About Bye Bye Tongue Tie
ABOUT ME - I'm Tara de Meza, a specialist Tongue-Tie Practitioner with over 11 years experience providing a bespoke Tongue-Tie service to families across Hertfordshire, North West London and Middlesex. Alongside this, I am a Senior Midwife with 13 years NHS Labour Ward experience.
I provide timely, compassionate care in the comfort of your own home. Supporting babies and parents, navigating feeding issues, with a warm, family-centred approach focused on helping babies thrive and parents to feel confident from the very beginning.
My Tongue-Tie career began at one of London's busiest NHS Tongue-Tie clinics at the Royal Free Hospital, where I later went on to lead the service. I have also helped establish additional NHS Tongue-Tie services within the Home Counties.
I am fully insured and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Association of Tongue-Tie Practitioners (ATP), the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Areas I cover: St Albans, Harpenden, Welwyn, Bushey, Watford, Stanmore, Barnet, Harrow, Hatch End, Edgware, Borehamwood, Elstree, Radlett, Pinner, Northwood, Rickmansworth, Hendon, Cricklewood, Willesden, Queen's Park, Maida Vale, St John's Wood, Hampstead.
WHAT IS A TONGUE TIE? -
A tongue tie is when a thin membrane of skin (lingual frenulum) attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth or the lower gum ridge, causing restriction in a tongue's movement. It can be attached either at the very front tip of the tongue (anterior) the middle or at the back of the tongue (posterior).
TONGUE TIE and FEEDING -
Babies need to be able to move their tongue's freely to effectively latch to either a breast or a bottle and to remove adequate amounts of milk whilst feeding. Some babies have a long stretchy frenulum, which doesn't restrict their tongue's function and they are able to feed very well.
Babies with a restrictive frenulum (tongue-tie) often experience lots of feeding difficulties.
DIFFICULTIES FOR BABY -
Unable to latch to the breast -- Latches with difficulty -- Falls asleep quickly -- Unsatisfied and always hungry -- Inadequate weight gain -- Loosing weight -- Slipping off the breast -- Pulling off the breast -- Leaking and dribbling during feeds -- Clicking sound during feeds -- Coughing and choking during feeds -- Colic and wind -- Reflux and or vomiting.
DIFFICULTIES FOR MUM -
Painful latch -- Sore cracked and or bleeding nipples -- Engorgement and or Mastitis -- Misshapen lipstick shaped nipples after feeds -- Having to use nipple shields -- Prolonged feeds -- Continuous feeding -- Exhaustion -- Diminished milk supply -- Having to pump/express to maintain supply.