When to take out belly button ring during pregnancy

Moms with body mods are everywhere, and it’s no longer unusual to see badass mothers with full sleeve tattoos or other beautiful body art. But can piercings and pregnancy go together? Many people invest a lot of time, effort, money — not to mention discomfort — into their gorgeous body modifications. Over time, they just feel like another part of your body. But what happens when a baby is on the way? can you keep your belly button ring during pregnancy? It might feel weird to give up a beloved piercing, especially if it’s been with you for a few years.

It turns out there are ways to safely keep your belly button piercing in during the nine month duration, and there are also some cases where you might be better off removing it for a while. As with many things, it depends on your situation and comfort level. And if you’re seriously concerned about the piercing, then a chat with your OB-GYN can provide a more personalized recommendation on the pros and cons of belly button rings during this phase. In the meantime, here are a couple schools of thought on the matter from physicians and professional piercers alike.

The Keep It Camp

According to the American Pregnancy Association, there is no medical reason to remove healed piercings during pregnancy. As long as you’re comfortable, and the piercing has healed up properly, it’s fine. The Association of Professional Piercers seconds this advice, and notes that some women leave in belly jewelry for the duration of their pregnancy and delivery. If the regular jewelry starts to catch on clothing as your belly grows, you may consider replacing it with a retainer made from Tygon or PTFE, which are similar to fishing line and can bend to fit your changing body. There are even specialized flexible belly button rings that you can use for the duration of your pregnancy. If you decide to go without any jewelry or a retainer, then there is a chance that the piercing will close, but in this case you may be able to get the jewelry put back in place with an insertion taper (or, in other cases, get it repierced).

The Remove It Camp

There are cases, however, when removing the belly button jewelry might be a better idea. As the American Pregnancy Association explains, if your piercing failed to heal properly, or is currently irritated, then this might be a good time to take it out. In the case of piercings that have not received proper care, infections like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV/AIDS may occur. And an article in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology notes that naval piercings may cause stretch marks from the growing belly. Overall, though, well-healed piercings are not likely to present many problems.

However, it is important to note that new piercings are a no-go during pregnancy, and for a few months after giving birth. The American Pregnancy Association advises you don't get any new piercings while you are pregnant because your growing and changing body may make it difficult for new piercings to heal completely. And if you're dying to get a new piercing post-baby, the Association of Professional Piercers recommends a three month waiting period after you give birth before getting any new work done.

As always, it's important to consult with your OB-GYN before pursing anything during pregnancy that affects your body. And when it's something that occurs so close to the bump, you want to make sure you have all the information.

Belly button bling doesn’t need to get the flick during pregnancy, but a little extra care will go a long way to keeping it looking good when your bump bulges.

A belly button piercing is perfectly safe to keep during pregnancy, as long as it wasn’t done in the last four weeks. It’s just a matter of keeping it clean and watching it closely as your belly grows.

Looking after a belly button piercing during pregnancy

First things first, it’s time to make a call – leave it in or take it out, and it’s totally up to you.

Taking it out

If you decide to take it out while you’re pregnant, you’ll need to pop a belly ring through the hole every few days so it doesn’t close up. Or you can try using a flexible belly bar while you’re pregnant – a little more comfy as bump grows. Also, if you’re having a c-section your doctor may ask for your piercing to be removed, so it’s worth checking beforehand.

Most mums-to-be find that around the six-month mark is when their bellies really pop, and this is a good time to take out your piercing. Remember to wash your hands well before taking it out – if you find it’s stuck to your skin or won’t move, you’ll need to see your doctor.

After you remove the jewellery, give the hole and your belly button area a really good wash and then let it air dry. Pop a bandaid over your belly button to try and stop it getting infected.

Remember to give your belly some time to heal after having bub before you pop your piercing back in.

Leaving it in

If you leave it in, keep a close eye on it as your belly grows, and follow these few steps to make sure it stays free of infection.

1. Take the jewellery out of your belly button regularly (once a week) and give it a scrub with warm water and soap. Make sure it’s completely dry before putting it back in.
2. Keep the hole in your belly button super clean. Wash it in the shower or bath, but also a daily wipe with a soapy washcloth, and then rinse the area.
3. Don’t play with it! Now that your belly is growing it’s tempting to touch the piercing, but it needs to be left along – by you and anyone else (including your other kiddos). If they do touch it, make sure you wipe the area with a soapy cloth.
4. Wear looser clothing so your jewellery doesn’t get snagged. Maternity pants that go over your bump may get caught so try and find ones that have a lower band.

Source: What To Expect, WebMD

No, it's not safe to get piercings while pregnant. Piercing during pregnancy isn't recommended because even if the piercing is performed safely, there's always a chance that an infection at the piercing site could occur and spread to your bloodstream, which poses a risk to your baby since their immune system is too weak to fight it. Because your immune system is weakened during pregnancy, a new piercing makes you and your baby even more susceptible to a potential infection.

Getting a piercing while pregnant puts you at risk for:

• Infection, which can travel to the bloodstream and your baby
• A severe allergic reaction to the metals in the jewelry used
• Itching or irritation at the piercing site 
• In extreme cases, the potential to contract hepatitis or HIV from the piercing needle

A reputable piercing parlor won't pierce you if they know you're pregnant because doing so is not worth the risk. It’s best to plan your next piercing for at least three months after you've had your baby.

