3 Things My Son’s Lip and Tongue Tie Taught Me About Myself

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When I heard about my son, Noah, having a frenectomy (lip/tongue tie removal), I wasn’t surprised at all. For all of my life, I’ve had the worse luck when it comes to my teeth. 

My dental history

I’ve had braces at 12 and 26 years old.

At 18, I had all of my wisdom teeth removed to try and keep my teeth straight. It didn’t work.

At 21, I had a frenectomy for my tongue-tie.

At 29 (the same year I met my husband), I had an apicoectomy (surgery when the root canal procedure fails). 

So as you can see, I know a thing or four about dental work. I hoped that if I had children, they wouldn’t have to deal with any of this, and then Noah came.

How we found out about Noah’s Lip and Tongue Tie

Around the 6-month mark, I noticed that he wasn’t eating solid foods like the pediatrician said he should. My hubs came home upset from the appointment. We had been trying to get Noah to eat for months, and he wouldn’t. 

I put on my mommy hat and found a specialist because I knew it was a problem beyond what the pediatrician knew or could tell us. 

A couple of weeks later, I found a Pediatric Feeding Specialist in my area and BAM! My husband and I got confirmation that Noah wasn’t eating because he had a severe lip and tongue tie. 

It’s one reason why he probably didn’t latch on when I was trying to breastfeed him, but I digress. 

After the Pediatric Feeding Specialist told my husband and me what we needed to do, for two months, we worked around the clock on his pre-operation to get him ready for the procedure and life after. 

It was hard during that time, but we got through it, and Noah now eats like a grown man (as he should for 11 months old). 

I say all that to say here are the three biggest takeaways from Noah’s lip and tongue tie issue.

I know I’m right, So Listen to Me about his Lip and Tongue Tie

Not to sound cocky, but I knew something was wrong. Instead of letting someone else tell me about what I should be doing, I took matters into my own hands and got my son the help he needed. So he didn’t grow up having to deal with my dental issues as an adult. 

There are so many times in life that we second guess ourselves. Many people go to school and get advanced degrees (I have a master’s). That doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about when you’re right. 

Learning to trust yourself even when it’s looked at as problematic or not following the rules will get you the result you are looking for and with PEACE.

Give Yourself Grace

What 2020 has taught me is that everyone is human. Even experts and professionals are human and doing the best that they can. We can co-exisit with others and not always be agreeable. I don’t know what would have happened if we didn’t take charge of getting down to Noah’s feeding issue.

The pediatrician was disturbed to find out that we got a 2nd opinion and solved it. They were given grace even at that moment. 

We didn’t write the pediatrician off because they were helpful when Noah had to wear a medical helmet, but we also know that everyone is tired, doing the best they can, and given grace during this time. 

Everything I need is already inside of me.

Being an introverted person by nature, I go within a lot to get my power. Since having Noah, I’ve had to pull more from myself to advocate for him since he can’t talk yet. 

It’s been a challenge because I have to show up now and be present 24/7 with no days off. It made me realize that I am competent and can accomplish anything I want to trust myself. 

I lost my mojo for a while. But I’ve got it back. I’ve had to learn how to pull from within in a new capacity since being a parent. Some days I can smash it, and some days I need to recharge, but I know that everything I need to do, I can because I have the tools.

As I head into the new year, I leave what didn’t serve me behind to make space for the new and improved version of myself. 

I documented everything regarding his tongue tie, which you can see below, and I hope this blesses you as this has blessed me. 

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