Removing nipple piercings during pregnancy and after delivery is a common concern for expectant mothers. The necessity for removal is circumstantial, depending on comfort during pregnancy, hospital labor and delivery policy, and the decision to breastfeed. Understanding these stages helps manage the piercing and ensure safety for both mother and infant.
Managing Piercings During Physical Changes
The breasts undergo significant changes early in pregnancy due to hormonal fluctuations, which can make nipple piercings uncomfortable. Increased tenderness and sensitivity are common, and the tissue swells and stretches as milk ducts develop. This growth may cause the jewelry to feel tight, leading to irritation or the piercing migrating toward the skin’s surface.
If metal jewelry feels restrictive, permanent removal is not necessary during pregnancy. A common solution is to replace the metal with a longer, flexible retainer made from biocompatible plastic, such as Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or Bioplast. Switching to a retainer keeps the piercing channel open and accommodates the growing tissue without causing pressure.
Hospital Requirements for Labor and Delivery
The requirement for removing nipple jewelry becomes more definitive when preparing for labor and delivery, particularly in a hospital setting. Most medical facilities have a policy requiring the removal of all metal jewelry before birth. This is primarily a precautionary measure in case an emergency surgical procedure, such as an unplanned Cesarean section, becomes necessary.
Metal jewelry poses a risk when electrosurgery, or cauterization, is used to seal blood vessels during an operation. The electrical current from the cautery device could travel through the metal, creating an unintended pathway for electricity and potentially causing a severe burn to the patient’s skin. Removing all conductive metal eliminates this risk entirely. Even for a planned vaginal birth, the potential for an emergency C-section or other procedure is why many hospitals enforce a blanket rule for jewelry removal upon admission.
Considerations for Breastfeeding and Infant Safety
The decision to breastfeed introduces the strongest recommendation for removing the jewelry. A nipple piercing, even a flexible retainer, can pose a significant choking hazard if a part, such as a small ball end, becomes dislodged during a feeding session. The suction created by an infant’s latch is strong enough to potentially loosen jewelry, which creates a serious safety risk for the baby.
Wearing the jewelry while nursing can also interfere with the baby’s ability to achieve a proper latch on the breast. The presence of a hard bar or ring may prevent the infant from drawing the nipple and areola far enough into their mouth, which can lead to inefficient milk transfer and nipple trauma for the mother.
Furthermore, the jewelry may scrape or damage the delicate tissues of the baby’s mouth, gums, or palate. Piercing sites can also harbor bacteria, and the repeated handling of the jewelry for removal and reinsertion before and after each feed increases the risk of introducing bacteria to the infant or causing an infection like mastitis in the mother.
Although milk production is not usually affected, the extra holes from the piercing may result in a faster or messier milk flow that some infants struggle to manage. For these reasons, the safest guidance is to temporarily remove the jewelry for every nursing session or to take it out completely for the duration of the breastfeeding period.