One of my teachers in chiropractic school shared, “You don’t choose your specialty, your specialty chooses you.” While I definitely chose to build a perinatal and pediatric practice from the very beginning of my career, more and more, I feel like the sub-specialty that is “choosing me” is tongue ties.
(Unsure what a tongue tie is? Learn all about them in my free guide, OR in this post I wrote, OR if you are a Nurture by Naps member you can watch my recent Tongue Ties 101 webinar!)
On Monday I welcomed 4 babies and their parents to my office as the newest cohort of my Tongue Tie Babies Group. These babies all have unique challenges, but also striking similarities in their tongue tie journeys. Bringing all these families together in community to support and learn from each other created such a palpable, beautiful energy in my space that felt so uplifting.
Personally, it’s now one year after my own tongue tie release, and I have been reflecting on all the changes in my physical body since then. Most notably, the frequency and intensity of my headaches I’ve been experiencing since I was 12 years old have reduced dramatically, to only once every few months. This change alone is absolutely life changing and one that I am cautiously celebrating as it becomes my new normal. I also am no longer grinding my teeth at night. After years of wearing a mouth guard to bed to protect my teeth and gums, it’s now collecting dust in my bedside drawer. And in my weekly yoga classes, I no longer feel an uncomfortable tugging between my shoulder blades when I extend my arms out in child’s pose, something I continued to feel even after practicing yoga for more than 20 years.
I may not have believed you if you had told me in chiropractic school that I’d be talking about tongue ties on a daily basis in my practice, because I don’t remember ever even hearing about tongue ties growing up, in chiropractic school, or even in my early pediatric postgraduate training. It wasn't until about 10 years ago that I heard the term for the first time from a Mom bringing her baby into my office. And each year since then I feel that I personally, and we collectively, have learned more about ties and their impacts. Being able to apply this knowledge to myself, my children, and the hundreds of people who come through my office doors for guidance and healing is something I have become uniquely qualified to do. It really does feel like tongue ties chose me.
Warmly,
Dr. Lizzie
