Tattoos During Pregnancy – Future moms have to follow so many rules while pregnant. There is a whole code of what they can or cannot eat, do, try, and so on. Unfortunately, the list is quite long. Tattoos have also made it into that list, and it’s not in future mothers’ favor. Most specialists warn women against getting a tattoo while expecting. Here is why.
How Can I Know?
First, a pregnant woman should feel free to consult her OB-GYN on any issues, including this one. So, whenever you are uncertain if you can or can’t do something while pregnant, ask your doctor for advice. They are responsible for a healthy course of your pregnancy, so they must stay in the loop, to a certain degree, of what you are doing with your body. In this case, however, your OB-GYN will probably ask you to wait until after the baby is born to proceed with any actions of that sort.
To make it clear, your existing tattoos are nothing to be concerned about when pregnant. In no way can they complicate your condition or cause additional risks to the pregnancy. Neither will they prevent you from taking an epidural during labor, unlike popular belief. A tattoo on the lower back is no obstacle to having this medication while giving birth.
What Are the Risks of Getting a Tattoo?
So, you decide to get a tattoo no matter what. Well, in such a case, you should know all about potential risks before contacting a tattoo artist. These are the top four risks you will face when going to a tattoo parlor while pregnant.
Weak immune system
On average, pregnant women have weaker immune systems than they’d have otherwise. Of course, pregnancy will take a toll on your body and ability to respond to viruses and other threats. Hence, you have lower chances of defending yourself from any type of disease that flies around or can be transmitted with a needle. Even simple allergy reactions or skin irritation after tattoos may cause a health issue you will struggle with for weeks afterward.
Tattoos During Pregnancy – Risk of infection
You also should be totally confident about your tattoo parlor safety. It’s best to visit parlors with high praises and many reviews online. This way, you can be sure of their professionalism and work ethics. Art is not the only thing a tattoo parlor should worry about with clients. Tattoo artists should also be well-educated about the infection risks. Hence, they should take good care of their tools, work only with sterilized equipment, and maintain an overall sterile environment.
Sure, there is always a risk of infection when you are getting a tattoo. However, it can be especially dangerous for pregnant women. After all, an unsterilized tattoo instrument can infect clients with Hepatitis C or HIV. Getting these diagnoses while pregnant can be very dangerous for a woman and their unborn baby.
Allergic reactions
Tattoo inks can be of different quality and content. Some of them can be more dangerous than others. Unfortunately, clients usually don’t know what ingredients their inks have. As a result, you can be infected with toxic substances that can affect your health. Some inks have metallic salts or plastic particles in them. At the bare minimum, those can cause an allergic reaction, like rash, blisters, redness, and itchiness. These can be quite unpleasant to deal with while pregnant, as you are limited in baby-friendly drug choices.
Stress
Depending on where you want your tattoo, how large it should be, and your pain tolerance level, tattoos can be very painful. Women with no previous tattoo experiences should certainly consider these factors, as they don’t know what to expect.
Not to mention that your sensations can change during pregnancy. Thus, you may feel more pain than you experienced during your first tattoo. Such a shocking surprise will also lead to stress and fear, which could have been easily avoided.
Can I Remove a Tattoo?
No. It’s best to wait till after birth and breastfeeding to remove a tattoo. The thing is, most tattoos are removed with lasers these days. Yet, a laser doesn’t just make the ink disappear. It’s not how lasers work. Instead, they shatter the tattoo inks, which are then absorbed by your body. Hence, all the ink in your body can also be transmitted to your baby, which is highly undesirable.
Any board-certified dermatologist will also not approve of tattoo removals on pregnant women. Normally, specialists ask clients to wait for at least 6-8 weeks after the birth to start with such a procedure.
Tattoos During Pregnancy – Bottom Line
Pregnancy can be a beautiful yet scary and exhausting period in your life. Having a tattoo done during this time may also complicate things for you, causing more stress and risks for your and your baby’s health. So, it’s highly recommended to wait up to 8 weeks or till you stop breastfeeding to proceed with a tattoo idea.
Many young moms consider getting a tattoo to celebrate their new baby. It can be lovely due to a skilled execution of a tattoo artist. Such tattoos are also best to make after birth, so you are sure of your baby’s name and feel mentally strong to go through such a process (not that a young mom will be afraid of a needle after birthing a whole human being). By the way, tattoos can also be a great solution to covering stretch marks if they bother you.
Overall, young moms will have plenty of time to make their next tattoos after the birth of their children.