Tips For Keeping the Pregnancy Belly Ring

What Is a Belly Button Piercing?

A belly button piercing is when you have a ring or other ornament through the skin around your belly button. If you want to get a belly button piercing, keep in mind that it only takes a few minutes to get it done, but it can take up to a year to heal. During that time — as well as after — you’ll need to take extra care of this area.

Are belly rings out of style?

The navel piercing trend is on the rise for 2021! With crop tops on the up and up, a little belly bling is necessary. However, 2021 belly button rings are not as sparkly as their early 2000s predecessors. Instead, the trend is minimalistic and muted gold hoops.

Is it safe to get or have a belly button ring when I’m pregnant?

A belly button ring is safe during pregnancy, but if you don’t already have one, you may want to wait and get it after you give birth. There are two important considerations.

First, your abdomen grows and stretches during pregnancy, and the area around the belly button ring can become irritated. It can be more difficult to keep that area clean as the skin becomes tight around the ring, and if the area gets infected, you could develop scarring.

Second, the belly button ring should be removed before you go into labor. In the United States, you have a 20 to 25 percent chance of having a c-section if you have no known complications at the end of your pregnancy. If you have a cesarean birth you can’t have metal in your body in the area where the incision will be made.

The equipment used to close off bleeding vessels during surgery is an electric cauterization tool that could damage the metal ring and the surrounding tissue. Even if the belly button ring is not metal, you wouldn’t want to lose it in your abdomen during surgery.

Who Should Not Get a Belly Button Piercing?

Some health issues can make it harder for your body to heal or cause you to have a reaction after you get a piercing. Talk to your doctor first if you have:

  • Diabetes
  • Hemophilia
  • An autoimmune disorder
  • Heart problems
  • A skin condition around your belly button (like a rash, open sore, or moles)

If you are pregnant or overweight, a belly button ring could move around under your skin, which can lead to scarring.

Belly Button Piercing Safety

If you want to have a belly button piercing, take steps to prevent problems:

  • Choose a piercer with care. Just because a piercer has a license doesn’t mean they’re well trained and experienced in piercing. Ask your piercer how long they’ve been doing this and how they learned. Ask how they continue to learn and improve. This is important because piercing does have risks, including infection and the possibility of spreading blood-borne diseases. A good piercer should be willing to talk to you about their qualifications and the details of the piercing you want. If you don’t trust them, look for another piercer.
  • Go to a salon you trust. Look for a clean, sanitary shop that has a license from the Association of Professional Piercers. You should see a sign on the wall. The lighting should be good so your piercer can see what they’re doing.
  • Make sure the needle is sanitary. Instruments should be in sealed pouches, which shows they are sterile. If your piercer uses a disposable, one-use needle, you should watch them open a new package.
  • Choose your jewelry carefully. Medical-grade stainless steel is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Other safe choices include gold (14 karat or higher), titanium, and niobium. The ring or stud you choose should have a shiny finish and be free of nicks, scratches, or rough edges.

If the jewelry has irregular surfaces, your skin will grow to fill those areas. Anytime the jewelry gets moved, your skin could tear. If this happens a lot, you’ll get scarring and it may take even longer to heal. You’ll also be at more risk of infection.

Belly Button Piercing Risks

Although many people don’t have any problems after they get a body piercing, you could have:

  • Infection. A piercing on your belly button is more likely to get infected than other body parts because of its shape. It’s easy for bacteria to hole up inside it. If the piercing needle wasn’t sterile, there’s a chance you could get serious infections like hepatitis or tetanus.
  • Tearing. If your jewelry catches on things, it could tear your skin. If this happens, you may need stitches.
  • Allergic reaction. This is often due to nickel in the jewelry.
  • Scarring. Thick, lumpy scars called keloids may form around the site of your piercing.
  • Migration or rejection. Sometimes a piercing move from its original spot or your body could reject it. This happens most when the piercing wasn’t done in a good place or when the jewelry is too small or of poor quality.

If you run into problems or decide you don’t want it, simply take out your ring or stud. Fresh belly piercings tend to close quickly. If you’ve had one for years, it can close in a few weeks, but for some people, it can take longer.

Make sure you clean the area regularly until it’s fully healed. If you want to keep your piercing for the long term, put jewelry in it all the time.

