TONGUE-TIES: CONSULT WITH AN IBCLC PRIOR TO RELEASE!

IBCLCs are not trained in oral evaluation and habilitation. It should be required, but it's not. But, it should also be required for pediatricians, and it's not either. The few dentists and ENTs who know how to make an oral assessment and do complete releases also learned on their own. The same is true of the bodyworkers...many treat babies, but few work collaboratively with the IBCLC to ensure proper breastfeeding mechanics.

So, yes, parents need to do their due diligence in finding all the members of the team, but the first needs to be an IBCLC who does have the proper training and skills. No baby should be released w/o an IBCLC preparing the baby for release with oral exercises (begun BEFORE release), ensuring milk supply is well-supported, optimizing latch, collaborating with a bodyworker and seeing the baby post-release to ensure feeding is wholly functional.

An IBCLC cannot make a "diagnosis", but that's not important. Only the IBCLC can make a functional assessment, and that is what a release is based upon. The release provider should rely on the functional assessment by the IBCLC in making their own assessment, bc both are required to make a diagnosis.

While the skills of the release provider are essential, a release alone will never achieve function: it only allows the interventions by the IBCLC and bodyworker to be effective. Tongue-tie release is a whole-body process. - Jennifer Tow, MA, BFA, IBCLC, CSOM

https://holisticibclc.blogspot.com/2018/12/tongue-tie-clips-consult-with-ibclc.html?m=1