If you are struggling with a shallow latch when breastfeeding or bottle feeding there are some simple daily strategies you can do to help. By providing some oral motor exercises to your baby, you can encourage them to have a more open mouth posture, decrease jaw tension, and bring them more oral awareness.
We noticed a lip-tie on my daughter, Alana, a few days after she was born. What is a lip-tie? It’s when the frenulum (the string of tissue connecting the lip to the gum) is low and keeps the lip held very tight against the gum. You can see it when you flip the lip up or when you sweep you finger under the lip and run it along the gum until it feels like your finger hits a wall. You can also have nuchal (cheek)-ties or tongue-ties.
Signs that a lip-tie might need intervention is when it impacts the function of feeding. With Alana, she fed well the first couple weeks but then I started getting some nipple blisters and callouses, indicating Alana had a tight latch. This showed that her lip-tie was most likely starting to impact function.
My husband and I decided to visit an airway centric dentist who releases ties with a laser procedure, which would provide Alana with increased lip mobility. This would help her flare the upper lip on the breast to create a tighter seal and deeper latch. During the dental consult, I was hesitant about following through with the procedure because the dentist was saying the procedure was not absolutely necessary. However, I was very happy my husband was there to push for the procedure being done. During the week following the procedure, breastfeeding created no more blisters or pain!
However, Alana’s latch started to return to her shallow habits about a week after the procedure. Fortunately, I had followed the dentist’s recommendation to follow up with a lactation consultant to help with the latch, positioning, and stretches post-procedure. I’m sharing with you six oral motor exercises and two holding positions I learned during these visits that have been very helpful with maintaining an effective latch during Alana’s feedings.
I also want to note that these exercises can be done prior to a lip-tie release to help prep the baby with stretches or in prevention of getting a release. However, it’s always critical to find a practitioner, such as a lactation consultant, you can work with you to address your unique circumstance.
Oral Motor Exercises:
- Fishy face: Using your thumb and forefinger, place one on either side of your baby’s face. Gently squeeze the cheeks while pulling the cheeks forward to make a “fishy face.” This helps to gently stretch the cheeks and lips. Repeat 3 times.
- TMJ massage: starting at the temporomandibilar joint (where the jaw meets the ear), make circular massage motions and continue down the jawline until you reach the chin. This helps release tension in the jaw and encourages the jaw to drop open.
- Upper and bottom lip massage: place your forefinger on the upper lip where a mustache would go and make a back and forth motion to a count to three. Repeat on the lower lip. This brings stimulation and awareness to the muscles that will make a seal on the nipple of the breast or bottle. Using two thumbs, make strokes downward under nostrils and from crease of the nose to stretch the muscles.
- Hip hop gapes: using your fingertip, slide your finger down from the tip of the nose, to the top lip and then to the chin to encourage your baby to use their gape reflex to open their mouth wide. Repeat 5 times.
- Cheek sweeps: using your forefinger and thumb, make circular motions to stretch and massage the cheek from the inside. Finish by gently pinching and sweep the fingers forward and out of the mouth.
- Pterygoid stretch: place your finger in the mouth along the gum line and allow your baby to chew 12-15 times each side. This helps stretch the pterygoid area (jaw muscle used for chewing). It also helps guide the tongue to follow the finger for it to practice lateralizing to the sides of the mouth. In addition, this exercise helps desensitize the gag reflex.
Positions:
- Head hangs: lay your baby across your lap with the head extending over your thigh. Allow your baby to arch backwards and look left to right. The oral motor exercises can be done in this position. You can gently rest your palm on the baby’s chest, or support their head if needed, during this exercise.
- Koala hold: seat the baby upright on your lap straddling your thigh. Use a hand to support the baby’s neck and between the shoulders. You can then lean back to open your chest towards the baby.