has anyone gotten a tattoo while breastfeeding/within the 1st year?

edited May 2011 in Pregnant
that is my question!

Comments

  • I haven't but from what I read online it's a no-no. The same with piercings.
  • But why?
  • Iv had two new piercings since falling pregnant, no harm with them they just dnt heal as quick and the person doing it isn't liable if u faint.. a friend of mine got her sons name tattooed on her wen she was breast feeding, no problem. Most tattooists won't do u until bub is a year old cuz they want ur body to heal before adding more trauma, the ink is too think to go into ur blood stream so it won't hurt bub
  • From what ive read it is fine the ink can not travel throw the brestmilk the big thing is if it gets infected
  • Its because of possible infection. If you have an infection then you can pass that thru your breast milk. Its a major no no while pregnant and feeding.
  • Incase ur baby needs blood, if u get one it taints ur blood. U know how they tell u that u can't donate blood after one samething
  • i have been researching, and if you have a cold, mastitis, or a sinus infection it is still recommended that you keep breastfeeding. so is it really different for an infection from a healing cut? (assuming your tattoo parlor is safe and there is no risk of Hep c or hiv) also, i mainly wanted the experiences of people who have had it done or were denied it, not general opinions, no offense.
  • also, i thought of maybe pumping and stocking up on breastmilk ahead of time, so i could hold off on breastfeeding for a few days and be tested for infection, just in case? then it wouldnt be a problem, right?
  • Wow well alright then...one last opinion for ya...you should ask your doctor thats his job to answer those type of questions
  • From what I've read the only risk while breastfeeding is hepatitis bit as long as you know your at a clean place that you trust then that shouldn't be a problem. Look at the Le leche website they have info on it. I trust their info. I also have talked to a friend who is a lactation consultant and she said the ink will not pass to your milk so as long as someone goes to a sanitary place and takes care of the tattoo its ok. I've known my tattoo artist since I was a kid and he's extremely sanitary so I know I will be fine :) but defiantly do your own research and maybe talk to a lactation person in your area :)
  • my midwife just said it shouldnt be a problem as long as the tattoo parlor is clean. i also plan to ask my bf peer counselor. i tried looking it up online, but it seems every other site has a different answer. the only real concern, it seems, is hep c and hiv. my midwife also confirmed that an infection while breastfeeding is safe, as long as it isn't one of those. and @ashley_smashley please do not take offense. i was not trying to be rude, sincerely. i just started this thread to try to get some straight answers from people with the experience, as i can find plenty of opinions online :)
  • And I did get tattooed while still breastfeeding,not right away because I didn't won't leave my babies side for more than 5 mins when there little lol. But I never had problems. You just really need to make sure you trust who's doing it
  • thanks for your reply @sdubois ! and i really do. my artist did my 2 other tattoos, they are beautiful and i know he is uber careful about sterilization and uses an autoclave, etc. i never had a problem with either of those.
  • i am going to the consult tomorrow, the tentative plan is to schedule it for 4 months after the birth. it seems ok with my midwife, but my bf counselor hasn't responded yet. i only hope my tattoo artist does not say no.
  • Good luck. I can't wait my husbands been going the past 2 weekends to have one worked on and I'm so jealous lol. We already have 2 new ones planned for me but I'm waiting till the baby is about
    6 months old because I'm strictly breastfeeding(no bottles) but 6 months I can do breast milk in a sippy cup.
  • @sdubois thank you. i plan to exclusively breastfeed for the first 4 months, because my bf counselors said that is about the time you can introduce bottles in combination with breast, without risking bottle refusal or breast refusal. i figure then i can mainly breastfeed, but give breastmilk in a bottle if i need to for some reason.
  • the American Pregnancy Association kinda leaves it up to you, pregnancy.org says it is not advisable, and pregnancy-baby-care.com says it is ultimately up to you but warns against infection. birthingfromwithin says it is not contraindicated(meaning it is ok) and oddly enough, Dr. Sears says it is riskier to see the dentist than get a tattoo while breastfeeding! so you guys can see where the info online confuses me.
  • I got one in december, my daughter was a year old I was breastfeeding and I asked the dr and the tattoo artists and they said it was fine, just keep it sanitary and your baby will be ok.
  • thanks! @myasmommy2009 i am hoping for a positive response from my tattoo artist at this point :)
  • On a additional note, I also got pregnant 10 days after getting said tattoo, and this baby is doing ok they say. So :)
Sign In or Register to comment.