Pregnancy/child birth and piercings/tattoos

[bagpuss]

Hello!!
I am 20 weeks pregnant,and need some advice about my piercings.
I have both nipples pierced,my navel and my clitoral hood,as well as my tongue,tragus and all the other usual ear piercings.
I don't personally know of anyone who has gone through pregnancy and child birth with piercings(apart from navel piercings),so I thought the best place to ask would be on this forum!

I have heard all about navel retainers,the pregnancy sites that I have been on seem to only mention these, but no one can tell me about my other piercings -I would like to know how will my body react to them now it is changing,can I keep them in throughout pregnancy and childbirth,and if I have to take them out what about healing times?? Can I use the plastic type retainers in all my piercings that will need to be removed?
(I have had my nipples pierced around 12 years,my hood around 10 years,my navel around 14 years)
Also,has anyone had experience of breastfeeding with nipple piercings?

I also have tattoos,three on my upper arms,1 very large one on my lower back(like half my back),1 on my upper back,and on my legs.This may sound silly,but how does pregnancy affect tattoos - do they stretch and distort with our bodies or what!!

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Bagpuss

 

[Dee1985]

hi hun i had my nipple pierced in my last pregnancy and i got my navel and tragus did have tongue none of them affected my last pregnancy my belly bar got a bit annoyin once my belly button popped out but my nipple was fine but i didnt breast feed.

 

[stephlw25]

tatoos wont really stretch unless they are on your belly or a place thats likely to get bigger during pregnancy...my friend had a dolphin on her lower belly and when she was pregnant it turned into a whale!!! And now afterwards having had 3 babies she said its a dead whale!!!!

 

[bagpuss]

stephlw25

Thanks for the replies - dionne, did they make you take any of your piercings out during child birth??

I'm just trying to prepare myself incase I had to take them out!

 

[Layla]

my sister had her hood pierced and she had to take hers out when she gave birth,

i have 8 tatoos and unless they are on your tummy they dont really change, i have one on my right boob that got a bit bigger, but it didnt distort or anything, it started as a baby lizard just now its a fully grown adult lol

 

[bagpuss]

Layla!
Did your sister put her hood piercing back in,I obviously don't want it to grow over and have to have it pierced again,cause I know that piercing scar tissue hurts!
Someone said that because I have had it done for so long it may remain open,but I'm curious to know what will go on - any help would be great!!

 

[Layla]

im not sure hun, she had her little girl on the 1st dec, i will text her to ask and let you know
x

 

[Amanda]

I know it's not quite the same, but I can leave my earrings out for months without the holes closing up. So you should be okay to remove your hood piercing during labour and put it back in afterwards as you have had it done a few years.

I've got 4 tattoos, but one of them is a tribal/celtic type circle around my belly button, which is also pierced. So I'm really worried that it won't be a circle afterwards.

 

[Layla]

just text her for you.

she lost the bar or something so she never put it back in, she thinks its healed up now so it didnt take long

 

[Dee1985]

nope i kept all mine in i just took my nipple one out wen dior was 8weeks as my other half hated it and i took my tongue one out cuz i had a lisp... no one mentioned my belly bar.

 

[bagpuss]

That's great,thanks everyone!
So with a bit of luck I should be able to get away with just taking out my hood piercing,and hopefully being able to get it back in afterwards.I'm hoping because it's been done for so long it'll be like Tanketts ears and I can get it back in!!

Thanks again,you're all stars!!

 

[stephlw25]

I also took my belly button piercing out when i went into hosptal, i forgot about it for over a week and it still went back in fine! I used the plastic retainer thing throughout my pregnancy and it was a lot more comfortable thatn the metal ones!

 

[LauraB]

I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I didn't give a little plug now and again for the great range of pregnancy retainers, for navel and non-navel piercings, available at Ouch! Body Jewellery ...

 

[bagpuss]

Thats great,I'll take a look now and see if I can get some ordered ready just in case,thanks again everyone......