A seven-day-old girl arrived at a Mogadishu hospital unable to breastfeed. Every attempt ended in choking, gagging, and episodes in which her lips turned blue. She had been breathing hard since birth, at 68 breaths per minute, with visible nasal flaring and labored effort.
A careful look inside her mouth explained all of it. A dense band of fibrous tissue ran from the top surface of her tongue to her soft palate, anchoring the tongue in place. Her mouth barely opened. Her tongue could not move at all, and she could not stick it out.
