piercing & breastfeeding question!

paigenicole23

hi! i am 18w1d and counting with my first! very excited-and hoping to breastfeed! i happen to have my nipples pierced, and was wondering how breastfeeding will go with this? i dont want to take them out because they close very quickly, and im afraid no matter how tight i screw them on theres a slight chance the baby could suck one of the balls off and im not willing to risk that! are there any brestfeeding designed rings? or is taking them in and out my best option? thanks ladies!

meheron80

First off I would just take them out but if you are set on having them look into a nipple shield. I never had LO latch the last time except the first day. They sell nipple shields with the breastfeeding supplies. It made it very easy to go from nipple to bottle to paci and made my boobs hurt a lot less. I breastfeed exclusive for four months. After I went back to work I couldnt pump fast enough to keep up so I switched to formula.

LovestruckAJ

I had the same concerns, so I just ended up taking mine out. I did some searching & couldn't find any jewelry that I felt would be safe. I will admit, a couple days later I tried to put them back in and it was a no-go. They closed really quickly.

You may just be stuck taking them out to feed (for reasons that PP stated), & then putting them back in when you're done. Even if that runs the risk of them closing.

paigenicole23

LovestruckAJ:

I had the same concerns, so I just ended up taking mine out. I did some searching & couldn't find any jewelry that I felt would be safe. I will admit, a couple days later I tried to put them back in and it was a no-go. They closed really quickly.

You may just be stuck taking them out to feed (for reasons that PP stated), & then putting them back in when you're done. Even if that runs the risk of them closing.

I am definitely more concerned about baby choking than them closing. i have had them for years so they are completey healed and i sanitize the rings, but would i run the risk of infection taking them in&out?

doremi29

Aside from the choking hazzard, the latch issue would be my main reason for not attempting.  BF'ing is not easy for everyone (especially in the first few weeks) and I really think any jewelry would hinder your attempts. 

RussianMommy

are you a troll or just incredibly dumb????

Runaway22

Just take them out. Your nipples will have a "real purpose" soon, and you can always get them pierced post-BFing. 

I get growing pains in my nipples sometimes, and I imagine that would be uncomfortable with piercings while pregnant, anyway.  

SkyBee

I think the answer is quite obvious...... either take them out to breastfeed, or don't breastfeed. Aside from the choking hazard, how would baby latch? And wouldn't that hurt baby's tongue while sucking?

AFBTB

Umm, yeah, I'd take them out. The choking hazzard would be a HUGE scare for me, and I'm sure the baby wouldn't be able to latch properly which could in turn cause you a lot of pain, and cause baby not to get enough nutrition.

hollowstar

You'll probably have to just take them out, and re-pierce after breastfeeding. I had mine for a few years before I got pregnant. By the third trimester they were so uncomfortable that I had to take them out anyway!

You COULD take them in and out, assuming they are clean and fully healed and there is no discharge, but I would recommend just taking them out a couple months before birth. It definitely wouldn't be safe to try to nurse with any type of jewelry in. I LOVE my piercings - I have a few others - and didn't want to take out my nipple rings, but I can't imagine how breastfeeding would work with them in. 

katie6/26/04

BFing is also quite painful at the beginning (don't believe what they tell you that a proper latch shouldn't hurt because it usually does), so I cannot imagine trying to take rings in and out every hour up to 10x per day. 

diana.filipi

I did remove both of my nipple piercings.  Nursing has been fine but I do have milk come out of the extra holes.  It hasn't caused any problems. I can't imagine asking baby to try latching with the jewelry still on.  I think you should be prepared to remove them.  It's not that hard to get them opened back up once you've weaned.  I had my piercings for years and over all those years I once had to have them opened again after having them out for a few months.  It just wasn't a biggie.

paigenicole23

RussianMommy:

are you a troll or just incredibly dumb????

no idea what a troll is but thanks for your input none the less! i feel for the child youre having that when they ask you a question this is the type of response they get, poor thing. oh well to each her own! i think you are/were having a bad day so you took it out on here, in which case hoping you feel better! maybe you can't read or didn't bother to, anyways i stated I don't wish to take them completely out but because I am far more concerned with hazard to baby than I am them closing I will if thats my best option. I said leaving them in not matter how secure was way to risky for baby...I was simply looking for input from ladies with experience or knowledge, which clearly you RUSSIANMOMMY lack with this. and what I have gathered from the women who actually posted something intellegible is that taking them out and leaving them out will be the best way to go, which I thank everyone who has taken the time to share their insight even you!

evertz

I took mine out a long time ago (actually they began to surface).. I'm worried the scar tissue will affect breastfeeding but I've found lots of people say they didn't have issues. So here's hoping for the best!

Good luck to you and your LO.

paigenicole23

evertz:

I took mine out a long time ago (actually they began to surface).. I'm worried the scar tissue will affect breastfeeding but I've found lots of people say they didn't have issues. So here's hoping for the best!

Good luck to you and your LO.

