Piercings and Pregnancy: What to Keep, What to Remove, and When to Ask

Pregnancy changes your body in big ways, and if you have navel or nipple piercings, you might be wondering what happens as those areas start to stretch and shift. The good news: if your piercings are fully healed, there's usually no need to panic. Let's walk through what tends to happen, what your options actually are, and the moments when it's worth a quick conversation with your OB or a professional piercer.

One thing up front: this is general education, not medical advice. Every pregnancy is different, and your OB-GYN or midwife knows your situation in a way an article never can.

First Rule: Don't Get New Piercings While Pregnant

This is the one point nearly every medical and professional-piercing source agrees on. The Association of Professional Piercers and major pregnancy health organizations both advise waiting. There are a few reasons:

• Pregnancy can affect your immune system, which may make infections more likely and healing slower.
• A fresh piercing is an open wound that needs months to heal — and your body is already doing a lot.
• Areas like the belly and breasts are actively changing, so a new piercing there is unlikely to settle well.

If you got a piercing before you realized you were pregnant, don't panic — just let your doctor know so they can keep an eye on healing.

Belly Button Piercings During Pregnancy

Your navel is ground zero for stretching as your bump grows, so this is the piercing people ask about most.

If your navel piercing is fully healed (belly piercings can take 8–12 months or longer to fully heal), there's generally no medical reason you must remove it. Many people keep it comfortably through the first and second trimesters. As your skin stretches taut later on, though, you may notice the jewelry tugging, rubbing on clothing, or simply feeling uncomfortable — and plenty of people choose to take it out at that point purely for comfort.

If your navel piercing is not yet fully healed, the common recommendation is to remove it and let your body focus on the pregnancy. An unhealed piercing plus stretching skin is more prone to irritation, tearing, and infection.

A few practical notes:

• If the hole might close while the jewelry is out, a flexible retainer can help keep it open — but materials matter (more on that below). Talk to your piercer about options.
• If you try to remove your jewelry and it feels stuck or won't move, don't force it. Ask a professional piercer or your doctor for help.
• Watch for signs of infection — increasing redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge — and see your doctor if they appear.

For more on the basics of this piercing, see our Belly Button Piercing Guide.

A Note on "Pregnancy" Belly Jewelry (PTFE / Bioplast)

You'll see flexible "maternity" belly rings widely sold, usually made of PTFE or bioplast — soft, bendable materials that flex as your belly grows. Many people find them more comfortable than a rigid barbell in late pregnancy.

Here's the honest nuance: this is one area where sources disagree. Consumer and maternity retailers recommend these flexible rings for comfort, while the Association of Professional Piercers has cautioned against some "pregnancy jewelry" on the grounds that not all of it is made from safe, body-appropriate materials. Because the guidance isn't unanimous, the smart move is to skip the cheap online multipacks and ask your piercer to fit you with a high-quality, body-safe retainer.

Nipple Piercings During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Like the navel, your breasts change significantly during pregnancy, so healed nipple piercings can shift too.

During pregnancy: a fully healed, comfortable nipple piercing doesn't have an automatic medical reason to come out early on. As your breasts grow and become more sensitive, comfort often becomes the deciding factor. Many people choose to remove nipple jewelry in the later part of pregnancy so the area can settle before feeding begins.

For breastfeeding, the safety rule is clear and consistent across lactation and pregnancy organizations: always remove nipple jewelry before every feeding session. Jewelry is a choking hazard, can injure your baby's mouth, and can interfere with latch. This is non-negotiable for each and every feed.

A few things people are often surprised to learn:

• Most people can breastfeed successfully with healed nipple piercings. Milk is made in the glandular tissue behind the nipple, so piercings usually don't affect supply.
• Sometimes a piercing can affect milk flow — if it has damaged or clogged a duct, or created scar tissue. This isn't the norm, and if only one side is affected, the other often compensates.
• You may notice milk leaking or spraying from old piercing channels. It's harmless; a breast pad handles it.
• If you remove jewelry for the whole duration of breastfeeding, the holes may close. Many people wait a few months after weaning before re-piercing or reinserting.

If you have questions specific to your body, a lactation consultant alongside your OB is the best resource. Our Nipple Piercing Guide covers the fundamentals of the piercing itself.

Other Piercings (Ears, Nose, Face)

Piercings away from the belly and breasts — earlobes, cartilage, nostril, and other facial piercings — generally aren't affected by pregnancy in the same way, since they're not in stretching zones. The main considerations there are the usual ones: keep healed jewelry clean, and don't get anything new pierced until after pregnancy. One thing worth planning for: if you're having a C-section or another procedure, hospital policy often asks you to remove metal jewelry beforehand, partly because of burn risk from surgical equipment. Ask your care team ahead of time so you can swap to a safe retainer if needed.

Choosing Safe Jewelry

Whatever you keep in during pregnancy, material quality matters — your skin is more sensitive and reactive than usual. Stick to materials trusted for body jewelry: implant-grade titanium, solid 14K or 18K gold, or niobium. A smooth, nick-free finish matters too, since rough jewelry can snag stretching skin. If you want a flexible option for a navel piercing late in pregnancy, ask your piercer to point you to a quality retainer rather than guessing.

You can browse curved options in our belly rings collection.

When to Call Your OB or Piercer

• Any sign of infection: spreading redness, warmth, swelling, yellow/green discharge, or fever.
• Jewelry that's stuck and won't come out.
• Tearing or a wound at the piercing site from stretching.
• Questions about materials, retainers, or keeping a hole open.
• Any breastfeeding or latch concerns — loop in a lactation consultant too.

Q
Do I have to take out my belly button ring when I'm pregnant?
Not necessarily. If it's fully healed and comfortable, there's no medical rule saying it must go. Many people remove it in the later trimesters simply because the stretching skin makes it uncomfortable. If the piercing isn't fully healed, removing it is generally recommended.

Q
Will my belly button piercing go back to normal after birth?
It varies from person to person. Because the skin and the piercing channel both stretch, some return close to how they looked before, while others stay stretched. A piercer can assess it after birth and advise on re-piercing if needed.

Q
Can I breastfeed if I have nipple piercings?
Usually yes. Most people breastfeed successfully with healed piercings. The key rule is to remove the jewelry before every single feeding for your baby's safety.

Q
Are flexible "pregnancy" belly rings safe?
They're popular for comfort, but the safety of the materials is debated in the professional piercing world. Instead of guessing online, ask your piercer to supply a safe, high-quality flexible retainer.

Q
Can I get a new piercing while pregnant?
It's not recommended. Pregnancy can slow healing and raise infection risk, so it's best to wait until after.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are individual — please consult your OB-GYN, midwife, lactation consultant, or a professional piercer for guidance specific to you.