Who among you likes to have your belly button pierced, especially because a pierced navel will look sexier afterwards? Unfortunately, if you're currently pregnant, having a belly button piercing can be a troublesome experience, especially since the risk of skin stretching, and belly button pain and infection can increase rapidly. Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can follow to treat, manage, or remove belly button earrings while pregnant. This article also contains tips for navel piercing for pregnant women, you know!
Step
Part 1 of 3: Caring for Piercings in the Navel While Pregnant
Step 1. Clean the earrings regularly
To prevent the risk of infection, make sure your piercing is always clean and sterile! At least once a day, remove the earrings (if the piercer allows them), then clean them with warm, soapy water.
- Rub the entire surface of the earring vigorously to clean it. Then, dry the earrings with paper towels or a towel before reusing them.
- Use a soap that is safe for the skin. That is, avoid soaps that contain fragrances and other additives because they are prone to triggering infections.
Step 2. Clean the navel area well
While bathing, do not skip the ritual to clean and sterilize the navel area so that infection does not occur. Every day, wipe the navel area with a towel that has been soaked in warm, soapy water to clean it.
- After cleaning, dry the navel area with a paper towel or dry towel by patting lightly instead of rubbing or pressing.
- Always have a cortisone lotion or cream on hand that you can apply whenever your skin looks red or feels dry. Previously, check the product packaging because some antibiotics should not be consumed by pregnant women.
- Do not scratch or rub the navel area with your fingernails or nails to reduce the risk of infection.
Step 3. Do not constantly touch or play with the earrings
Because pregnant women's skin tends to be more elastic, touching or playing with earrings is at risk of making the skin loosen or even tear.
- Don't allow others to touch, kiss, or even lick your earrings! Remember, the transfer of bacteria and/or fluids has the potential to infect the area.
- If you are in the habit of touching your earrings without realizing it, or accidentally allowing others to touch them, wash the area immediately with warm, soapy water.
Step 4. Wear loose clothing
Since your earrings may get caught in the fabric as your belly expands and your clothes feel tighter, always try to wear loose-fitting clothes! Do not also wear special pants for pregnant women that are too tight because the height generally reaches the stomach and the earrings are at risk of getting caught there. Make sure any pants and clothes you wear are about 2.5 cm from the piercing site, so that the earrings have enough room to move and are not at risk of snagging.
- Try buying clothes at a store that specializes in various items for pregnant women. Such a store will definitely sell pants and clothes that are large and fit for you to wear. Remember, don't wear clothes that are too tight (even if the material is loose) if you have a belly button piercing, especially since your earrings can still get stuck there.
- If the shirt is too tight, the earrings can get caught and tear the skin of the belly button. If these problems occur, contact a doctor immediately and do not try to treat a serious wound with over-the-counter antibiotics!
Step 5. Don't wear a belt, or pants and clothes that are too tight
During pregnancy, your belly will gradually expand and press against your old clothes. As a result, the earrings may get stuck and tear the skin around the navel. If this situation occurs, contact a doctor immediately and do not use over-the-counter antibiotics to treat a serious condition!
Step 6. Use a salt water bath
This is one of the natural remedies to reduce the risk of infection and prevent the spread of disease. If you are taking antibiotics prescribed by a doctor, do not use this method because it can interfere with the performance of the drug.
- Add 1 tsp. salt into a glass of warm water, stir both until smooth using a spoon.
- Soak a towel in the solution, then gently pat it over the pierced area. Make sure you wash the surrounding skin area too! If you want, you can also sprinkle the solution on your belly button area with your hands, but make sure your hands are completely clean beforehand.
- Before applying the solution, dry the navel area with a paper towel or dry towel. Wait until your skin is completely dry before you put your clothes back on.
Step 7. Use a warm compress or a cold compress
Compressing the belly button area with warm or cold temperatures can help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of infection. If you want, you can also compress the belly button with a bottle of warm water, a cold compress, or a strong, flexible plastic bag.
- If you want to use a plastic bag, make sure the material used is thick enough to prevent water from leaking out and injuring the inflamed area.
- Put warm or cold water in the bag. Then, lie down and lift your clothes, then compress the skin around the navel with the plastic bag. Don't press too hard on the bag so it doesn't get more inflamed!
- After you finish compressing the navel and the pain has subsided, let the navel temperature return to normal before lowering the clothes or changing them to new ones.
Step 8. Use tea tree oil or emu oil
Both are natural remedies that pocket minor health benefits. To use it, you just need to apply a small amount of oil to the pierced belly button area. Then, clean the area with a kitchen paper towel or wet towel. Before changing clothes, make sure the area is completely dry. If you experience a negative allergic reaction to the use of oils, contact your doctor immediately!
