling stiff and sore. For mothers, a good therapeutic massage may be just the ticket to help that sore neck or back.
Two special therapies are frequently beneficial for a mom and a baby who is having trouble breastfeeding, CranioSacral therapy and chiropractic treatment. CranioSacral Therapist CranioSacral therapy can be described as a light-touch therapeutic massage. Some mothers report that it helped their breastfeeding relationship, reduced their baby’s crying, or turned around their baby’s breast refusal. CranioSacral Therapy was defined by its developer, Dr. John Upledger, as a “gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of ... the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. CranioSacral Therapy can be especially important for babies with mechanical feeding problems. When used in conjunction with speech, occupational or physical therapy it can hasten the resolution of oral motor issues. Chiropractic/Osteopathic Treatment Many families have seen marked improvements in their infant’s feeding skills after chiropractic or osteopathic evaluation and treatment. While Chiropractic and osteopathic care for adults can be somewhat forceful, chiropractors and osteopaths who work with infants use gentle hands-on treatment, and focus on helping the baby overcome discomfort that originated before, during or after the birth process. Chiropractic and osteopaths were among the first professions to use gentle hands on treatment for infants and have been at the forefront of treating newborns. Reactions to “bodywork” from a Cranial-Sacral therapist, osteopath, chiropractor or other massage professional may differ from time to time and from child to child. It is not uncommon for the baby to be calm and extra sleepy after the treatment, but don’t count on it. Some babies will cry during the treatment, even though it is not a rough treatment, and others are energized by the therapy and may forgo their next nap. As a general rule the child should be seen at least twice, once for an initial treatment, and a second time, to evaluate how well the initial treatment has held. Sometimes the changes are dramatic and other times more subtle. Often it is two steps forward and one step back, so that a series of sessions may be called for.
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