When you're preparing for pregnancy, you probably have a lot of concerns about changes you'll have to make to your lifestyle and your body for your baby. For example, according to NBC News, 14 percent of women have body piercings, and if you happen to have pierced nipples, you may be wondering what that means for breastfeeding. Will you be able to keep your piercings in? Even if you take them out, will you still be able to breastfeed?
According to Breastfeeding Basics, you'll need to take out your piercing in order to nurse. If there's a piece of metal in his or her way, it will be difficult for your baby to grasp the nipple and press it against the top of his or her mouth to get the milk out. Furthermore, the piercing could cause abrasions in your baby's mouth. Also, healthy babies are born with a pretty strong ability to suck, and you don't want to run the risk of the baby accidentally removing the piercing and choking on it.
It may be a good idea to remove your piercings completely for the first few weeks of nursing, since newborn babies tend to nurse often and it will be difficult for you to constantly put the piercings in and out again. However, once the baby is feeding less often, you can feel free to put the piercings back in – as long as you continue to take them out whenever you feed your baby.
As for the types of piercings that are best for new moms, you should get titanium, nickel-free gold, platinum, niobium or surgical stainless steel, since many people have allergic reactions to nickel.
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