To the Editor:
Re “A Booming Industry of Cutting Babies’ Tongues” (entrance web page, Dec. 21):
This text describes a surgical procedure carried out on infants who’re born with their tongues attached too tightly to the bottom of their mouths. One wants solely to notice that there’s not a single substantive profile within the article of a household that had a constructive expertise with the process — a statistical majority — to grasp that the reporters are fearmongering.
Their article poisons the effectively in opposition to not solely a process that may present reduction to breastfeeding dad and mom and infants who’re having problem feeding, but in addition in opposition to lactation consultants, pediatric dentists and medical professionals described as a part of this “booming business.”
As an internationally board-certified lactation consultant, I’m glad to make clear that in my expertise, laser tongue-tie surgical procedure is rarely the primary try at resolving feeding points in infants. We work diligently to create feeding plans and methods that work for each dad and mom and infants, typically offering assist in circumstances the place households have been ignored by their primary-care workforce.
The one “kickbacks” most of us obtain once we refer a consumer to a pediatric dentist are vacation playing cards and the testimonials of grateful dad and mom.
Heather ONeal
Morgantown, W.Va.
The author is an advanced-practice registered nurse and a licensed nurse-midwife.
To the Editor:
The article on reducing infants’ tongues overlooks a significant situation contributing to the rise in tongue-tie diagnoses: a normal lack of schooling and consciousness about breastfeeding’s significant challenges.
It’s a widespread fantasy that breastfeeding is seamless. In reality, it’s typically a really lengthy, painful, sophisticated and exhausting course of. Many first-time dad and mom, myself included, are shocked to find this. It’s very true for these of us already fighting postpartum despair. We’ll do nearly something a well being care skilled recommends to assist us and our infants.
Incorporating lactation consultations into obstetric visits is one resolution, however medical establishments and practitioners must do rather more to arrange new dad and mom. With the precise assets and assist, we shall be empowered to make knowledgeable choices about this process.
Sara Koenig
Silver Spring, Md.
To the Editor:
Your latest article on the dramatic uptick in procedures to chop tongue-ties is disturbing and disheartening.
I’m grateful that the article highlights what can occur when a medical enterprise mannequin advantages from overdiagnosing. It’s unlucky and infuriating that this process has brought on pointless hurt.
However I additionally fear that the pendulum will swing thus far within the different course that households shall be scared to even discover the opportunity of a tongue launch. There are lots of mother-baby duos who’ve benefited from this process when — and that is key — it’s indicated and carried out by an skilled ear, nostril and throat physician, ideally one who’s educated on breastfeeding.
My son and I are amongst these duos, and after I directed my 2014 documentary, “Breastmilk,” about households’ experiences with breastfeeding, I made certain to incorporate a nonlaser tongue-tie launch. Since then, I’ve been heartened to see that assets round nursing have turn into rather more accessible.
Now, nevertheless, I’m involved that practitioners just like the “evangelists” in your piece will undo that progress. For years, those that wish to assist moms nurse have been equally derided as crusaders. Such advocates can appear tough as a result of breastfeeding doesn’t simply match into our modern life.
Dana Ben-Ari
New York
To the Editor:
Whereas this can be a very beneficial article, detailing the forces driving surgical tongue-tie releases, it fails to incorporate an essential perspective.
I selected to clip my 10-month-old’s tongue-tie, although she had no points with breastfeeding. Tongue-ties can have an effect on sound manufacturing, as infants begin babbling, and toddlers begin saying phrases. This, in flip, can have an effect on how they hear the sounds, which then influences how they study to learn and spell.
As a longtime educator and studying specialist, I’ve seen this many, many occasions. If a real tongue-tie is current, it’s higher to stop these points than must remediate them.
Tara Mallon
South Orange, N.J.
The author is a licensed learning-disabilities trainer advisor.
To the Editor:
As a pediatric occupational therapist and the mom of a kid who had his tongue-tie launched by Dr. Scott Siegel, the Manhattan oral surgeon talked about within the article, I wish to specific my honest disappointment and frustration with the content material and tone of the piece.
I’m not dismissing the ache and discomfort skilled by the households talked about, however I discover that’s completely not the norm for a tongue-tie launch. By highlighting these experiences, you might be discouraging households from in search of a process that might dramatically enhance breastfeeding outcomes, to not point out later speech improvement.
I used to be in a position to breastfeed my son for 10 months, because of a process that lasted 5 seconds and healed inside a few weeks. I couldn’t be happier with our determination to work with Dr. Siegel, and the youngsters I’ve handled who’ve been his sufferers have additionally had overwhelmingly constructive outcomes.
I’d encourage the reporters to do a follow-up and communicate to quite a lot of board-certified lactation consultants, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists. The data offered on this article doesn’t line up with the medical opinions of many of those professionals, myself included.
Emma Klassen
New York
The Custom of Manufacturing facility-Constructed Houses
To the Editor:
Re “Homes Are Still Built by Hand. No Wonder They’re So Costly,” by Binyamin Appelbaum (Opinion, Dec. 19):
There’s a longstanding custom of manufacturing unit housing in America. Thumbing via the gorgeous reprints of Sears, Roebuck housing catalogs of the Nineteen Twenties and ’30s gives cross-section of what was obtainable and at what worth 100 years in the past. Driving via many cities and cities, we are able to observe these constructions all over. They’ve stood the check of time.
All elements, all the way down to the final nail, have been often dropped at their places in railroad boxcars and assembled on web site. In these days, the railroad tracks shaped a latticework over the American terrain in order that housing could possibly be dropped at many locations. The Sears housing is aggregated shut to coach stations.
This railroad system is enormously diminished at this time, so getting housing to its desired location is now harder and dear. Generally we see a part of a home being hauled on the interstate, however that is rare, costly and mighty awkward.
Anne Vohl
Reno, Nev.
To the Editor:
Binyamin Appelbaum’s article dropped at thoughts a reminiscence from 40 years in the past. At the moment, I labored in a constructing throughout from a small vacant lot. These on my shift labored via Thursday, have been off on Friday and returned on Saturday morning.
Considered one of my co-workers arrived one Saturday morning sporting a puzzled expression. Sidling over to me, she requested, “Was there a home throughout the road once we left on Thursday?” No, in actual fact, there hadn’t been, however two days later, there was one. And it nonetheless stands in the identical location.
Mr. Appelbaum makes some nice factors about why we should always take manufactured housing extra severely.
Ellen Lodwick
Silver Spring, Md.
