Breastfeeding Problems & Speech Delays: A Connection?

I am not a breastfeeder. I will just let you know that up front. And I don't care what you think about it. In fact, a HUGE pet peeve of mine is breastfeeding women who like to act all mother superior over those moms who don't--for whatever reason. But this post isn't about the breastfeeding debate, so before I get too far gone ... let me get back to the topic at hand, which is a connection between breastfeeding problems and speech delays.

Despite not being big on breastfeeding, I was ready to nurse Kate. I really was. Before she was even born, I went to a breastfeeding class at a local hospital. I purchased a pump. I read a book. I was ready. But after she arrived, she just didn't want to do it.

We tried and tried ... and tried again. We had three lactation consults. We tried the SNS. (Those are some heartwarming memories I need scrapbook, let me tell ya! Ha!) Many tears were shed, but not a lot of breastfeeding was going on. Kate just wouldn't latch.

Long story short ... I ended up pumping for about six weeks. That was a lot of fun, too. Ha! Any mom who has pumped regularly knows the drill ... pump, feed, clean. And then it's time to do it all over again. We supplemented with formula, and Kate did extremely well with it. She had no problem taking a bottle. We were grateful. Yay!

Anyway, that was that. I eventually weaned off of the pump (Hallelujah!), and Kate was a formula-fed baby. Kirkland (Coscto) formula was the best, and we highly recommend it! (That's another post for another day.) She grew and developed and was well-nourished.

Fast-forward to earlier this year, when I was completing paperwork regarding her speech delay and various therapies and evaluations. I had to fill out a lot of information about her eating habits ... all the way from day one! It was difficult to remember some of the details, and I was so grateful to be able to refer to this blog and Tanna's blog and the scrapbook notes I'd kept. Anyway, there is a reason why these eating questions are asked. And one reason is that some eating issues could be related to speech issues, especially when dealing with mouth muscles.

After our first evaluations and meetings with Kate's speech therapist, it was evident to her that Kate had very weak mouth muscles. She asked me if she had trouble breastfeeding, which she most certainly did! When I asked her if those problems would be connected to her speech problems, she said yes. And it makes sense if you think about it. If a child has weak mouth muscles and poor range of motion, then I can easily see how both breastfeeding and speech development could be challenging.

Right away, Kate's speech therapist had me do these mouth/lip exercises with Kate--three times a day. I was basically taking her very tight lips and stretching them in different ways. After a month or so, her therapist said she could tell a tremendous difference in her range of motion. And her speech was improving as well.

I had never thought to connect Kate's lack of latching/breastfeeding issues with her speech delay. And I did not even realize that she had weak mouth muscles. It's something to think about, though. I am glad we sought and got the professional help that we did, when we did. We are so grateful.