Pregnancy and getting a tattoo

2008-06-07 05:28 PM | 0 comments

Question: Can something Terrible happen if I get tattooed while I am pregnant? What can happen? Why shouldn’t I get tattooed while pregnant? What should I do? When is it Safe to get tattooed again?

Answer: I do not recommend any female getting a tattoo or piercing while pregnant or nursing. While in rare occurrences getting a tattoo will hurt the fetus or nursing infant, there is also the chance that there may be a problem with the healing of the tattoo.

While pregnant the body is working overtime and cannot spare the resources needed to heal the tattoo properly. Also, while nursing a woman’s body produces antibodies that are to be passed to the infant.

Anything can happen! From a mild allergic reaction to a full-blown infection. From a woman’s perspective and as a professional tattoo artist, this is definitely NOT the time to be taking chances. You need to focus on making a great kid, which means making good choices and postponing selfish decisions until after you are completely healed after the child’s birth.

Once you are no longer breast-feeding, and are healed of any wounds the baby may have left you, you can get tattooed. If you are still unsure as to when this might be, ask your doctor.

So what do you do until then? If you want to decorate and show off your pregnant body, do it safely. You can look for local salons that do real henna or buy a henna kit yourself! Of course. please ask your medical professional what they suggest.

Please be safe! And remember that most tattoo studios will adamantly refuse tattooing a pregnant or nursing female. Please take this into consideration. Your friend that assures you nothing will happen and “knows a guy that will do it” doesn’t really know what they’re talking about, nor do they understand the nature of the situation. Getting tattooed in an unprofessional setting, especially while pregnant or nursing is an especially bad idea. While temporarily annoying, you can safely continue getting tattooed later.