Generally speaking, in life, it helps to be prepared for what’s coming. This holds true in caring for your child after their frenectomy. Since my son is older, the list of things I need on hand for him is pretty short. With babies the big addition is an alternative feeding method in case they go on a nursing strike (hint: not a bottle) and they can be trickier to calm since they can’t communicate, so things like skin to skin, co-bathing, and baby carriers are a good idea for them. A box of popsicles and I was instantly the best mom ever and he’s totally content. Good luck getting that same reaction out of a newborn over a box of frozen sugar water (though freeze some breastmilk and you’d probably come close).

 

Here’s what I have on hand and am using regularly (we’re currently on day 3 post-op, I’m trying to catch up on blogging about it so I can have a record of how things went for future reference).

 

Tongue Tie Tincture – This is a homeopathic remedy that is made specifically for aftercare support. I love this stuff and recommend it to all my clients. It’s especially helpful for little babies who can’t have ibuprofen yet since it has anti-inflammatory properties. Right now you can only get this through Kimberly Shirk PA-C and the South Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine (803-386-8684), but we’re working on making it more widely available. It’s four different remedies in one bottle, and you could certainly buy all four and make your own, the problem is each bottle is so expensive and you have to buy all four of them, so it retails out to over $120. You’d have a lot left, and individually they are great for all kinds of things beyond the tongue tie, but the initial expense is high. This way you only have to buy one bottle, and it’s got everything you need in it. And it’s only $15. Kim and I work closely together and she has had 3 of her 4 children go through the revision process, so she’s well aware of what babies and families need post release. According to my 9 year old it tastes awful, he has to wash it down with a glass of water. But I gave it to my youngest for teething and he didn’t mind the flavor at all. You can also use it as a lubricant when you do your sweeps and stretches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orajel – brand doesn’t matter so much here. What I was looking for was the pain reliever. This is actually from the baby aisle, the ones in the pharmacy section that were adult strength also had menthol or alcohol in them, either one of which would burn the open wound revision site. This “nighttime formula” has a higher percentage of active ingredient, 10% vs. the 7.5% in the daytime baby version, and 20% in the adult version. According to my son it kicks in pretty quick, usually in between the time I apply it and then go wash it off my finger. We use it when we do a good stretch on the site, which is about twice a day.

 

Arnica massage gel – this one I’ll admit I don’t know a ton about as far as brands and strengths and things go. I’ve seen it work really well for some of my lactation clients whose babies had tight, sore jaws and were chomping more than suckling at the breast. So when I saw it at Kroger I grabbed it while I was there picking up the other things I needed. Note: this is for OUTSIDE the mouth, not in it. I’ve been rubbing it on my son’s jaw, neck and under his chin at least twice a day. He reports that his jaw is feeling better every day, whether that’s from the arnica or just time, is hard to say.

 

Epsom Salt – this is a must have, I remember when my Dad turned 40 and someone gave him a box of Epsom salt as a gag gift. That box never got used, and my Dad is pretty athletic. As a result I thought no one really used it. Boy was I wrong. This stuff is amazing. Brand doesn’t matter, I didn’t take my own advice and get my whole kit assembled as early as I should have so I was stuck buying the more expensive brand, but really it’s all the same, get the cheap one. The one thing you do want to make sure of is that it’s just plain magnesium sulfate, no fancy oils or fragrances or anything else. Get the big bag. So far I’ve had my son take 2 Epsom salt baths and I’ll probably make him some mag oil tomorrow. You can use this basic recipe, and just put it in a spray bottle or roller bottle once it’s cool.

 

Coconut oil – We haven’t been using much of this, I was using it as a lubricant when we did sweeps of his revision site since the tincture left such a bad taste in his mouth. He doesn’t have a strong need for a lubricant like some people/babies do, and he likes to do his own sweeps, so it’s really only been used a couple times. You can use whatever oil you happen to have on hand that would be safe for ingestion. (but please not an essential oil, a cooking/carrier type of oil.)

And finally: A box of Popsicles. You thought I was joking. But no, and I actually let him eat one at 9:30 in the morning yesterday. It’s cold, we had just done a pretty good stretch (that nighttime healing will really get you) and not only that, he’s not allowed to suck on them, he has to lick them. So it’s a good workout for his tongue and his new mobility and range of motion. Anything sticky/chewy that gets them to work those newly released muscles is good to have on hand. Tomorrow we’ll probably throw some peanut butter into the mix.