As a first-time mom, I was always on the lookout for any red flags when it came to my daughter's development. I followed all the guidelines and milestones diligently, but when she suddenly stopped babbling at eight months, I couldn't help but worry.
I took her to her pediatrician, hoping for reassurance, but instead, they thought maybe our daughter had a tongue tie. I had never heard of it before, and the thought of my little one undergoing any kind of procedure made me anxious. A tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) is a condition in which an unusually short, thick or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) tethers the bottom of the tongue's tip to the floor of the mouth. If necessary, tongue-tie can be treated with a surgical cut to release the frenulum (frenotomy). Basically there's a little piece of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth that may be shorter than usual.
We were referred to an ENT specialist, who thankfully confirmed that there was no tongue tie. However, something else caught his attention - a Haemangiomas under her tongue. My heart sank as I tried to comprehend the diagnosis. Now, a haemangioma is basically a reddish purple birthmark.
The ENT specialist explained that these Haemangiomas are essentially growths of blood vessels that occur in around 5% of infants. He assured us that they're usually harmless and tend to go away within a few years. But still, it was difficult to shake off the worry.
As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, I couldn't help but wonder if my daughter's speech would be affected. Would she struggle to communicate with us in the future? It felt like we were stuck in limbo, just waiting for time to pass and see what would happen.
We kept an eye on the haemangioma and it eventually faded. At this moment you can barely see it there. But the question was still unanswered... why wasn't she babbling? The pediatrician said to keep in mind milestones for babies are a guideline, and keep note of it.
Even though I didn't get my answer at the time, it was an interesting outcome and what I learned. What if we hadn't gone to the ENT specialist? We would have never known what that red spot was on her tongue and how it could have been worse. It's a scary thought, but one that reminds me to always be vigilant and trust my instincts when it comes to my child's health.
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