She’s more than just a lactation consultant and an expert on breastfeeding and military moms. As if that weren't enough, Robyn Roche-Paull has also done a comprehensive study of the safety of body modifications -- specifically piercings and tattoos -- when you’re sharing your body via pregnancy or breastfeeding.
I’m so glad I spoke to her about this, because I’ve been planning my first tattoo (I figure I’ve finally, in my 40s, become mature enough to handle it), and I’m still breastfeeding. Duh, I should wait.
How come? Read on.
Amy Keyishian: So if a woman wants a nipple piercing, should she worry that eventually she’ll want to breastfeed, and this’ll screw things up?
Robyn Roche-Paull: No. Chances are, she’ll be fine. Repeated piercings sometimes create scar tissue that can block milk ducts, but in general, a clean piercing by a reputable, professional piercer shouldn’t cause issues. Anecdotally, I have found that breastfeeding is not affected by established nipple piercings. However, some moms do find that they leak, copiously, due to the extra holes in the nipples ... and some babies can find the extra flow difficult to manage. But nothing that isn't manageable by breast pads and some positioning changes.
Will a nursing mother have to take the piercing out when she breastfeeds?
I would recommend that, yes. A baby could choke on a piece of jewelry if it comes apart. It can also cause mouth sores in the baby and harbor bacteria. The mom can take it out for each feeding, or just take it out for the duration of her breastfeeding. She can also use flexible Teflon jewelry while she’s breastfeeding.
Yikes! Won’t the hole close up?
Well, if it healed properly, then it created a fistula, or a channel, that should allow for removal and replacement for each nursing session. But nipple piercings notoriously close up quickly, sometimes within a matter of hours, especially if they are only a few years old. And all the removal and reinsertion can cause irritation and also up the risk for infection, even if you’re very cautious about hand-washing.
What if you haven’t got one yet?
If you’re planning to get pregnant in the next 12 to 18 months, you should put off that piercing. It needs to be healed enough to comfortably remove before the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy. And if you’re pregnant, forget it. No reputable piercer will knowingly pierce a pregnant woman.
How about tattoos? If you’ve already got them, does that have any effect on breastfeeding?
Absolutely not. No matter where your tattoo is, as long as you didn’t contract a disease during the application of that tattoo, it won’t affect your pregnancy or breastfeeding.
The ink doesn’t go into your body?
No. It is deposited into the dermal layer of the skin, where it is trapped. It would have to migrate into the mom’s blood plasma, and then somehow into the milk-making cells of the breast. If that happened, no one would have any tattoos left after a couple of years as the ink would vanish, male or female! Honestly, the risk is negligible. Keep in mind, though, that the inks are not regulated by the FDA and some mothers have experienced allergic reactions to the ink -- not something you might want to deal with while breastfeeding!
What about getting a tattoo when pregnant?
Again, I’d wait. When you’re pregnant, your body’s too busy making a baby. Why would you ask it to work overtime healing a tattoo? Plus, some moms are more sensitive while pregnant, so it might hurt more. And again, a reputable tattoo artist will not tattoo a pregnant woman, period.
Like getting waxed hurts more when you’re pregnant. Ask me how I know.
Right. And then, of course, there’s the risk of infection or an allergic reaction to the ink. Of course, you’re going to pick the most responsible and reputable artist possible, but there’s always an element of risk, and this isn’t the time to take that risk.
So women should wait 'til after the baby’s born.
It’s your call, of course, but that same risk is in play when you’re breastfeeding. If you get an infection, it can be passed to the baby. And once again, most reputable tattoo artists will not, knowingly, tattoo a breastfeeding mother either.
And in general, anyone getting a piercing or tattoo should follow basic safety guidelines.
Yes. You want to be careful about who does this work whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding or not. If they don't follow universal precautions, I'd run the other direction!
You can read more about the research Roche-Paull has done here.
What’s your experience with tattoos, piercings, and motherhood? Did you get attitude from your doctors? Did you have difficulty breastfeeding? Tell us in the comments!
Image via Aimee.Knight/Flickr
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Comments 62
You have a lot to learn.
Yes there are some people who do it for just the attention.
But people, like myself, do it for themselves and not for others. Being stared at is not what I was thinking when I did my modifications. It just comes with getting the work. I know plenty of other modified parents who can jump in on this as well if need be. Before you judge other, make sure when you look in the mirror you can't be judged yourself.
"be aware that most people are looking at you and not in a good way"
I'm going to guess that you're not actually trying to speak for "most people", and are making this statement based on what you and the people you know think. It's funny, because if I were to speak for myself and the people I know, I would say that most people are looking at you and not in a good way. Know why? You're plain jane, with your 'tattoos are tacky' attitude.
Honestly, I don't understand why people like you care. Why do you object so strongly to the idea of tattoos or piercings that it causes you to judge people you don't even know? Like I said before, most people I know have tattoos or piercings. Does that mean that when I see someone on the street who has no visible modifications, that I think less of them? No, it just means that they have no visible modifications.
Whether it's tattoos, skin color, clothes a person may be wearing - Don't judge a book by it's cover. Even those of us with prettier covers ;)
Same concept, just different ways of modifying your body. :)
Breast implants, Botox, liposuctions, piercings, tattoos, Subdermal Inplants, etc.. They all fall into the same category whether it's perceived that way or not. :)
Look into the documentary Modify. It might just open your eyes to a whole new way of thinking and a whole new respect.
tinypossum: im going to guess that you have never had any piercings further than possibly your ears. Im not trying to be rude or judgey, just state the facts. When you say "...poking a hole in your flesh with a piece of metal and leaving it there. If it heals, it's permanent. Taking siad metal out is not the same thing as the hole going away." Is acutally wrong. Even when a piercing has had years to heal completely, when you take the jewelry out the hole will close up and most likely not be visible anymore. I have had an industrial ear cartillage piercing, tongue piercing, and belly button. I have taken all the jewelry out and all the piercings have healed completely and are no longer visible what so ever, other than my bellybutton which has shrunk but is only visible because I got stretch marks from the piercing area when I was pregnant.
My tattoo is not visible when Im wearing clothing of any sort so I have never had negative comments or weird looks. I prefer to have my enhancements (tattoos) hidden only to be shared between myself and my husband. AND I am DEF. looking for attention from him ;) so maybe you're right about that one!
tinypossum:
If only more mothers (ahem stir commenters) were more openminded after explanations!!! Rock on, girl! :) The reasons you listed that you wear makeup and have your hair colored are actually the Same reasons that some people get tattoos and piercings. Sometimes we mothers can be so different but very much alike at the same time. THANK YOU!!