News Moms Need

Tattoos are really in these days and I know lots of women who have them. But if you’re pregnant, it’s probably best for you to wait until after your baby arrives to put on that pretty ink. If you do want a tattoo, be aware of a few important issues.

The first three months of pregnancy are especially important. This is the time when the organs, bones, nerves, muscles—pretty much everything—are developing and we don’t know if tattoo dyes and inks affect a developing baby.

At the end of the first trimester, the baby is only about 3 inches long and weighs 1 ounce. (That’s about as heavy as five quarters.) Amounts of chemicals that might be small and harmless to an adult can have a much bigger impact on a tiny, developing fetus. So if you’re about to get a tattoo, consider postponing your pregnancy attempts to a month or so after you lay on the artwork.  If you’re already pregnant, wait at least until the second trimester.

Whenever you get your artwork put in place, be sure to go to a reputable artist. Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS are two of many diseases that may be passed along by a dirty needle. If you should catch one of these infections, you could pass it on to your baby.  You want to be sure your tattoo artist is following safety precautions.  

An epidural is a shot given in the lower back to help block the pain of childbirth. Most health care providers will give an epidural to a woman with a tattoo on her lower back, but they may not if the tattoo is recent and still fresh.  There is no clear evidence for or against giving epidurals near tattoos. If you do have a back tattoo, find out the hospital’s policy on epidurals in advance so you won’t be surprised later.

Over the next couple of days, I’m going to write about ultrasound.  There are different types that are used for different purposes and I’ll review them.

Ultrasonography is the most commonly used tool for viewing a developing fetus. Ultrasound has been safely utilized for over 40 years, but only specially trained technicians and providers should perform an ultrasound, and only for medically necessary reasons.

Using sound waves to bounce off curves and shapes within your body, technicians are able to translate light and dark patterns into images of internal organs or a developing fetus. Standard ultrasound creates a 2-D image of a developing baby in mom’s womb. A woman may have a standard ultrasound during the first trimester to confirm and date the pregnancy (or to find out if she’s having twins like her mother did!)  But not all providers offer it that early in pregnancy, so don’t be upset if yours doesn’t. It also can be used to check the positioning of the placenta or level of amniotic fluid later on.

Most providers request an ultrasound between 18 and 20 weeks. The procedure lasts about 20 minutes and can be performed abdominally (by moving a transducer over the belly) or vaginally (using a slender wand-like device that is placed inside the vagina). A full bladder acts like a mirror and helps the technician get a clearer view, hence the recommendation of drinking a few glasses of water before the procedure.  This is great for the tech, but might get slightly squirmy for mom after a while.

Tomorrow’s post – What’s Doppler imaging (nope, not part of the weather report) and fetal echocardiography?