PTFE belly bars and rings
Guidelines for piercing and tattoos
With fashion as it is today, many women having babies will also have a belly button piercing. What to do with your belly bar (or ring) during pregnancy is a question that comes up for most women as their belly grows, as well as the possibility of keeping their piercing open until after the birth.
Essentially, the decision to keep your belly jewellery in, or to take it out, will come down to your own individual comfort, and perhaps the type of jewellery you use. As your belly grows and starts to protrude, many women find that their navel begins to 'pop out' and is then more likely to rub on clothing. The piercing jewellery may also get caught on things more readily or be pulled on more often. For these reasons you may decide to remove the jewellery.
If you have had your piercing for a long time and the area has healed fully, the opening may still be there after the birth and your jewellery can be replaced, or you may decide to just run the jewellery through the piercing every day or so to keep it open. One enterprising woman we know threaded a new piece of fishing line through her piercing, to keep it open until after the birth!
If your belly jewellery is not annoying you, then there is no medical reason to take it out. You may find a belly bar is more comfortable than a belly ring or you may decide to purchase a new
PTFE belly bar. These are very flexible and less irritating, especially during pregnancy. Some women will keep their belly jewellery in for the entire pregnancy and labour and continue to wear it after the birth. (As the woman in the photo on this page did. This photo was taken one week before she had her baby.)
Be aware that piercing your navel is not like piercing your ears. It is a larger puncture wound that has a tendency not to fully heal for several weeks or months (some people find they never really heal properly).