Heather Rae El Moussa Reveals Son Had Jaundice and Tongue, Cheek, and Lip Ties

Heather Rae El Moussa is opening up about her son Tristan’s health issues.

The baby boy was born three weeks ago, and Heather says the little guy has already had jaundice and was born with tongue, cheek, and lip ties.

Infants with jaundice can appear yellow, and yhe Mayo Clinic says the typical cause is that the “baby's liver isn't mature enough to get rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream.” Most babies will get better without treatment.

Tongue, cheek, and lip ties are tissue that tethers the tongue to the floor of the mouth, and the cheek and lips to the gums. A medical procedure can fix the issue if necessary.

The “Selling Sunset” star, who shares her son with husband Tarek El Moussa, posted a photo cuddled up with Tristan on a deck, and wrote, "Have been in mama hibernation mode for the past couple weeks but soaking up some fresh air today with my lovey🤍🤍.”

She went on, “As promised, I want to talk to you guys about my breastfeeding journey because it’s definitely been a journey !! I thought…. I’ll just pop him on my boob and feed him anytime. Ya no!!!”

El Moussa explained, “Tristan had tongue tie, cheek tie, lip tie and jaundice which were all caught very early on thanks to my incredible lactation specialist and @tonguetietribe, they’re literally baby fairies 🧚‍♀️.”

She said the ties made it hard for the newborn to “latch & suck,” adding, “And it made it so that he was burning a lot of calories because it was so hard for him to eat so his weight was dropping.”

The star said, “We’re now 2 weeks past getting his tongue tie fixed and he’s latching so well on the left side and we’re still working on the right side using non-traditional positions which were shown to me by the baby fairies 🧚‍♀️.”

Heather also offered some advice for new moms, saying she recommends seeing a lactation specialist and focusing on your “nutrition & hydration” while breastfeeding.

El Moussa ended by saying, “Even with all this going on, I genuinely love breastfeeding. I love the skin to skin connection and think it’s such a beautiful bonding experience. It might be hard and challenging at the moment but it is such a special experience that I get to share with our baby boy and we’re working together to make it easier like we’re a little team 🤍🍼.”

The breastfeeding post comes nearly a week after Heather shared her birth story on Instagram.

The 35-year-old reality star wrote, “We’d like to introduce Tristan Jay El Moussa to the world 🤍 6:55am 1-31-23 7lbs 7oz. Tristan was the name that Tarek was supposed to have, Jay is my dads middle name & 4 generations of Jay.”

She reported they had some “scary moments leading up to” his birth, writing, “It all happened really fast. Tristan’s heart rate was dropping very low every time I’d push & was staying low. Which was terrifying.”

The doctor told her she had four more pushes to go or they would have to resort to a vacuum device used to deliver babies — or an emergency C-section.

“Tarek was on my right holding my hand talking me through everything,” she recalled. “I pushed so hard all the blood vessels broke in my face and chest. Tarek yelled I see his head, push push push. Our baby boy came out healthy and beautiful, I was in a state of shock it was a surreal experience. I was emotional and drained & so in love already.”

El Moussa added, “It was scary, but beautiful & I had the best support from Tarek” and her doctor and nurses.

This is Heather’s first child, and Tarek’s third. He shares Taylor, 12, and Brayden, 7, with ex-wife Christina Hall.