Belly Button Piercing Procedure

If you go to a salon to get your piercing, a trained piercer will pass a sterile, hollow needle through the loose skin of your navel. Here’s what to expect:

  • Your piercer will mark the spot to be pierced.
  • You’ll feel a sharp pinch and can expect a small amount of blood.
  • The jewelry you choose will go through this new opening.
  • Expect to pay for both the piercing and the jewelry you pick.
  • You shouldn’t get this done with a piercing gun since it can damage your tissue and raise the chances of infection.

How Long Do Belly Piercings Take to Heal?

A navel ring is located in a fleshy area (as opposed to cartilage) with plenty of blood supply. Most individuals will notice the outside of the piercing appear healed up in about four (4) to six (6) weeks. Be gentle with it, because your piercing is probably still healing on the inside.

Everybody’s healing process will be different, but you will more than likely want to give it at least two (2) to three (3) months to fully heal. To be safe, you should plan for at least six (6) to eight (8) months of diligent aftercare.

If you plan to get pregnant, make sure your belly piercing is fully healed if you plan on keeping your mod. Before you try to swap out your freshly pierced belly ring for a retainer, it’s important to make sure that you have completely healed to avoid the possibility of injury or infection.

Belly Button Piercing Aftercare

Unlike pierced ears, which take 4-6 weeks to heal, your belly button may not fully heal for up to 1 year. You’ll go home with tips on how to keep your new piercing clean and prevent infection. You’ll need to:

  • Wash your hands before you touch your piercing. Also, don’t let anyone else touch the area until it has healed.
  • Swab with saline solution to keep it clean and avoid infection. At least once a day, dab the area with clean gauze or a paper towel soaked with saline solution. You can use a ready-made brand or dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm, distilled, or bottled water. If your piercer suggests that you use soap, choose a mild, scent-free one. Rinse well so you don’t leave any soap behind.
  • Don’t clean too much. Cleaning too often or too much can slow down healing.
  • Gently dry the area with a clean, disposable paper product.
  • Leave any crust alone. It’s normal for a white or yellow-colored fluid (not pus) to ooze from your new piercing. This may form a crust that can itch or feel tight. Try not to pick at it, since that will cause the area to bleed. This crust will come off on its own as your piercing heals.
  • Don’t put anything on your belly button unless a doctor tells you to. That includes lotions, oil, and perfume. Even antibacterial cream and hydrogen peroxide may slow healing or trap bacteria inside your new opening.
  • Wear clean, loose, and soft clothes. Tight clothing and rough fabric will rub against your piercing, which can make it take longer to heal. You may want to use a stretchy, elastic bandage to hold an eye patch over your belly button and protect the area.
  • Stay out of lakes, hot tubs, and pools. A waterproof bandage may help, but it’s best to avoid any water that may not be clean and could cause an infection.
  • Don’t wear charms or dangly jewelry in your piercing. Hanging or dangly charms or jewelry can get pulled and tear your skin.
  • Watch for signs of infection. These include redness, swelling, yellow or green discharge, or pain when you touch the site. You could also have a fever. If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away.

Is it safe to keep a belly button piercing when pregnant?

If you’ve recently learned of the pregnancy, your first thought might be to remove your belly button piercing. But you don’t need to react so quickly.

The short answer is yes, it is safe to keep a fully healed belly button piercing while pregnant. But although it’s generally safe, it makes sense to remove the piercing in some situations.

Everyone’s body is different. So as your baby bump grows, your experience with a belly button piercing might differ from another person’s experience.

Concerns as you grow

If you keep your belly button piercing during pregnancy, know that you could experience some discomfort as your abdomen stretches to make room for your baby. As your baby bump grows and your skin becomes taut, the piercing might pull on your skin.

This can lead to soreness, redness, and small tears around your navel. If you have tearing or injury to the belly button, there’s the risk of developing an infection, if bacteria gets into the wound.

As your belly bump grows, the belly piercing might also rub against your clothing, which might cause some discomfort, too.

Concerns during delivery

Some people choose not to remove a piercing and keep the belly button ring throughout their entire pregnancy — even delivering with the piercing. This is possible. If you have a vaginal delivery, a belly button piercing doesn’t get in the way.

It might, however, get in the way if you have a cesarean section.

Of course, even if you plan for a vaginal delivery, circumstances can rapidly change. In which case, you might need an unexpected C-section. To prepare for this possibility, some expecting mothers remove their belly button piercing before heading to the hospital, just in case.

