Belly Piercing, 19w 5d. Anyone else had issues?

[PregnantWithSquishy]

Hiya, this is my second pregnancy and with my first I didn't take my belly bar out until about 25 weeks as I didn't get a bump until then...it was fine through my whole pregnancy and I put it back in after.
With this pregnancy I've already taken it out as it felt so so tight that it was hurting, the last few days my belly has popped and now it looks so stretched and red in between that it looks like it may tear! I'm only 19 weeks so got lots more growing to do!

Has anyone else suffered pain from the stretching or experienced it to tear? X

So sorry at the photos....my belly has been so hairy the last 2 weeks eeeek haha and my belly button is popping already! Apologies...it's not pretty x

[Redpony1]

Didn't want to read any run, no advice or experience but that looks sore! Not sure what you can do about it though

[MrsJW15]

Ouch, looks sore. I'm 22 weeks and still have mine in, debating what to do with it.

Have you tried salt water? Hot water + a spoonful of salt, then soak a cotton wool pad in that and apply it. Sounds simple, works amazingly on piercings!

[PregnantWithSquishy]

It gets sore at night when my belly gets its biggest, I don't want it to close over but I've had it in for 11 years so it should probably be ok to be out, I kept it out for 16 weeks when I had my daughter and it didn't close over then. Just worried if it tears, that will hurt so bad!! Xx

[10Betty10]

I have a lot of piercings- have found the best poss thing you can do is as Mrs J says- saltwater. Make sure it is the rock sea salt, the standard salt doesn't have the same impact. Salt twice a day. Once a day use some diluted witch hazel on a cotton bud. Should sort it

[dottydee3]

Mine did this. I massaged it with almond oil lots and lots and the skin did stretch. I think salt water would dry it out and worsen the problem

[PregnantWithSquishy]

Thanks ladies, I've been using cocoa butter on my belly making sure I keep it moisturised will try the oil too, makes me go all funny if I touch it too long haha x

[FatOldBag]

This is my first pregnancy that I've had with a belly piercing and mine hasn't done this yet, but it looks sore. Is it possible to put some sort of plaster or tape over it to pull the skin together over the pierced bit?

[10Betty10]

I'd avoid covering it- using plaster or tape will just make it moist and more prone to infection.

[rhuhbarb4]

Mine did this with my second mine didnt tear but it felt like it was about to. Mine also felt sore and itchy. Another downer is you wont be able to put the peircing back in after pregnancy as the hole will have stretched too much in my experience anyway.

[Joceshe]

Sometimes if theres a possible infection or irritation, the worse thing you can do is take the piercing out cause it leaves the wound open to bacteria. Have you looked into geting a belly bar specifically for pregnancy? It stretches as your bump grows and is made from plastic rather than metal. Im 20 weeks currently and still have my normal bar in but am planning to take out shortly to switch to a pregnancy bar . As others have said, treat like a new piercing and clean with warm salt water too.

[ilovetosleep]

Mine did this (and is doing it again now) it never tore but unfortunately that piercing was the source of my only stretch marks. They started in the middle of that top bit of skin and sort if radiated from there, 8 had no stretch marks in first pregnancy and I think the tightness of the skin stretching over the piercing is what did it. Nothing really sinister though.

[phoebe2016]

I kept my belly bar in for most of my last pregnancy but noticed it had gone from a pierced hole to a slit, much like yours. I took it out in the end and massaged the area twice a day with almond oil. It ended up being the only place I developed a stretchmark during the pregnancy, the piercing had just made the skin weak. As yours looks a bit sore, i would definitely bathe it with warm salt water twice a day and also use almond oil to keep it supple. Fingers crossed it shouldn't tear.