Transcript: Just because you’re expecting doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten about the rebel within! So if the mood strikes, can you get a tattoo or a piercing during pregnancy? If you’re interested in getting a tattoo, many doctors recommend that you wait until after your baby is born. An unsterilized needle poses the risk that a blood-born infection, like hepatitis or HIV, could be transmitted to your baby. Also, if you get a tattoo while you are pregnant you take a cosmetic risk as well, since your skin changes during pregnancy, and your body art could look different after delivery. So what about a piercing? If you already have a belly button ring, you’ll have to take it out before you deliver your baby. This is because the electric equipment used in a C-section—either planned or emergency—could damage the tissue which surrounds the ring. Plus, when your belly gets bigger with your baby, the skin surrounding the ring tightens. This can result in infection and irritation. For these same reasons, it is not advised to get a belly button piercing during pregnancy. Acquiring other piercings, like in your ears or on your face, is generally fine. If you really want that belly button ring though, you’ll have to wait until your little one arrives.