Part 2 of 3: Removing the Earrings
Step 1. Determine the right time to remove the earrings
Pregnant women often complain of sensitive, inflamed, or irritated skin, and having earrings in the belly button can increase this risk. If the navel area begins to feel uncomfortable during pregnancy, immediately remove the earrings that are attached there.
- Check the condition of the skin for any reddened and/or dry areas. In addition, continue to monitor to ensure the treatment method that is being carried out is going well.
- Remove the earrings by the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy. Generally, the area around the belly button of most women who are pregnant will be the largest at this time. As a result, intense pain will arise if the earring is not removed immediately, especially since the widening and tightening of the skin surface will push the earring against the center at that time.
- If you do not know the cause of the pain that appears, do not hesitate to contact your doctor.
Step 2. Wash your hands thoroughly before removing the earrings
Cover your hands with warm, soapy water, then rub your palms together until the soap foams. Make sure you also clean the entire area between your fingers and behind your nails. Be careful, removing earrings with dirty hands can get your belly button infected!
Step 3. Shake the earring left and right to make it loose
Don't push yourself if the earrings don't loosen or stick to the skin underneath. If this situation occurs, immediately seek help from a doctor or expert piercing.
Step 4. Find the part that is shaped like a “ball” at the end of the earring
Generally, it is considered a part that has no decorative function. To remove an earring, hold the barbell with one hand, then slowly spin the ball with the other hand. Beforehand, gently shake the ball to make sure the earrings can be removed safely and easily. If it seems that this goal cannot be achieved, immediately seek help from a doctor or expert piercing.
Step 5. Pull the earrings out
Do this process as slowly as possible! If you feel that your earring is stuck when you try to remove it, don't force it and contact a piercer or doctor immediately.
Step 6. Sterilize the area
Wet a towel or kitchen paper with warm, soapy water, then lightly pat the piercing area until the navel is thoroughly washed. Then, wait for the area to dry completely before covering it with a small bandage to prevent the area from becoming infected afterwards.
Step 7. Insert the earrings into the piercing periodically
Most likely, the piercing will slowly close after the earrings are removed. To fix this, stick the earring into the piercing every few days or a few weeks to keep it open.
- Leave the earrings in the piercing for a few minutes to an hour. Don't let it sit any longer so that the pain from the earring pressing on the uterus doesn't come back.
- Be careful when you do this. Make sure your hands and navel are completely clean and sterile, then clean the navel area well afterwards.
Step 8. Change earrings, if desired and permitted by a doctor or expert piercing
In some cases, earrings just need to be replaced with a more comfortable type, not removed during pregnancy. If possible, look for earrings with a "PTFE" label indicating that they are not made of metal, but rather a more flexible material. This means that the size of the earrings can change as your belly grows during pregnancy, and they can also be trimmed to suit your needs in thickness.
Step 9. Remove the earrings if you need to have a cesarean section
This step must be done because the metal content in the earrings will prevent the doctor from making an incision in the abdomen. Therefore, if you have to have a cesarean section, remove the earrings immediately following the steps listed above, and don't put the earrings back on until you are completely healed. Consult a doctor to find out the right time to put earrings.
Step 10. Apply moisturizer and follow the right routine to keep your belly button clean
In fact, what will enlarge is not only your stomach, but also your belly button. Because the skin area around the piercing has more freedom to enlarge, as a result, the risk of stretch marks (red streaks on the skin), scars, and infections will increase. To reduce this risk, make it a habit to always wear a moisturizer and adopt a good routine to keep the navel clean.
Instead, use a moisturizer made from natural ingredients and free from harmful chemicals and fragrances every day
Step 11. Treat the rash or inflammation properly
In the third trimester, female hormones will reach their peak. As a result, skin disorders such as rashes, irritation, itching, and inflammation are more likely to appear. Before the condition gets worse, treat it immediately so that the skin disorder does not develop into an infection!
Step 12. Don't put your earrings back on until you've fully recovered
Constantly wearing earrings will only damage the health in the navel area. Therefore, wait at least a few weeks after your baby is born to put the earrings back on.
Step 13. Protect the belly button skin from loosening and/or tearing
During pregnancy, the inside of the belly button will often protrude. As a result, the area between the earrings and the skin will expand. In addition, the area of the skin and abdominal muscles will also tighten during pregnancy, and make the earrings press the navel excessively. To fix this, periodically lift your clothes and observe if your belly button looks loose, torn, or even injured.
- If one of them occurs, immediately remove the earrings so that the navel condition does not become more inflamed. Then, cover the area with a small bandage and call a doctor or piercer!
- If the skin looks potentially slack or red but it's not severe, just apply the tape so the belly button doesn't stick out any further.
- Also consider the recovery process. Of course, you don't want to restore your piercing while your baby is constantly moving, kicking your belly button, or keeping you hunched over, right?