For these same reasons, doctors also advise against women getting new tattoos while pregnant.

Should I take out my piercings during pregnancy?

Generally speaking, there's no medical reason why you’d need to remove piercings while pregnant – your doctor will likely approve of you keeping fully healed body piercings in throughout pregnancy. However, if you do keep them in, it's essential that you clean them thoroughly with soap and water daily – you want to keep bacteria far away from the spot where the jewelry has punctured your skin.

If any of your piercings begin to itch, burn, or otherwise irritate your skin, or if you find that your piercing is getting stuck on your clothes, consider taking it out until after you give birth.

Depending on the body part, piercings generally take three to six months to fully heal, so keep a closer eye on any piercing you got shortly before you found out you were pregnant. Be on the lookout for potential infections, and contact your OB/GYN or midwife if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Intense pain or burning sensation at the puncture site
• Redness or red streaks coming from the piercing
• Discharge/pus coming from the piercing
• A swollen bump near the piercing
• Fever

Belly button rings and pregnancy

Keeping a pregnancy belly ring in is okay if the piercing is fully healed, meaning that you got your belly button pierced at least six weeks or so prior to finding out you’re expecting. However, there's a chance your pregnancy belly ring will feel tight or that the hole will stretch out to the point of discomfort, especially if your belly button “pops.” If so, remove the belly ring completely and, if you choose to, re-pierce it again a few months after you give birth.

If you're worried about your belly button piercing hole closing up (and, again, if your piercing is fully healed), you can replace any bothersome metal jewelry with a piece of clean fishing line or Teflon body jewelry (known as PTFE, or polytetrafluorethylene), which flexes with your growing belly.

Pregnant belly button piercings generally don't interfere with a vaginal birth, but a belly button ring could get in the way during a c-section (cesarean section) birth, even though most c-section incisions run horizontally along the bikini line and aren’t near the belly button. For this reason, you may decide to remove the jewelry before heading for the hospital, just in case.

Wash your belly button piercing daily with plain soap and warm water to reduce the risk of infection. The belly button can easily collect lint and bacteria, so good hygiene is important.

Can you get your nose pierced while pregnant?

No, it’s advised to avoid nose piercings while pregnant – the risks associated with getting a body piercing while pregnant apply to facial piercings too. Nose piercing may seem like a safe option, but you could still contract an infection or scarring from this piercing due to your weakened immune system during pregnancy. Plus, in the rare chance that you’ll have to undergo general anesthesia during a complicated delivery, a nose ring might get in the way and have to be removed.

There are some common pregnancy symptoms that affect the nose and the nasal passages, such as nosebleeds while pregnant and stuffy noses while pregnant. Both of these conditions would likely be exacerbated if you had to deal with a new nose piercing on top of things.

Can you get your ears pierced while pregnant?

Unfortunately, no – it's best to not get your ears pierced while pregnant. It may seem like the safest option of them all, but getting your ears pierced during pregnancy carries the same risks of infection as body piercings and nose piercings do. That risk is even greater if your piercer uses a piercing gun instead of a needle (which is what's commonly used at the places you see in shopping malls and jewelry stores), since it's more difficult to properly sanitize the gun between uses.

Professional piercers advise waiting until about three months after birth to get any type of ear piercing, including an earlobe, cartilage, or helix piercing. 

Nipple piercing and pregnancy

All piercings come with risks, but there are additional risks associated with getting a nipple piercing during pregnancy, including:

• A heightened risk of infection, since the tissue around the nipple and areola is sensitive
• A heightened risk of abscess, a pus-filled pimple that forms on the nipple
• A heightened risk of mastitis
• An infection that could travel to the milk ducts
• Torn skin, if the nipple ring gets caught on clothing

If your nipple piercings are fully healed, then it's technically safe to keep them in while you're pregnant. However, since you’re likely to experience breast changes during pregnancy, you may find your nipple rings catching on clothing or otherwise bugging you. In that case, it may be best to remove them.

Keeping a nipple piercing in while breastfeeding, however, can pose a threat to both you and your baby. A nipple ring is a choking hazard for your baby, and it can interfere with your baby’s ability to get a good breastfeeding latch, as well as cause nerve damage that could affect your milk flow and milk production.

If you're planning on breastfeeding, you'll want to say goodbye to your nipple piercings. You could remove your nipple ring before each breastfeeding session, but this isn't recommended – all that extra handling only increases the chances of infection. If you do this, make sure you wash your hands and the nipple ring thoroughly before every feed.

Genital piercings and pregnancy

Just like with your breasts, your vagina goes through a lot of hormonal changes throughout the course of your pregnancy; you'll have more vaginal discharge during pregnancy, and your vulva and labia will be changing as well. These hormonal shifts may cause discomfort with your genital piercing.

If your genital piercing isn't bothering you and your healthcare provider okays it, you can leave it in. However, as your due date approaches, it's best to remove the jewelry due to the stretching, pulling, and tugging that area will go through during childbirth. Genital piercings can also increase the risk of tearing during a vaginal delivery.

Take care of your genital piercing the same way you did before you were pregnant, by carefully washing the area with ordinary soap and warm water.