Stacey Solomon reveals concerns when son Rex struggled to breastfeed because of posterior tongue tie

Stacey Solomon admitted that she was concerned when she ‘didn’t have the right shaped boobs’ when son Rex struggled to breastfeed.

The TV personality, 30, spoke candidly about her fears during Monday’s edition of Loose Women as she discussed her youngest son’s posterior tongue tie.

Of her struggles to get her six-month-old to feed, she said: ‘This third time around I was breastfeeding Rex and I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong, I shouldn’t say wrong, I mean what's not working with us. 

‘I thought I didn’t have the right shaped boobs’: Stacey Solomon revealed on Monday that she had concerns when baby Rex struggled to breastfeed because of his posterior tongue tie

‘When we weaned him off breast milk he didn’t eat, but it turns out that he is tongue tied, so he has a problem with his tongue, so when I try to feed him he gags because he's not used to food in the back of his throat. 

‘I thought I didn’t have the right shaped boobs, not enough milk, unfortunately it's so sadly common. It meant I couldn’t breast feed in the end, but it could have been avoided if I saw a specialist at all.’

Stacey went on to reveal that Rex would be getting an operation to remove the posterior tongue tie so that he will no longer struggle to eat solid foods.

She explained: ‘Because he has struggle to eat he’s going to have it cut which will free his tongue so he can eat again, it sounds strange but I’m really looking forward to it.’

Candid: Of her struggles to get her son to feed, she said she ‘couldn’t figure out what [she] did wrong’, but after getting a diagnosis revealed he would have an operation to remove it

While the panel gushed about their little ones, Stacey claimed that Rex ‘smiled really quickly’ but ‘is much slower at picking other things up.’

She joked: ‘I think it’s because he is the third one so everyone picks him up and so he doesn’t have to do much.’

On Saturday, Stacey looked emotional and close to tears as she shared a series of videos from when discovered the condition which meant she had great difficulty in breastfeeding.

Solution: The operation will mean he will no longer struggle to eat solid foods, as she said: ‘He’s going to have it cut which will free his tongue so he can eat again’

What is a Posterior Tongue Tie? 

• A tongue tie is a condition some babies are born with that restricts the tongue's range of motion
• Examples include being unable to push the tongue past the lower teeth or having trouble moving the tongue side to side
• The term describes any band of tissue underneath the tongue that is short, tight, or stiff 
• Tongue ties sometimes prevent a baby's tongue from latching properly to their mother's breast
• Anterior tongue ties are easy to locate and see because they are near a baby's gum line when they raise their tongue
• A posterior tongue tie is located deeper in the mouth, further underneath the tongue 
• A posterior tongue tie can cause the same problems as an anterior tongue tie, even though it isn't as easily visible
• Symptoms for a posterior tongue tie include: trouble latching on to the breast, constant hunger, colic, fussiness, slow weight gain or lack of weight gain
• They are more common in boys than girls  

In the video, Stacey revealed she was given incorrect information about Rex’s condition, yet she soon urged her fans to find the appropriate advice.

Over the top of the footage of the specialist, Stacey wrote: ‘So, just met with the tongue tie specialist, and discovered Rex has a tongue tie.

‘I’m putting this on here because honestly I can’t tell you how many people have told me they experience similar breast feeding stories and I really didn’t want anyone to go through a similar experience which could have been totally avoided’.

Stacey then fought back tears as she said: ‘I find it quite emotional because I really really wanted to breast freed. If I’d have had it cut at the beginning it would have been a much easier experience’.

Emotional: On Saturday, Stacey looked emotional as she shared a series of videos from when discovered the condition which meant she had great difficulty in breastfeeding

Close to tears: Sitting across from the tongue tie specialist, Stacey was close to tears as she held Rex in the series of videos

Difficult: Stacey said to the specialist: ‘If I’d have had it cut at the beginning it would have been a much easier experience’

She wrote over the next video: ‘I don’t blame the health visitors or midwives because he has a posterior tongue tie which is much harder to diagnose and they don’t get the extensive training they need to be able to notice them’.

‘I wish I would have done more research and not just taken everything I was told for gospel but when you’re in the midst of it sometimes that’s all you can do’

‘I find it quite emotional because I really really wanted to breast feed. If I’d have had it cut at the beginning it would have been a much easier experience’.

She continued on the video: ‘Really didn’t want to post this but then thought about any other women feeling like they didn’t do enough or got it wrong or just generally beating themselves up over their experiences and realised they all need to hear what Sam says… you did enough you did so well’. 

‘You did enough’: The specialist told her she ‘did enough’ for her son, which left Stacey feeling emotional as she fought back tears

Reaching out: The star has been vocal about her journey with breast feeding and how defeated it left her when she was unable to do so with Rex

Grateful: Stacey posted an adorable snap of her with baby Rex in the evening to tell fans that despite it all she is grateful 

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