Part 3 of 3: Belly Piercing when Pregnant
Step 1. Write down the reasons behind your desire to have your belly button pierced
In fact, navel piercing carries various types of risks, both if done before and while pregnant. In particular, the risk of infection, inflammation, and even disease transmission accompanies the process of navel piercing. Therefore, take as much time as possible to think about the reasons behind the importance of getting your belly button pierced!
- Write down the reasons why you should take this action. This process should be done by everyone, not just women who are pregnant. Then, go through the reasons one by one and analyze the merits (e.g., having my belly button pierced is a meaningful act for me, a part of my identity, etc.).
- After writing down all the best reasons you have, share the decision with your closest friends and relatives. Chances are, they will have a different view and will even forbid you to do so.
- Consulting an expert piercer is also important. Chances are, they've been in such a situation before and can give you their best advice.
Step 2. Check the credibility of your chosen piercing studio
Remember, make sure the piercing process is only done in a credible place, especially to avoid the risk of infection, disease, and other disorders that can damage the health of the fetus.
- Ask permission to see the process that the piercer goes through before getting your belly button pierced. Remember, the piercer must always wash his hands and the tools he uses. In addition, the piercing used must also be sealed neatly.
- Observe the tidiness and cleanliness of the studio. In particular, make sure the studio floor looks clean and tidy, the place to store your piercing is sterilized, and there are no drops of blood everywhere.
- Make sure the piercer adheres to the rules regarding age restrictions before carrying out their duties. In addition, he should also have a portfolio containing his work history and be willing to show it to you.
Step 3. Choose earrings that are safe and functional
Do not buy belly button earrings that are very tight and typical. Instead, buy earrings that can work best for your condition as the pregnancy progresses later in life.
- Choose navel earrings made of plastic. This type of earrings is made of soft and elastic plastic material so that it can follow the process of stomach enlargement. Due to its elastic texture size, the risk of irritation and infection on the skin will decrease. In addition, the price is much cheaper than metal earrings and can be easily found in various online stores, you know!
- Choose round earrings instead of barbells. Round earrings will not easily fall off like barbell earrings. As the belly grows, the size of the piercing can increase temporarily and make the barbell earrings fall out of the hole.
- Choose large diameter earrings. The larger the diameter, the thinner it will be. As a result, earrings can more easily follow the growth of your stomach. If possible buy earrings in the international size “14 gauge” which has the largest size with a thickness of 1.6 mm.
- Stick-on navel earrings (fake earrings that contain adhesive material so that they can be directly attached to the belly button without having to pierce them first) are an alternative that is worth trying. In fact, this type of earrings is very popular among pregnant women, you know! Since the navel does not need to be pierced, the risk of infection and inflammation will be drastically reduced.
Step 4. Postpone the belly button piercing
The best step that can be taken is to delay the belly button piercing until the child is born and your condition has completely recovered after giving birth. Be careful, navel piercing during pregnancy is prone to make you susceptible to infections and diseases, and risks disturbing the safety of the fetus.
- Because the belly button area is not very muscular and has very little active blood flow, a pierced belly button will likely take a very long time to heal, even if the person doing it isn't pregnant. Specifically, the average belly button takes about nine to twelve months to heal.
- The navel is located right next to the abdominal cavity. As a result, the risk of infection is more prone to occur! In addition, the earrings in the navel will also be in constant contact with the clothes so that the infection is more easily spread afterward.
- In some cases, the navel area will perceive the earrings as "foreign objects" so that the condition will not be able to completely recover after that.
Step 5. Call the doctor
Even though you already know the general risks that befall pregnant women with belly button piercings, chances are your doctor will still want to know your medical history. If you have previously been exposed to infections, have a history of certain diseases, or have experienced a long wound recovery process after being pierced, you should not rush to get your belly button pierced. Make sure you consult a doctor before doing so, especially because the doctor can provide medical advice relevant to your condition.
Tips
- Do not constantly play with the earrings that are attached to your navel. This behavior can irritate or inflame the belly button! If you have this habit, ask the people closest to you to always remind you.
- Consult a medical professional if you find a potentially dangerous medical disorder. Although the possibility of the baby to experience serious health risks or disorders is not great, keep his safety first by always consulting your condition with the doctor.
- Every now and then, remove the earrings to feel the sensation. Chances are, you won't feel weird afterwards. After all, anytime you can put it back, right?
Warning
- If you think your belly button is infected, take your earrings off immediately and call your doctor. Some of the symptoms of infection to watch out for are discharge of pus or fluid from the piercing, itching, redness of the skin around the piercing, inflammation, or an unpleasant smell coming from the piercing.
- Make sure you choose a piercing studio that is clean and sterile. Remember, used and/or unsterilized piercing tools can transmit various dangerous infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B.
- Always check the information listed on the packaging of over-the-counter antibiotics. Be careful, some types of drugs should not be consumed by pregnant women.
