Tongue Tie (again) - Feedback on Katie Fisher please

[Knomester]

Just over three and a half years after horrid breastfeeding problems with my first son I find myself with a 9 day old baby, a posterior tongue tie, thrush and severe nipple trauma.

We saw Katie Fisher privately last week (Clare Kedves is apparently on holiday). We're on the full thrush medication regime, but I was in too much pain and too distraught after a difficult week post-birth to make a decision about the tongue tie snip at the consultation.

We can't carry on as we are, so I need to decide what to do. I've read all the threads about Katie and Mr Patel (who did my first son's procedure), but just wondered if anyone who has had a tongue tie snipped by Katie at home or her home in Croydon could reassure me as to the procedure? My concerns being that we wouldn't be in a sterile environment, like the hospital, and my husband would have to hold the baby for the procedure.

Thanks so much.

[monniemae]

Hello, we saw Katie Fisher privately and for reasons of cost & feeling like I couldn't manage much longer, I opted for Katie snipping the tie at home. I called her on a friday and saw her on a tuesday - I remember thinking "just make it to tuesday.."

In fact there was a mix up (she'd booked me in as a consultation and I fed the baby so she couldn't then snip) so I was referred to the Kings / NHS clinic - it took about a week I think? I saw Clare on the wednesday and snip was following tuesday. But Katie's advice helped me manage the next few days.

I had the same concerns as you and Katie's office is tiny and definitely doesn't have a "medical" feel, but she is also excellent by all accounts. And everything is clean etc. I would definitely interrogate her about the specifics as I iniderstand posterior tt is harder to snip.

A friend had her baby's PTT snipped in their own home by Ann Dobson and was happy.

[monniemae]

Just to add, the snip for us was great, NOT the instant miracle cure-all it is for some people, but without doubt the only reason I am still feeding my 7mo. And enjoying it!

In our case Katie explained the baby has a v high vaulted palate which was likely to affect latch even if tie snipped, until she was 3-4m old and her skull had grown/changed shape.

Straight away after the snip my baby was feeding much more efficiently - for the first time I could see her gulping milk. My own discomfort lessened slightly but it took a bit of retraining her re latch etc. Thrush we finally knocked on the head, much to my sceptical surprise, with probiotic tablets (see Dr Jack Newman on probiotics for dosage etc). Hope this helps and keep going. A friend with similar problems used nipple shields and some bottles to get her through & beyond the snip - I know experts recommend as a last resort but whatever works for you and helps if you want to continue xx

[hoppermum]

We had the snip in Katie's home and it is a bit "weird" as it is essentially her office in a tiny bedroom but looking back, I didn't feel we had much choice as the NHS system takes so long to refer that I wouldn't have continued to BF. Would I have preferred a more sterile environment? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. There's no perfect solution here (though why don't they just do it at birth like they used to????)

[Knomester]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to respond.

I had been taking super strength probiotics for the past couple of months in the hope of avoiding thrush again! Alas, it wasn't to be. I tried the nipple shields with Katie but that only made matters worse for me sadly (as did expressing with my first son).

Having been through all this before I'd been dreading it happening again. It's a million times worse than my c section recovery, even with the added complication of being readmitted to hospital!

[sillywoman]

As long as she has a sterile field, i.e. she, her equipment and everything that will come onto any contact with her, her equipment and the baby's mouth is sterile, then personally I wouldn't be so concerned about the surroundings being her home. I'm aware that others may feel differently though.

[hellosailor]

We had the procedure done on our second baby at Katie's home and it's all very sterile. You're right, one of you does have to hold the baby still tho if you have it done at her home.

[Crokes]

We had the procedure done at our own home. We had no problems at all with it, very quick and simple. Katie is professional and knows her stuff. She used sterile equipment and scrubbed her hands accordingly first. She requests that someone holds the baby (she also recommended that the baby is swaddled). Hy husband held our little one and it was over very quickly and straight on the boob (apparently breastmilk helps to relieve the pain).

Good luck and feel better soon.

[Sonners]

We had Ann Dobson snip my daughter's at home. It took about 2 seconds on our sofa! I would use Ann again in an instant.

Her tongue tie was diagnosed quite late (during our consultation with Ann), about 10 weeks, so I think it would be even easier on a newborn. We swaddled her and I held her. We got an appointment 2 days after calling and having it at home was a great bonus for me. My only regret is not calling Ann sooner as I knew something was not right with feeding despite being told otherwise by quite a few medical professionals.

[Sonners]

Just to add ours was also posterior. Good luck.

[Knomester]

Thank you all.

We had the procedure done by Katie yesterday at her home and my husband held our baby. As with my first born, there has been no noticeable difference yet, but I imagine that much of that is down to the constant pain of the thrush in my milk ducts and existing tissue damage.

Time will tell.

[simonethebeaver]

I'm glad it's over, Knomester. You can get fantastic post-TT support at the local breastfeeding cafes, you know. And a shoulder or two to cry on.

[Knomester]

Thanks simonethebeaver. I'm not quite ready to leave the house, but hopefully soon ;)

[Pickle]

Catching up on this a bit late - firstly congratulations on the birth of your little one! It took a good few weeks for me to notice a difference after my son's posterior tie was snipped (picked up late, he was around 7/8 weeks old), but with perseverance we carried on feeding for ages. Definitely not an immediate miracle cure, but worth it in the long run.

Please shout if you need help with anything while you get feeding back on track, I'm just round the corner x

[Knomester]

Thank you Pippa. That's very kind of you.

I've now got some sort of agonising bacterial infection added into the mix, so strong antibiotics which will do wonders for the thrush! I may be taking fluclanazole forever...