Thanks very much! Hope you are having a good day and enjoying the holidays! (and if youre pregnant like I gathered from reading congarts and hello to your little gummy bear!) I have been able to keep mine in this long just because my breasts really arent swelling or hurting me at all which im sure will change soon haha. They arent a hassel atm to take in and out which i tend to do in the shower but Im not sure how realistic that would be when baby is here! I want to be sure my baby will breastfeed before I ditch them completely but babys needs are first!

amcongdon

I also have mine done so I did quite a bit of research on this and spoke with my doctor. My doctor said I could keep them in until they were uncomfortable and it would not necessarily interfere with breastfeeding and there are cases where it can show increased flow out of the holes of the piercing. She did say I would need to remove them prior to giving breastfeeding though. I did about a week ago and they closed in about 9 hours - just an FYI. If you are able to keep them in through your whole pregnancy, you will have to remove them for each feeding since it is a choking hazard for the baby. Then you will have to clean the piercings and the jewelry each time before reinserting. For me, I decided it wasn't going to be worth the hassle with feeding a newborn every 2 hours or so. I am thinking I will re-pierce them after the baby is weaned if anything. I was really sad to lose mine but I know in the end it will be for the best with my baby. Still felt like I was losing my little secret though Hope this helps.

paigenicole23

amcongdon:

I also have mine done so I did quite a bit of research on this and spoke with my doctor. My doctor said I could keep them in until they were uncomfortable and it would not necessarily interfere with breastfeeding and there are cases where it can show increased flow out of the holes of the piercing. She did say I would need to remove them prior to giving breastfeeding though. I did about a week ago and they closed in about 9 hours - just an FYI. If you are able to keep them in through your whole pregnancy, you will have to remove them for each feeding since it is a choking hazard for the baby. Then you will have to clean the piercings and the jewelry each time before reinserting. For me, I decided it wasn't going to be worth the hassle with feeding a newborn every 2 hours or so. I am thinking I will re-pierce them after the baby is weaned if anything. I was really sad to lose mine but I know in the end it will be for the best with my baby. Still felt like I was losing my little secret though Hope this helps.

awe congrats on your bumpkin and thank you soo much for taking the time to share! i moved to m moms small town to have baby, and the hospital has only 2 OB drs so all my dr could tell me was he thought take them in and out. but i wanted second opinions and thought asking women in my situation would be better than google (some google advice said you can leave them in if you glue them oh..my...) theyre silly but fun to have like you said youre secret so far my breasts arent swollen or anyhing, so i take them in and out for the shower but in the past when I have had one out for a day or two it was almost like re-piercing to put it back in! but ive heard re-piercing them doesnt hurt as bad! again thank you and good luck!!

paigenicole23

daylights1:

Well it is Friday which makes me think this could be MUD but I will take the bait.  

Take the damn things out, I mean really... Get them done again after if it is that important. 

i hope your day gets better and you can be happy, im sorry to hear your soo bitter! maybe educate yourself and read some of the answers so if you ever feel the need to hop on a question like this that strikes a nerve and you feel compelled to get your word in on you can have some insight and sound intelligible. or maybe read the full length of something before you answer so you dont come across that way again? just a thought! again,thanks to all the ladies who too the time to give insight, as you did help me make up my mind about not even trying to deal with the in and out process and saved me the time in attempting it. it has worked on for some, but most of you that have either tried got tired of it quickly or they closed, which is what i was looking for!

PansyPants

I had mine pierced and ended up taking them out a couple months before my due date and am very happy I did. Even with giving them time to close up there were flow issues for DS. I think it's also what contributed to me having blocked ducts and several cases of mastitis. 

I've not seen jewelry that's safe to leave in while baby nurses, plus there are concerns about latch and the additional damage your nipples would receive by having the harsh suction of nursing with a metal piece in.

It's most likely going to be safest for your nipples and babies health to take them out during breast feeding and have them repierced afterward.  

diana.filipi

Not everyone's closes up quickly or really at all.  I had my piercings for about 5 years I guess before taking them out.  I still have the holes and while they are closed in the middle all it would take to put them back in is a poke through the middle and then a stretch bar to stretch the holes back to bar size.  I suspect that I won't ever have them again but I certainly could without a full re-piercing.  All of my old piercings could be put back without full re-piercing really.  I guess it's all in how you heal.  I tend to heal very quickly and completely.  I have a labia piercing that I could still get a bar through with just a little bit of push through the center and that sucker has been out for about 15 years now! 

love.love

definitely take them out and just re-pierce after.

breastfeeding and nipple piercings do not mix for a number of reasons.

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homebird

KateRN08:

The peircing can block milk ducts or cause reduced production. I imagine taking the peircing in and out will be rather annoying in the middle of the night. I don't know if a breast feeding safe ring exists, but I still wouldn't risk it. The baby won't be able to latch properly and I'd be worried about the chocking hazed.

All of this. 

homebird

meheron80:

... look into a nipple shield. I never had LO latch the last time except the first day. They sell nipple shields with the breastfeeding supplies. It made it very easy to go from nipple to bottle to paci and made my boobs hurt a lot less. I breastfeed exclusive for four months. After I went back to work I couldnt pump fast enough to keep up so I switched to formula.

What does this have to do with a piercing? 

homebird

... and wow. after reading some of your responses OP, I'm sorry I bothered to respond to this at all. You're a peach.