breastfeeding and tattoos

[beansbeans!]

Hi all;

I am not sure whether this is the right place to post this but;
I have decided that i would like to get a tattoo soon, however I am unsure as to whether the ink going will affect my milk supply/quantity I ask this because, i know tattooists wont tattoo pregnant women, and that you cannot give blood after getting a tattoo for one year!

does anyone have any info about this?

Cheers

Justine

[Bathsheba]

I have a tattoo. It's between my breasts. It was done 15 years ago. I'm very sure it hasn't interfered with my BFing. However if you are pregnant I agree with the tattooists advice. Although they try hard to avoid cross-contamination there probably is the risk (given that they are creating an open wound) of infecting you with a disease like Hepatitis or other auto immune diseases that could be harmful to your unborn baby. I could be wrong but the ink only enters the dermis (skin layer) and although this is deep, it's not as deep at the milk ducts or lymph fluid that filters around the area.

I'd wait until baby was born to have a tattoo performed. Just my thoughts

[Schmickers]

The restrictions around tattooing and blood donation are to do with transmissible diseases; essentially, they make you wait a year in case you contract a blood-borne disease because by then you would have become symptomatic and hopefully be aware that you should not donate.

I suspect the restriction on tattooing pregnant women is simply to do with legalities; the same reason pregnant women can't do a lot of things, in case something happens to the pregnancy and they think that the tattoo had something to do with it and sue.

And there is also a fair bit of body shape change going on during pregnancy so tattoos might end up not looking as planned!

As far as I am aware, if you are willing to accept the risk of blood-borne disease, there is no reason why you cannot BF and have a new tattoo, but I'd definitely pay the big money and go somewhere reputable and clean.

[Bathsheba]

I'd definitely pay the big money and go somewhere reputable and clean.

Yes!!! Go to the cleanest most professional place you can find. The place where i got mine done looked more like an ultra modern hair salon than your typical seedy tattooist's den.

[Trish]

OK, I have inside information

Tattooists will not (or should not) tattoo pregnant women as it is the law. I did ask what this law was based on as such, apparently yes, just cos your pregnant. LOL. The higher risk at catching germs/disease as you could be immuno compromised. Also when you are pregnant you tend to bleed more also.

Same goes for breastfeeding, although there is no law for that.

I would suggest any tattooist you go to is a member of the PTAA (The Professional Tattooing Association of Australia) They have very strict guidlines that they have to adhere too.

[Kazmar]

Hi I got mine done about 2 months ago while b/f it hasn't changed anything. I doubt very much it would touch ur milk. Being pg is a very different matter and if they're a good tattooist they'll explain to u the dangers. Go somewhere that someone you know and trust has gone and had no troubles. My tattoo was a great experience, but then again so was giving birth so maybe im just a gluten for punishment

Good luck