How Do I Adjust the Length of My Pregnancy Belly Ring?

At an eye-catching 2″ long, you might be wondering why pregnancy belly rings come at such a strange length. They come long on purpose – pregnancy rings can be trimmed down to fit an individual’s unique piercing needs as their body changes throughout the pregnancy.

  1. Unscrew – remove the ball end from the top of your pregnancy retainer. You can also remove the bottom ball if necessary – they will both be able to be screwed back on later.
  2. Measure – carefully measure out the length of barbell that you’ll need to accommodate your growing belly. Remove your current jewelry and insert your retainer to figure out a comfortable length that works for you.
  3. Trim – Remove the jewelry from your piercing. Cut the bioplast retainer with a pair of scissors at approximately a 45 degree angle. Make sure you trim it at the length you previously measured – remember you can always trim more, but you can’t add length back on once it’s snipped!
  4. Re-screw – screw the ball end back onto the end that has just been cut. Bioplast is a unique material in that the threading inside of the ball will re-thread the snipped end of the retainer. This might take a few tries, but the threads will eventually form.
  5. Adjust – snip more and re-thread the end if you need to make any further adjustments… Otherwise, congratulations on both your pregnancy and your safe and comfy navel ring!

Tips for keeping a belly button piercing while pregnant

Keep it clean

If you choose to keep a belly button piercing during pregnancy, take steps to keep the surrounding skin as clean as possible. You should also take steps to minimize discomfort or pain from friction.

To be clear, though, if your belly button piercing has completely healed, there’s no special care required during pregnancy. Typically, it takes about nine months to one year for a belly button piercing to fully heal.

Watch for infection

If you have minor tearing or injury to your belly button due to stretching of your skin, washing the area with warm water and antibacterial soap can help prevent an infection. You can also apply a topical antibacterial ointment to the skin.

Signs of an infection can include redness, skin that’s warm to the touch, and drainage from the navel. See a doctor if you have signs of an infection.

To avoid infection, you should daily cleanse the navel area in the shower or bath. Completely remove the belly button piercing at least once a week to thoroughly cleanse this area with warm soap and water. Allow the area to air dry before re-inserting the belly button ring.

Consider changing your jewelry

For comfort, you can remove your current belly button jewelry and replace it with a maternity or pregnancy belly button ring.

These rings are made out of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a flexible, nickel-free wire. It’s designed to expand as your body changes and as your belly grows. These rings help prevent skin stretching and skin injury.

Dress for comfort

If you keep a belly button piercing, it also helps to wear loose-fitting clothes. This includes loose-fitting shirts that don’t rub or tug at the belly button ring, as well as maternity pants with a lower band to avoid irritating the navel area.

Tips for taking out a belly button piercing while pregnant

Remove piercings that haven’t healed

If you become pregnant before your navel piercing completely heals, the recommendation is to remove the body piercing until after you have the baby.

Your body will go through several changes over the next few weeks and months — changes that can interfere with the healing process. If you keep the piercing, the unhealed hole in your skin can become bigger as your baby bump increases in size. A larger hole combined with a slower healing time puts you at risk of infection.

If you remove a belly button piercing before it fully heals, keeps your navel area and surrounding skin clean to prevent infection. Again, gently wash the area each day with warm water and antibacterial soap, and see your doctor if you have signs of an infection.

Re-insert periodically to keep the hole

If your piercing has fully healed, yet you choose to remove the belly button ring, the hole might close. To prevent this, you can re-insert the piercing and move it around a couple of times a week. This helps keep the hole open.

If this doesn’t work, you may have to re-pierce your belly button after having the baby.

Don’t pierce when pregnant

Not only should you remove a recent belly button piercing after getting pregnant, you should hold off on getting any type of piercings during pregnancy.

Pregnancy can weaken your immune system, putting you at risk of infection. So avoid puncturing any part of your body at this time. Unsterile piercing equipment has been linked to hepatitis B and C. Plus, there’s the risk of a reaction due to contact sensitivity to gold or nickel.

Takeaway

Navel or belly button piercings are a form of self-expression. And fortunately, it is safe to keep a piercing throughout pregnancy, if it’s fully healed.

However, you should remove a piercing that causes discomfort or pain, and your doctor might recommend removing the piercing before going to the hospital for delivery — in case you need a C-section.

Keep in mind that these temporary precautions are for the health and well-being of you and your baby.

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