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Breastfeeding/Position of infant's tounge

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Expert: - 11/17/2004


Question
I am looking for more info for a client I saw.  Her infant's tounge sits at the top of his mouth.  When he sleeps it is still there.  It can go down to nurse, but he doesnt take a good mouthfull.  We are trying to guide his tounge with a finger, but he doesn't seem to be learning.  The mother is very sore.  Is there a condition that causes this?  Do you know a way to train this child to take the breast better?  Do you have any insights that I can tell this mother? I would appreate your help.  This is the first time I have come accross anything like this and I can't seem to find anythig about it in the books I have. Thank You.

Answer
Dear Christina,

I'm sorry, but I do not have the technological expertise to help you with this situation.

I would suggest that you consult La Leche League International and/or the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).

Here is contact information for both organizations:

* La Leche League International, 1400 N. Meacham Road, P.O. Box 4079, Schaumburg, IL 60168-4079, is the largest organization in the world devoted specifically to promoting and providing information and help related to many different aspects of breastfeeding. Phone: 800-525-3243 (LA-LECHE) for a short answer to your question about breastfeeding, a catalog, and/or a referral to your local La Leche leader. For general information phone: 847-519-7730, write, fax: 847-519-0035, or email: LLLHQ@llli.org. For recorded information about common problems at $1.99 a minute, call 900-448-7475, ext. 92. Or go to the Internet to the league's website at www.lalecheleague.org, or to America Online (keyword: Parent Soup) to ask questions or join a chat.

International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), 4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27607. Phone:919-787-5181. Fax: 919-787-4916. Email: ilca@erols.com. ILCA conducts ongoing education programs, and publishes a peer-reviewed journal, among its other activities. It has affiliate groups in many countries and localities and can refer you to a lactation consultant in your area who has been certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.

These and other resources are listed in my book (see below).

Good luck!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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